Raise pH?

[dennis-o]

Hello,

My pool has been running about 2 weeks now and my water has always been sparkley clear. I received my test kit and pH test meter last night, up to now I have been testing with strips. As a result of the strip tests I have added muriatic acid several times. Now with the test meter I find my pH to be 6.2

This mornings results:
FC = 3.5
CC = 0.0
TA = 70
CH = 225
CYA = 0.0
pH = 6.2

1) Should I try to correct pH and CYA at the same time or should I tackle one of them 1st?
2) I have about 7 pounds of Trichlor tablets that I bought before discovering TFP, is it reasonable to use these to raise CYA? Home Depot has a 5 pound bag of stabilizer but I think I only need about 1-1/2 lbs to get to 30
3) Should I use borax to raise pH? Will it drift up naturally if I leave it alone?

Thanks for your help......Dennis

 

[Sunnydaze]

Are you sure the ph probe is calibrated properly? If you purchased a recommended kit, it has a drop-based ph test with the comparator block - use that and see what you get before taking action. I had a cheap ph probe and it was not accurate or consistent so i returned it and rely on the drop test.

The trichlor tabs are very acidic and will decrease ph further. You could use them until you hit your cya target if you also manage ph. It just takes longer to get you to your target and you'll be losing a lot of chlorine to the sun in the meantime. Personally, I'd purchase cya separately and add it now to save on chlorine which is in shortage in many areas anyway.

 

[dennis-o]

I have the kit from TFtestkits and pH meter came from them as well. The meter came with a bottle of liquid to calibrate meter and it tested good. Also used the pH block test and it showed pH at 6.8 (lowest value on the test). Pool has gone so well thus far and I don't want to fight with the pH so will pick up some stabilizer today.

 

[mknauss]

You need to get your pH up. Use borax to raise it to 7.4.

For addition purposes, assume the current pH is 6.8 and target 7.4. Add the borax recommended and retest after an hour or so. Once the pH is in the low 7's, continue on with CYA.

 

[dennis-o]

That is exactly the information that I needed.

Thank You