Quote Originally Posted by waterbear View Post
Also, just because you have pH automation does not mean that you don't have to test pH. Testing the pH is the ONLY way to know if the controller is operating properly and if it is not then you need to take corrective action manually and then readjust/recalibrate/repair the pH system!
Yes.

This is one of the MAJOR reasons I dislike ORP/pH control systems -- and I was a dealer for a $6,000 set up for years. Calibration is complex, compared to other pool tasks. And it is ESSENTIAL!

I have seen a brand new therapy center DESTROYED over one weekend by a new and mis-calibrated ORP/pH controller and acid feed system (not my installation - I was hired as a post-disaster consultant). Damage exceeded $200,000.

If you over dose acid by hand, you have a little problem. If your pH controller fails, due to poor calibration or for any of a number of other reasons . . . and you have a fresh tank of acid, you can destroy your pool!