Hello Everyone,

First and foremost, I want to take the time to thank everyone for your responses, advice and guidance to a new pool owner! It is my hope that I am able to continue to learn the finer points of balancing the chemicals in my pool, and in the meantime, appreciate the patience with my many questions.

My pool and spa is approximately 10,500 gallons and uses a Jandy 1400 SWCG in combination with a Del Ozone system for sanitation. My pool was filled in the middle of June, so it is a fairly "new" pool. I have heard that it is often difficult to maintain a consistent PH level with new pools. Is this correct?

My chlorine and alkalinity seem to remain stable, but my PH needs to be adjusted downward every three to five days. With the constant addition of Muriatic Acid, sheer descents, and adding water to compensate for evaporation, I finally had to add baking soda to raise my alkalinity. It was in the 60 - 70 range, and I added enough baking soda to get the Alk up to 90.

Here were my test results this morning:

FC - 3
TC - 3
CC - 0
PH - 7.8
ALK - 90
CYA - 50
Salt - 3.2

Jandy set to 35%, Ozone runs constantly when pump in ON.

I went ahead and added another 16oz. or so (1pt.) of muriatic acid to lower the number. I realize that 7.8 is supposed to be acceptable, but with the way my pool seems to be working, I know that it will be 8+ tomorrow, especially after adding an inch or so of water. Four hours later, the PH is down between 6.8 & 7.2 with all the other numbers the same.

Anyway, is this creeping of the PH normal? Is it related to the gunite and the "newness," of my pool? As I mentioned, all the other chemicals seem to have "leveled" off and the pool looks great. If I have to add 16oz. of Muriatic Acid every few days, it is really no big deal, or is it?

We just had our second baby, a little girl named Sophia, and I have taken a couple of months off of work to be at home and I know I am going to be obsessed with perfecting my water chemistry!

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mike

P.S. I ordered a kit from this site a few weeks ago and am eagerly awaiting its arrival so that I can more accurately test my water. I am currently using a Taylor kit. Can anyone clue me in to how long it usually takes to get a kit?