Unexpected result from washing soda

[ba67]

I added approximately 16 oz of washing soda to my pool to increase PH to 7.2 and increase TA to 60 so I could start a SLAM. This was actually less than the pool calculator recommended but I was trying not to overshoot it. It increased PH to 7.8 and TA to around 70 instead for some reason. I went ahead and proceeded with the SLAM in case the PH was inaccurate and I’m making progress. It isn’t going as fast as expected though. Would it help speed things along if I let PH drift down below 5, check the PH and add muriatic acid to lower it if needed? I checked the PH with a FC level of 8 this morning and it was reading 7.8-8.0 but I wasn’t sure if this was accurate at that higher FC level.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ba67... please do NOT lower your pH below 7s. None of that helps a SLAM process go any faster, but it sure can damage your pool and equipment.
The pH scale is a logarithmic scale, not linear. Each degree down is so much more than just "one point down".

Here is my little cheat sheet:

Keep this in mind whenever you go to make pH/TA changes.

Maddie

 

[IceShadow]

FC over 10 can throw off the pH test but under 10 it should be fine to read and use for adjustments.