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Are you using trichlor pucks or dichlor shock? They are both acidic and can negate the Borax you're adding. How much Borax have you added?Originally Posted by toddort
Janet
PH won't budge
Greetings,
Having problems getting my Ph to come up just a bit. I've been consistently adding Borax but I'm stuck at 7.2. Although that's not a bad number, I'd like it at 7.4 or so if possible. My TA is at 115-120 so that might be part of the problem since I've got a lot of "buffer". I've tried aerating and that's not helping either. Any other suggestions? Thanks!
BTW - I have a 11,000 gallon AG oval.
Re: PH won't budge
Are you using trichlor pucks or dichlor shock? They are both acidic and can negate the Borax you're adding. How much Borax have you added?
Janet
Re: PH won't budge
Strictly BBB. No pucks. I've added about four boxes of Borax so far.
Re: PH won't budge
Something doesn't make sense here. With your numbers (and I assumed a CYA of 30 ppm, though that doesn't make that much of a difference), 4 boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (each 76 ounces weight) would raise the pH from 7.2 to 8.65 in your 11,000 gallon pool. It would also increase your Borates level by 24 ppm.
If I initially assume you already had 50 ppm Borates in the pool, then the pH rise would be less, but still to 8.2. Get some AquaChek Borate test strips and test your Borates level. Maybe it's really high, though that would only reduce the amount of pH rise from adding more Borax but shouldn't stop it completely.
Borates won't show up very much in the TA, but they act as a pH buffer, especially against having the pH rise, but the amount you are seeing is very strange.
Richard
Re: PH won't budge
Is 7.2 the lowest pH your test will measure? As the lowest reading on a test kit actually means that your pH is at or below that level (and it can mean it's way below that level), you may have started much lower than 7.2. If that's not the case, I have no idea why it's not coming up.
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