So I have A 24k pool, that I use liquid chlorine to disinfect. I constantly have to add acid. About 2-300ml every other day or two, to keep ph at 7.6-7.7. Any thoughts? I was thinking about adding borax, to about 30-40 range to possibly help with acid consumption, but will that just mean I have to add more, and just give me more days before I need to add any? My pool also seems to consume about 5ppm of cya a month. Is that normal? I don’t really have much splash out. I basically have to constantly have a tablet in a floater for cya in addition to liquid.
PH and cya woes
- Thread starter Aimbdd
- Start date
Oly
Gold Supporter
Can do, although I haven’t had to add water since we opened the pool. A little wet here in pa
TriangleMan
Well-known member
You've just described my pool exactly. From what I've gathered here, these things are perfectly normal. High TA from my fill water leads to rising pH and weekly additions of about a gallon of MA.
CYA does slowly break down over time; I seem to need about 1 puck per week (~5ppm/mo) to keep up.
Borates, from what I've read, will buy you time between acid additions but require more acid to move the TA and pH, so probably a wash except for some time savings. Consequently, I've decided to pass on that for now. It sounds like it may really help if/when you get a SWCG to buffer the pH rise inside the cell. I still dose with LC.
Not maintenance free, but TFP clear!
CYA does slowly break down over time; I seem to need about 1 puck per week (~5ppm/mo) to keep up.
Borates, from what I've read, will buy you time between acid additions but require more acid to move the TA and pH, so probably a wash except for some time savings. Consequently, I've decided to pass on that for now. It sounds like it may really help if/when you get a SWCG to buffer the pH rise inside the cell. I still dose with LC.
Not maintenance free, but TFP clear!
Oly
Gold Supporter
Living in the west, it's difficult to imagine getting enough rain in the summer to keep the pool full. 
What is the TA of your pool water?
Yes it's possible for CYA to drop 5ppm per month and yes a tab or two a month improves both of your issues. I suspect your TA is elevated and eventually will drop as you lower pH. You may be able to let your pH rise to 7.8 or 7.9 and see if it stabilizes but check your CSI number if you have plaster.
What is the TA of your pool water?Yes it's possible for CYA to drop 5ppm per month and yes a tab or two a month improves both of your issues. I suspect your TA is elevated and eventually will drop as you lower pH. You may be able to let your pH rise to 7.8 or 7.9 and see if it stabilizes but check your CSI number if you have plaster.
- May 11, 2021
- 973
- Pool Size
- 7000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-30
I had to drain excess water several times this season. It is unusually rainy this summer.Living in the west, it's difficult to imagine getting enough rain in the summer to keep the pool full.
Yes it's possible for CYA to drop 5ppm per month and yes a tab or two a month improves both of your issues. I suspect your TA is elevated and eventually will drop as you lower pH. You may be able to let your pH rise to 7.8 or 7.9 and see if it stabilizes but check your CSI number if you have plaster.
Missed that part, keeping my ta at 60 currently. Pool equalizes at about 8-8.1, a little high for my taste.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,577
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Do you have physical effects when at that pH?
Are you adding baking soda to raise your TA?
+1 to the physical affects. While not for everyone if their CSI is out of range, some pools will sit at the high threshold and stay there. I battled mine for years and admittedly gave up for a while being sick of it. I was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t go any higher and had no affects on swimmers. It did the same for the next few years effortlessly before moving. I went from once or twice a week to once or twice a season.
I’m hoping the next pool does the same.
I’m hoping the next pool does the same.
I will let mine sit at 8 as long as it wants to, does not affect eyes or skin for us. If I tried to hold 7.4- 7.6, I would add everyday. It rises to 7.8-8.0 very fast then sits there for weeks. Does it physically bother you?
It doesn’t bother us, I just thought it was bad for the equipment even if csi is balanced. Is that not the case? The Taylor ph kit also stops at 8, makes me uneasy trying to guess where it is once it goes over.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,577
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
A pH of 8 is not a big deal to equipment. Scaling is the largest risk.
You might consider a pH test pen. The Apera pH20 is accurate and affordable. That would make it more comfortable in seeing the data at the upper ends of the pH range.
Thank you for that! It’s so hard to find a decent product on Amazon anymore. When you search all you find is the cheap junk the doesn’t work or keep calibration.