I'm new at having a pool and at this forum and learning a lot. We just opened our pool last week of May. My salt water pool PH is always high. Seems like I'm adding muriatic acid every day. Do you why this is? I normally use HTH Calcium Hypo to shock the pool every heavy use but switch SWG off or 0% at time of shock. I recently brought my water to be tested and they said my phosphates are getting up as well 300 range. Thank you for taking the time.
My PH is always high
- Thread starter rb1975
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!!!We do not trust pool store testing at all. So keep that in mind going forward
There are a few things that will drive up the pH:
1. What is your TA? High TA will raise the pH faster
2. What is the TA and pH in your top-off water? That can drive it up
3. Any aeration will raise the pH: splashing and heavy use, water features, and the SWG itself
There should not be a reason to "shock" the pool and I would certainly not use cal-hypo which will drive your calcium levels up. Stick with liquid chlorine as needed (follow the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA])
Generally no need to worry about phosphates.
Ray,
Welcome to TFP... a great place to find the answers to all your "Is my pH above the legal limit?" questions...
High means nothing to us... numbers mean everything.. (Except when it come to phosphates)
TFP is all about the pool owner running their own tests and never having to go back to the pool store again.
I suspect what you think is high for pH is just about right... most saltwater pools like there pH to be about 7.8. The harder you try to make your pH 7.2 the harder it will try to get back to 7.8..
Things that can make pH go up are; New Plaster, Total Alkalinity (TA) above 100 ppm, and running a waterfall or water feature all the time.
The only reason the pool store tells you that your Phosphate level is high, is so that they can sell you some "magic" Phos-Free... Something you generally never need. Sigh!!
I have three saltwater pools and follow the TFP pool care process.. In five years I have never added any kind of "shock".. it is just not needed if you know how to care for your pool.
If you are interested, then I suggest you read through our Pool School Pool School - Pool School and see what we are all about...
Thanks for posting,
Jim R.
Welcome to TFP... a great place to find the answers to all your "Is my pH above the legal limit?" questions...
High means nothing to us... numbers mean everything.. (Except when it come to phosphates)
TFP is all about the pool owner running their own tests and never having to go back to the pool store again.
I suspect what you think is high for pH is just about right... most saltwater pools like there pH to be about 7.8. The harder you try to make your pH 7.2 the harder it will try to get back to 7.8..
Things that can make pH go up are; New Plaster, Total Alkalinity (TA) above 100 ppm, and running a waterfall or water feature all the time.
The only reason the pool store tells you that your Phosphate level is high, is so that they can sell you some "magic" Phos-Free... Something you generally never need. Sigh!!
I have three saltwater pools and follow the TFP pool care process.. In five years I have never added any kind of "shock".. it is just not needed if you know how to care for your pool.
If you are interested, then I suggest you read through our Pool School Pool School - Pool School and see what we are all about...
Thanks for posting,
Jim R.
That reminds me...First time pool owner as of buying house last year. Started with the pool store, and they are selling me this and that for $100 plus; charging $200 to open the pool. They tell me I'll have to add at least 1 bag of shock weekly and run my pump 24 hours/day. None of that was true. Came home from the pool store, found TFP and that was that. Have not been back to the pool store for a year, have not had to SLAM (or shock) the pool once with TFP method, and now opening and closing the pool on my own.
Go to pool school and order a test kit: TF-100 or K-2006C. You'll be glad you did.
My TA is 110. I run my pump 8 hours at night. So I should not shock the pool every heavy use?
This is why we do not like the word "shock" around here ... means too many different things to too many different people.
I don't know what you mean by what you stated.
If you keep the FC above the minimum for the CYA at all times, then you will not have a problem. If you have very heavy use, that will consume more chlorine so you may need to add a little extra to stay above the minimum before and/or after the heavy use.
I don't know what you mean by what you stated.
If you keep the FC above the minimum for the CYA at all times, then you will not have a problem. If you have very heavy use, that will consume more chlorine so you may need to add a little extra to stay above the minimum before and/or after the heavy use.
Right, "shock" usually means throw a bag(s) of store bought shock in the pool. The bags have chlorine PLUS other chemicals in the shock bag; other chems you really don't want to add, if you are the true master of your pool. The other chems WILL cause you problems eventually. If we were to say "shock" here in TFP-world it would mean you add extra chlorine and ONLY chlorine to bump the FC level much higher.
For example, I normally run CYA of 50 and 7 FC daytime with low bather load. On July 4th I was expecting 20+ bathers for first time ever so I bumped the FC to 15 that day and lowered the pH a bit (on advice from the TFP forum), tested mid party and did not need to add any chlorine or acid, tested 7 FC, and 7.5 pH post-party and added some chlorine after party for good measure and...done.
For example, I normally run CYA of 50 and 7 FC daytime with low bather load. On July 4th I was expecting 20+ bathers for first time ever so I bumped the FC to 15 that day and lowered the pH a bit (on advice from the TFP forum), tested mid party and did not need to add any chlorine or acid, tested 7 FC, and 7.5 pH post-party and added some chlorine after party for good measure and...done.
Is your pool new? I had to add acid every other day when our pool was new. After a year it stopped.
Also, I’ve never shocked my pool. I keep my chlorine and CYA at the recommended levels. I add some bleach before or after a heavy use.
Also, I’ve never shocked my pool. I keep my chlorine and CYA at the recommended levels. I add some bleach before or after a heavy use.