I have a new pool, completed in August. The current water temperature is now starting to warm a bit but is still in the (high) 40s. It has gotten as low as the high 30s this winter here in Las Vegas.
The pool is a salt water pool and I occasionally use the spa portion of the pool. This allows me to run the salt cell when the spa water heats up. This has easily taken care of chlorination in the entire pool, as the spa water mixes with the rest of the pool water daily and chlorine demand is low with the low temperatures.
Here is my question/comment. When testing the pH, I've found that it reads low when the temperature is in the 40s (say 7.0 for example) and rises considerably (say 7.8) when the sample is warmed to room temperature. I've found that this has occurred every single time I've let the sample rise to room temperature. So, should I try to make my pH correct for the pool temperature or for room temperature? So far, I've been trying to keep the room temperature pH closer to 7.2, as I have a new plaster pool that is still using a considerable amount of muriatic acid.
Interestingly, I looked online for how pH is effected by temperature. I was shocked to see that more than a few academic chemists state that pH falls with higher temperatures, while others state that pH rises with higher temperatures.
TFP community, is this something that you check for? How do you handle pH during winter?
The pool is a salt water pool and I occasionally use the spa portion of the pool. This allows me to run the salt cell when the spa water heats up. This has easily taken care of chlorination in the entire pool, as the spa water mixes with the rest of the pool water daily and chlorine demand is low with the low temperatures.
Here is my question/comment. When testing the pH, I've found that it reads low when the temperature is in the 40s (say 7.0 for example) and rises considerably (say 7.8) when the sample is warmed to room temperature. I've found that this has occurred every single time I've let the sample rise to room temperature. So, should I try to make my pH correct for the pool temperature or for room temperature? So far, I've been trying to keep the room temperature pH closer to 7.2, as I have a new plaster pool that is still using a considerable amount of muriatic acid.
Interestingly, I looked online for how pH is effected by temperature. I was shocked to see that more than a few academic chemists state that pH falls with higher temperatures, while others state that pH rises with higher temperatures.
TFP community, is this something that you check for? How do you handle pH during winter?