Ph didn't increase

[poolFL]

About two years ago we moved into a house with a pool. We ended up installing a SWG and testing out pool chemistry ourselves. A lot of SWG pool owners we spoke with indicated that their PH is constantly increasing that they have to add muradic acid every week or so to lower their PH. Everybody seems to be confused when we tell them our PH for over a year stayed in the 7.4-7.6 range. Is this uncommon with a SWG system? Or why is there such extreme differences from a weekly to yearly?

I haven't tested for borates or anything else. So I'm not really sure about the chemistry before I took over maintaining the pool.

The other question I have is that I end up buying dry acid (Sodium Bisulfate) to lower my PH the one time it's increased about a month ago. I know I've read online and in these forms that it increases the sulfates and it's not very good for SWG systems. Is this over exaggerated that it will cause issues for my cell and also the surface? Plaster/Pebbletec surface

Thanks in advance

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hiya!

My SWG pool doesn't require muriatic acid but maybe a couple times a year. I don't normally run any water features which would send the pH up.

Different pools have their own personalities. Your pool is just on a slow roll......what's your TA?

I would ditch the dry acid though- bad for plaster and SWG cells.

Maddie

 

[poolFL]

Thanks for the reply YippeeSkippy

What do you mean by water features? I do have a fountain running if that's what you mean.

My TA is currently 100PPM.

I actually used baking soda to raise it recently when it was at 71ppm. I've been testing myself and when I pick up a bag of salt from the pool store, I've given them a sample to get a second reading on my chemistry since I am already there. I was told to increase my TA when it was 71 and was told ideal is 80-125. From reading recommendations from this site it seems the recommendation is actually 60-80, so I probably messed up listening to the pool store.

Thanks again for the help

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yup, fountains count as a water feature. Water features have the tendency to cause upwards pH as they drop water down into the pool in small splashes.

70 is a fine number for TA.

Can you tell me your test results:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

....and what type of pool surface do you have??

Have you dabbled in PoolMath yet?? You find it at the top of this page. Very helpful! More helpful than Pool Stores, if you ask me!!

Maddie

 

[poolFL]

Yup, fountains count as a water feature. Water features have the tendency to cause upwards pH as they drop water down into the pool in small splashes.

70 is a fine number for TA.

Can you tell me your test results:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

....and what type of pool surface do you have??

Have you dabbled in PoolMath yet?? You find it at the top of this page. Very helpful! More helpful than Pool Stores, if you ask me!!

Maddie

It's been raining so much here lately.

FC - 5
CC - 0
pH - 7.6
TA - 100
CH - 350
CYA - 50

I have a pebble tech surface. I'm not sure if it's all the raining/draining, but my stabilizer went from 70 to 50 in 2 days.

Yeah, I've been playing with it the numbers. Mostly because this winter I was thinking about testing/adding borates.

I read the book pool school, which I really enjoyed.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Oh absolutely rain and drains can lower stabilizer!

Don't add Borates until you are very comfortable with your pool tests. Nothing requiring tweaking regularly. Once you add borates your pH becomes harder to change.

Maddie