pH rising super fast

[pjt]

TF-Pro

Excellent

I see one drop making it starting to become red but mostly green. Another drop makes it almost colorless. And then I do another drop when the entire container becomes red. (I’m using the magnetic stirrer). So I think I’m doing it according to the TF-Pro’s instructions - but once it’s all red I never put another drop.

Fourth drop - all red

Keep adding drops until there is **no additional color change**. You'll get varying shades of red, but keep adding drops until the color does not change.

Total Alkalinity

A drop-based test used to measure the alkalinity in water. Alkalinity helps serve as a … Read more…

www.troublefreepool.com

If your TA is truly 40, then add a whisper of baking soda to bump it up to 50. Stop adding MA and let the pH settle in the high 7s. Your pool fill water likely adds TA to your pool.

Cedar Park

Update your profile to reflect this. Texas is a big state.

My autofill float valve broke so I turned of the fill water in the past couple of weeks - so I don’t think that’s the source of my issues..?

How are you adding water to your pool? Let us know the TA and CH of your fill water.

Agree it’s hard to read, but when it’s 7.2-7.5 after lowing it I can clearly tell.

A consistent background is key. To get good backlighting, hold the block in front of your computer monitor/tablet/phone with a blank white screen displayed. Also, try holding the block sideways or upside down. Sometimes that helps distinguish colors better. I also use two old hotel keycards to mask off areas and narrow down my decision.

Don't try to lower the pH into the low 7s when your TA approaches 50-60. Any pH in the 7s is good. With a TA of 50-60, pH will likely stabilize in the high 7s, which is perfectly fine.

 

[haxorcize]

1. Thanks for the tips on the TA measurement. Turns out it’s 50ppm, not 40ppm. Also saw the same from the Taylor video. I’m surprised the TF-Pro one-sheet has wrong instructions, “continue until the color changes to red” is very different than “keep adding drops, even if it’s red, until the color stops changing”.

2. Attaching my latest measurements including salt and CSI Index. WDYT?

 

[PoolStored]

Looks good! I'd run your FC toward the top end of the range for your CYA. Link-->FC/CYA Levels
If you have to dose your FC higher than range, so you are in range and higher in the range, do that.
Why?
Story for you... High FC demand and #TeamRunHot.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

These instructions are more comprehensive.

Extended Test Kit Directions Archives

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[JamesW]

Let the pH rise.

If it does not go up on its own, maybe add 10 ppm to the TA and that will get the pH moving.

If the CSI is good, do not lower the pH.

Do you use metric for temperature?

 

[JamesW]

I’m surprised the TF-Pro one-sheet has wrong instructions, “continue until the color changes to red” is very different than “keep adding drops, even if it’s red, until the color stops changing”.

I would not say that the instructions are wrong.

It's just a way of describing the process.

There is always some nuance in how to describe a process.

The difference either way is less than 1 drop.

The endpoint is hard to get to an exact number.

If you wanted more precision, you could double the sample size and then every drop would be 5 ppm, but that is probably not worthwhile unless you just wanted to try it to see what it is.

 

[PoolStored]

If you wanted more precision, you could double the sample size and then every drop would be 5 ppm, but that is probably not worthwhile unless you just wanted to try it to see what it is.

Please, don't post this...now I'm itching to sample my TA and CH with 50mL...to see how close it is to reality. Maybe 100mL would be better...

 

[JamesW]

You know that you're going to do it now that you can't stop thinking about it.

 

[pjt]

WDYT?

Looks great. Your pH will slowly rise by itself (and bring the CSI up with it).

On a side note, have your considered a SWCG? It's ideal for our Texas climate.

 

[haxorcize]

Here’s my latest results. pH has gone up from 7.4 to 7.78 in a day. Hopefully it stays here. My CSI seems quite solid no?

P.S. I bought a pH/salinity/TDS/etc meter from Amazon which helped me measure pH a lot more easily. I hope it’s accurate. It read 7.78 right now - while the simple drop test with the colors makes it look a lot more than 7.8 (picture attached). But I admit I didn’t do the white background from a computer monitor / etc.

 

[PoolStored]

Do not lower pH util you get to 8.2, and then only lower to 7.8 or 7.9...hopefully it will be stable.

 

[JamesW]

Looks good.

The drop test looks like about 7.8 to me.

You have to go by the hue vs. the intensity.

 

[MBPooldiy]

I stopped adding MA over the winter (we keep our pool open all year round in Phoenix) and pH stabilized at 8.0, which I think is the pH of my tap water. When I resumed full maintenance in the spring, my TA was at 120. Rather than embark on a TA reduction activity (by adding MA then iterating between running the water fall to raise pH so I can add more MA, I think I read on here somewhere that you can just keep adding MA every couple of days to being pH down to 7.4/7.3 as the pH jumps back up and the TA will eventually reduce to the desired range. Was that an accurate suggestion? I have been doing the same for a few weeks and my TA is now down to 90. Will it work if I just continue this process and once the TA hits 60 I should and can stop adding MA so frequently?

 

[PoolStored]

Was that an accurate suggestion? I have been doing the same for a few weeks and my TA is now down to 90. Will it work if I just continue this process and once the TA hits 60 I should and can stop adding MA so frequently?

Correct.

You don't even HAVE to go to 60.
With a TA of 60-80, your pH should be pretty stable between 7.8-8.0...which is just fine.
When you get to 60-80, don't lower pH below 7.8, and don't lower it until you get above 8 (purple hues).
You will be just fine.

 

[JamesW]

and pH stabilized at 80

 

[MBPooldiy]

Oops, corrected--thanks.