Using Taylor reagents, my pool water pH tests at 7.8. My tap water is also 7.8. I always assumed tap water would have a neutral pH of 7 or at least very close. What do you guys get for tap water pH?
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Using Taylor reagents, my pool water pH tests at 7.8. My tap water is also 7.8. I always assumed tap water would have a neutral pH of 7 or at least very close. What do you guys get for tap water pH?
My tap water is close to 7.8 as well. I think it has a lot to do with the source of the water and the processing that is done. Some on this forum have tap water close to 7.4 but I don't believe I have every seen anyone with lower than that.
Most tap water is treated with chlorine and ammonia for sanitation. If tested with OTO it will show a total chlorine content that is mostly chloramines. These will raise the pH somewhat.
Mine always at 7.8 also - and 1-2ppm of chlorine
Mine is 7.2 with a .5 TC.
Alk is >300 :(
Just tested some more...
CC 2.2
FC 0.6
Why does tap water have more chloramines than the pool? Where does all the combined chlorine in the pool disappear to?
My tap water is FC: 0, TC: 0, pH: 8.2, Alk: 70, Cal: 100
Many municipalities add ammonia with the chlorine used to sanitize water to prevent the formaton of trihalomethans like chloroform, which are suspected carcinogenics. This addition of ammonia favors the formation of monochloramine. When you shock your pool you destroy the choramines.Quote:
Originally Posted by hulla
So adding chlorine gets rid of the chloramines. What are the products of this reaction?
You got me interested so I tested my tap water. Rural water system
TC 0
Ph 6.8 or lower since it was a lighter color than the 6.8 reading
So my tap water is low Ph and has no chlorine? That may be good since my pool Ph is always high (SWG)
I tried looking this up. I think chlorine plus chloramine yields chloride plus nitrogen gas.Quote:
Originally Posted by hulla
In the simple view, yes....A+ in the chemistry. It's actually a bit more complicated than that but for our puposes it's more than enough. This is what happens (or is supposed to happen) when we shock our pools. Chorine/ammonia bonds are broken to release the ammoia compounds out of the chloramines (CC) and then the ammonia compounds are oxidized (burned off) and release nigrogen gas. The used up chlorine becomes chloride ions in the water.Quote:
Originally Posted by hulla