A Theory About Rising pH in SWG Pools

[KurtV]

Theory: SWGs are generally placed on higher-end pools that are more likely to have other high-end features such as water falls, sheer descents, laminar jets, fountains, and other sources of aeration. That aeration, rather than the SWG itself, is the cause of the rising pH (or at least a contributor).

Discussion: We know, at least anecdotally, that many, but by no means all, SWG pool owners experience a constantly rising pH that has to be counteracted with acid. Most people seem to believe that there's a causal relationship between the SWG and the rising pH but I've never seen an explanation of why this might be so. Since not every SWG pool fights constantly rising pH, couldn't some other feature that's common on pools with SWGs actually be the cause? (Correllation is a long way from causation.) As we all know from Ben's Alkalinity Lowering Procedures, aeration of pool water will cause high pH to rise. Therefore, I theorize that the aerating features are a likely cause of rising pH. (I have no idea if such features are more common on SWG-equipped pools but it seems logical.)

My (very limited) basis for this theory is that I also have a constantly rising pH in my pool but no SWG. I do, however, have a negative edge on my pool that I try to run daily and which provides a great deal of aeration. From the alkalinity education I've been receiving from Ben, Richard, and Evan, I know that the out-gassing this aeration induces certainly doesn't help my pH situation and may indeed account for much, if not all, of the pH rise I see. Do others with like water features, with or without SWGs, see the same kind of upward trend in pH?

Discuss among yourselves (or ignore this if I'm all wet).

By the way, I'm not looking for any help with my own situation here. It's manageable with 16 to 24 oz. of muriatic acid per day and I'm trying to collect a month's worth of good data before I ask.