PH too high to close??

[NwTnMom]

I just tested my water and the following are my results.

PH 8.5
CL 9
TA 130
CH 120
CYA 20

Other than the high ph, can I simply bring the chlorine up to shock level and close or will the ph have a negative effect over the winter? I will be using a micromesh winter cover so some rain/maybe snow, will mix in with pool water over the next several months.

 

[mknauss]

You should lower your pH to 7.4, test to ensure it is there, then raise your FC to shock level.

In the spring be sure to check your CYA. You are on the very lowest point it can be tested.

Take care.

 

[NwTnMom]

You should lower your pH to 7.4, test to ensure it is there, then raise your FC to shock level.

In the spring be sure to check your CYA. You are on the very lowest point it can be tested.

Take care.

Thanks. I'll have to head to a pool store, I suppose. I wasn't this high all summer, nor my CYA this low.

 

[mknauss]

How are you testing your water?

The CYA test can be effected by cold water. Be sure to let the water sample warm to room temperature for the CYA test.

Take care.

 

[NwTnMom]

I use the test kit from this site. I did not know about cold water and cya results so i will make sure and redo that test tomorrow.

 

[mknauss]

Good. Just to be sure. A pH of 8.5 is not possible to read with the K1000 test. So I would not use that as your initial reading in PoolMath.

Odd that it jumped up now after no movement all summer? Were you using trichlor this summer to chlorinate with?

Take care.

 

[NwTnMom]

Good. Just to be sure. A pH of 8.5 is not possible to read with the K1000 test. So I would not use that as your initial reading in PoolMath.

Odd that it jumped up now after no movement all summer? Were you using trichlor this summer to chlorinate with?

Take care.

I have the TF100 kit. The ph was a bit of a guess as it was slightly darker than the highest 8.2 reading on the test. I only used bleach but I do recall adding something around the end of August but I can not recall what it was now.

 

[mknauss]

OK. Just do not use your 'estimated' pH value to calculate how much acid to use. Use 8.2 as Now and 7.4 as Target. Then circulate and test again to confirm or add more acid.

Take care.

 

[NwTnMom]

Thanks. Will do