PH Questions

[Charlie]

I was finally able to get my pH down to 7.2 last night when I checked it. It was 6 hours after adding 1/2 gallon, so it went from 7.6 to 7.2 with 1/2 gallon of acid added.
I'm going to check it when I get home from work today, and more than likely, I will be adding acid to keep it at 7.2 (according to those instructions in the link posted by Richard).

How long (estimating) will it take to get the TA down to the 80 range with this method? Just trying to get a ball park number only. Thanks,
Charlie

[CarlD]

It really depends....if pH is rising from aeration, then the more you aerate, the faster it rises, and the faster you can add acid to bring down pH and TA together.

But if the pH is rising from something else and the TA is going up with it, it will take far longer. The thing to do is check TA each time you bring the pH down to 7.2 and you'll see how long it takes.

[Charlie]

Just checked it at 5:30pm my time, and the pH is now 7.4 and the TA is 110. From these numbers, it looks like it will take me ~2 weeks ± a day or to in order to hit my target of 70.

[chem geek]

Try pointing all of your returns upward. You could also be a little more aggressive with the acid getting closer to 7.0 without overshooting (kind of the color between 7.0 and 7.2). It is a slow process, but I don't think it will take quite as long as you think.

[Charlie]

Just an update:
pH: 7.2
TA: 80
CYA: 50 (was 40 yesterday)

I added stabilizer yesterday, but I probably need to let it go for a few more days before I can an accurate number?

Just a little bit more to get to a TA of 70.

[aylad]

If you added it through a sock hung in front of a return, then I would give it at least 2-3 more days before you get the accurate level.

Janet

[Charlie]

Finally got my TA to 70. My pH is currently 7.2. From all this daily testing, it looks like my pH goes up ~0.1-0.2 each day. Just need to bring up my CYA to 80. Its currently at 60.

[Charlie]

With my levels getting closer to the recommended amount, I've created a spreadsheet to document the tests. Here is what I have, and let me know if these values are okay or not. I hope I'm close:

I've pasted the values in a Word Document for easier viewing:
http://mysite.verizon.net/res6ncxf/TEST.doc

[chem geek]

Your Minimum column has too low an FC (2) for the CYA level (60). For an SWG pool, it should be an FC of 3 for a CYA of 60. Basically, shoot for an FC that is a minimum of around 5% of the CYA level. This is lower than in Ben's chart used for manually dosed pools, but seems to work well for SWG pools.

You don't need to worry about the phosphate level. I've got 2000-3000 ppb phosphates in my pool and am able to control algae using chlorine alone (well, this year I also have borates in the pool, but I didn't before this year). You might consider using 50 ppm Borates in your pool since this helps to control pH rise, helps prevent scaling in the salt cell, and also inhibits algae growth.

Your minimum numbers are way too low when taken as a whole. The low pH, TA and CH combine to produce a saturation index of around -0.8 which would tend to dissolve the plaster in your pool. The ideal levels you listed have a saturation index of around -0.3 while the maximum levels have a saturation index of around +0.2. You should use The Pool Calculator to calculate the saturation index and try to target something close to zero or perhaps slightly below (i.e. -0.1 or -0.2 but not much lower) to lessen scaling in your salt cell.

Generally, to minimize the rate of pH rise you want your TA at around 80 ppm and your CYA at 80 ppm. That means your FC should be 4 ppm minimum and for decent water balance with salt at 3000 ppm your pH target should be around 7.7 and your CH at 300-500. If you target your pH at 7.6, then your CH should be 350-600.

Richard