Need for a friend - PH increasing

[kfpool]

Visiting a friend with a pool this weekend. Chlorinates with pucks. (Working on getting him over to TFP ) Has a waterfall water feature. Tests with strips weekly. PH consistently drops below 6.8 and his TA is 180. He doses with PH up to 7.5 weekly.
I am not familiar with falling PH. He is asking advice on how to better stabilize this. Is the water feature causing the PH to drop? He is running the pump 8hrs/day

Latest test results (Strips )

FC - 3
TC - 5
PH - 6.8
CYA - 50
TA - 180
CH - 250
Temp - 82



Pool Stats
12,000 gal
Plaster
Hayward C1200 Cartridge filter
1 hp pump

 

[Richard320]

The pucks are very acidic, which is why the pH drops. It would be even worse if he didn't have the waterfall constantly aerating to drive pH back up.

He's also got the beginnings of problems if FC is 3 and TC is 5. That means CC is 2. Unless he's been shocking with monopersulfate, which can falsely test as CC. If he has been using MPS, then it has also skewed the FC reading, which is also reading falsely high. And that means that FC is lower than it shows, which is an invitation for algae.

I'm sure you've already given him the CYA buildup lecture.

Anyway..... here's an idea. Go to poolmath and input all his numbers and then scroll down to Effects of Adding Chemicals and see what 8 ounces -- 1 puck -- will do to his pH. SS

 

[woodyp]

Even that high TA doesn't seem to be helping his ph rise. At least he can enjoy the waterfall any time he likes it seems!

 

[spinPHD]

Honestly, I wish I had this problem. Adding a base to bring up PH would be a lot better than using MA every couple of days to lower PH.

 

[ashtonfitzgerald]

I was surprised at how acidic the pucks are. Last year I was using them to chlorinate/add cya. During that month I was regularly adding borax to boost the pH. This year I have the opposite problem. pH wants to climb, though seems to be stabilizing at 7.8 now. My TA is 80. The only benefit to the pucks was I ended up with a moderate level of borates in the pool at the end of the season due to all the borax.

 

[cfherrman]

Step 1, test with your kit. I have two boxes of strips, they read different then each others

 

[kfpool]

I failed to bring my kit along. I will definitely bring it next time we visit. Going to do some research on the pool store regimen he is currently using to help him better understand what he is doing to his pool.

 

[PAGirl]

I'd at least get the OTO kit from Walmart to get a true reading of the PH before you go.....

 

[kfpool]

If I thought he would use it I would gift him a TF100 but .....

 

[PAGirl]

That would be ideal. Think you can talk him into it?

 

[kfpool]

Not as long as his water is clear[emoji30]
He will have to have a disaster to convince him to change.

 

[kfpool]

Sad thing is that he is very technical and loves data but is choosing to ignore this data.