New Bullfrog Spa Chemistry questions/Rising pH

[bentley311]

Hello all, got our new Spa set up about a week ago, and have been struggling with rising pH every day. I have gone to the forum about getting TA in line and brought it down from about 125 to 60 using the aeration/acid technique. It still seems to rise dramatically each day and I am not sure if this is normal or not. Should I expect to have to add acid daily for the pH? I also have the Gentle spa borates on its way per the recommendation in that original set up forum post.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I know the pool company that sold it to me will just tell me to bring them a water sample and then give some whacko advice on how to correct it like they usually do with the pool.

Thanks!

 

[tucsontico]

Congrats on your new spa! A few questions first: Did you start up your spa or did the pool company? What are you using to sanitize your spa–chlorine or bromine? Have you tested the fill water? Can you post your most recent test results for the spa and the fill water?

 

[pooldv]

+1 on some test results.

There is excellent info in this article on how to manage your pH and TA, How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?

 

[bentley311]

Congrats on your new spa! A few questions first: Did you start up your spa or did the pool company? What are you using to sanitize your spa–chlorine or bromine? Have you tested the fill water? Can you post your most recent test results for the spa and the fill water?

I am also in Tucson! Thanks for the reply. Spa company started it in terms showing me how to run it, but they did not add any chemicals initially. I am using Chlorine to sanitize. I have not had a chance yet to test the fill water, but the spa water as tested this morning is:

CH 90
TA 60
pH 8.0 (I dropped this back down to 7.5 or so with a tablespoon of dry acid
CYA 40

I just shocked my chlorine using liquid chlorine as I have a feeling it is not doing well based on the results. They initially recommended just using the Natur2 system with an occasional scoop of the dichlor but that seems like a bad idea based on my understanding and reading. I like the idea of less chemicals in the water, but I am thinking it is not working.

- - - Updated - - -

 

[bentley311]

+1 on some test results.

There is excellent info in this article on how to manage your pH and TA, How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?

Thanks for the response. I have gone through that article already which is how I got around to lowering my TA in accordance with those instructions. I am not clear on whether I should look to raise my CH. It is a bit below that 100 ppm level listed in the article.

 

[Go Noles]

Hello. I also have a bullfrog spa and have owned for about 12 years. When I change the water which is every 6 months I ad Metal Gon upon start up. My fill water is very high on Ph and alk and I usually have to add about a 2 1/2 pound bottle of Leisure Time Spa down over the course of a week ( several ounces each day) to get my water balanced. After that I just use liquid or granular chlorine to sanitize. I don't usually worry about the CYA getting to high as I change the water atleast every six months.

 

[bentley311]

I am also in Tucson! Thanks for the reply. Spa company started it in terms showing me how to run it, but they did not add any chemicals initially. I am using Chlorine to sanitize. I have not had a chance yet to test the fill water, but the spa water as tested this morning is:

CH 90
TA 60
pH 8.0 (I dropped this back down to 7.5 or so with a tablespoon of dry acid
CYA 40

I just shocked my chlorine using liquid chlorine as I have a feeling it is not doing well based on the results. They initially recommended just using the Natur2 system with an occasional scoop of the dichlor but that seems like a bad idea based on my understanding and reading. I like the idea of less chemicals in the water, but I am thinking it is not working.

- - - Updated - - -

Following up to see if there are any suggestions based on my levels? Is my CH too low? I am still getting rising pH on a daily basis.

 

[tucsontico]

pH will have a tendency to rise with aeration (i.e. use of jets and air), more so if your TA is high. I had to close most of my jets to prevent a pH rise from aeration during filter cycles when no bathers are using it. This simple thing helped my spa pH be more stable. However, pH will still tend to rise over time.

The key to having balanced water, without serious pH drift, is having the correct TA level. If you find your pH rises too high (>8.0) after using your tub, your TA is too high, and needs to be lowered. If you find your pH is too low and/or your water is continually acidic, your TA is too low and needs to be raised. By fine tuning your TA, you could get your pH perfectly balanced where it would need little adjustment.

I've owned my hot tub for 4 years and I test the water at least twice per week. I've found I have to adjust my pH down (2 tsp of dry acid) about once every two weeks. I purposely did not include my test values as every spa (just like a pool) is different. If tweaking the TA doesn't stabilize your pH drift, experiment with a slightly higher CH and keep the TA close to 50. Try to only change one variable at a time. I believe you're on the right track. Good luck!

One more thought, did you test the pH after the chlorine shock? If your FC is above 10, the pH reading will be incorrect! Wait for the FC to drop below 10 before testing pH.

 

[pooldv]

Thanks for the response. I have gone through that article already which is how I got around to lowering my TA in accordance with those instructions. I am not clear on whether I should look to raise my CH. It is a bit below that 100 ppm level listed in the article.

You only need to raise CH if there is an issue with foaming.