How often can I drop the pH to lower alkalinity?

[jennikz]

my alkalinity has been 150 since the start of this season. I’m trying to lower it in order to keep my ph in check. It’s come down to 110 after dropping my ph to 7.0 two times using muriatic acid, about a week apart from each other.

After testing my water just now, alkalinity is at 110, ph at 7.2. Should I drop the ph more now or aerate to raise, then wait a few days to drop it again? I’d like to get the alkalinity in check because I always seem to have ph issues.

Full test results for today:
Chlorine 5.5
Ph 7.2
Alk 150
CH 160
CYA 40

Thanks!

 

[mknauss]

Manage the pH. The TA is not significant to your pool water chemistry or components.

 

[jennikz]

Manage the pH. The TA is not significant to your pool water chemistry or components.

I thought the high alkalinity went hand in hand with constant high ph though? My ph runs at 7.8-8 on a regular basis so I was trying to lower the alkalinity a little in hopes of using less muriatic acid, etc.

Are you saying that I don’t need to do that? Most of my other numbers stay in check with no issues … just ph constantly creeps up.

 

[mknauss]

Manage the pH. When it gets to 8, lower it to 7.4 or so. TA will fall.

 

[jennikz]

Manage the pH. When it gets to 8, lower it to 7.4 or so. TA will fall.

Thanks!

 

[jesse-99]

my alkalinity has been 150 since the start of this season. I’m trying to lower it in order to keep my ph in check. It’s come down to 110 after dropping my ph to 7.0 two times using muriatic acid, about a week apart from each other.

I'll offer input here as well, since I deal with high TA (330 auto-fill water) and I'll say that high TA is significant because it makes -managing- pH a PITA, at least if you have water features that create aeration. I get what mknauss is saying, and he's not wrong, but when you have high TA (especially in your auto-fill water) ignoring it completely is just not that simple. If I were you, I would just continue to do what you're doing, drop pH down to 7.0 whenever it gets up to 7.8 or so, which will bring your TA down a little bit, aerate, rinse and repeat... over and over again until you get that TA down to 60-70 where it will help buffer that pH rise more than when it's at 110-150 like you're at now. mknauss is correct though, but in some cases, TA does matter for the sanity of the pool owner trying to "manage" the pH and spending less time doing it.

 

[mknauss]

but when you have high TA (especially in your auto-fill water) ignoring it completely is just not that simple.

Never said ignoring. And I have high TA fill water with far more evaporation. Since you do have high TA fill water, you will be doing this TA dance every time you add water. So do not stress over it. When pH rises to 8, lower it to 7.4 or so. Test pH every other day or three. Simplifies things.

 

[jesse-99]

I dont have the pH/TA issue myself anymore thankfully. I added a stenner pump to dose my pH because I got tired of pouring in MA and constantly yo-yo'ing pH low to high (tons of water features) and high to low (dosing MA) and repeating all the time. I just wanted pH to be more consistent for my ADD. But I sure remember the headache (for me) before adding in my stenner pump.