Hi there, TFP Community!
I've been a long time lurker in these forums since becoming a pool owner 3 years ago, and have learned A LOT about operating a pool ever since--but I'm having some trouble sorting out the balance between my pH and total alkalinity. It seems like every week my pH is too high (7.7-8.0 range) while alkalinity is in range (80-100). I end up dumping in 1/3-1/2 gallon of muriatic acid, which next week seems to have brought the pH down to 7.5, but the alkalinity usually drops 10+ points as well. When the alkalinity is in the 60 or lower range, I seem to be able to keep the pH where it's supposed to be around 7.5, but it bothers me that the alkalinity is low, so I'll add a 15 pound bag of baking soda from Sam's to bump the alkalinity back to 100, but then my pH spikes back up to 8.0--and so the vicious cycle continues....until I finally decided to come and post here for some help! How do I keep both these numbers in their desired range?
I started testing with dip sticks, but about two years ago switched to the Taylor Service Complete (FAS-DPD chlorine) kit and never looked back. Some background on my pool--it's an approximately 30,000 gallon gunite infinity pool + catch-pool with spa attached to the pool via a spillway. I live in SC and keep the pool running year round. Here's the numbers from my tests today:
pH: 7.7
Calcium Hardness: 225
Temp: 44F
Stabilizer: 90
Total Alkalinity: 90
Free Chlorine: 3.0
CC: 0.2
Today, I ended up doing my usual and adding 1/3 gallon muriatic acid. Maybe it's normal to use this much muriatic acid weekly on a regular basis, but it doesn't seem right to me--I just want my pH to stay more constant and where it's supposed to be!
A few other side notes and questions, while I'm at it:
-The stabilizer level seems too high to me (is it really?)--I used to manage the pool's chlorine with a mix of either Clorox Active 99 or Xtrablue tablets in two floaters + tossing in Clorox Xtrablue chlorinating granules as needed and I was able to keep both my chlorine and stabilizer in range--if anything, my stabilizer would be low (<20) and I'd add a stabilizer sock in the skimmer once a month or so to bump the level up (always kept it 50 or less). Since the chlorine shortage, I've switched to a no name Trichlor stick product in the floaters and an occasional scoop of calcium hypochlorite granules that will keep the chlorine in range, but I've noticed the stabilizer creep up to the 90-100 range. It seems to have stuck in this range for awhile--is it really too high and should I consider draining some of the pool outside of the monthly backwash I already do? Any other solutions for this? I wish the Clorox products would come back in stock, but I haven't had any luck locating them...
-In the Taylor test kit, is it normal for the "R-0011L Calcium Indicator Liquid" to become increasingly viscous with age to the point it's hard to squeeze out of the bottle? I've been using all the other chemicals since I bought the kit in-date and about a year after their "best by" dates in most cases and haven't noticed a change in my usual readings since they've expired--just noticed the r-0011L change its consistency. Any thoughts on this or using the expired chemicals to test?
-I typically test a full panel of the chemicals every 7-10 days in the Winter off-season and every 3-5 days in the swimming season...is this consistent with most?
Thanks for your time in reading and responding to my issues, it is very much appreciated!!
I've been a long time lurker in these forums since becoming a pool owner 3 years ago, and have learned A LOT about operating a pool ever since--but I'm having some trouble sorting out the balance between my pH and total alkalinity. It seems like every week my pH is too high (7.7-8.0 range) while alkalinity is in range (80-100). I end up dumping in 1/3-1/2 gallon of muriatic acid, which next week seems to have brought the pH down to 7.5, but the alkalinity usually drops 10+ points as well. When the alkalinity is in the 60 or lower range, I seem to be able to keep the pH where it's supposed to be around 7.5, but it bothers me that the alkalinity is low, so I'll add a 15 pound bag of baking soda from Sam's to bump the alkalinity back to 100, but then my pH spikes back up to 8.0--and so the vicious cycle continues....until I finally decided to come and post here for some help! How do I keep both these numbers in their desired range?
I started testing with dip sticks, but about two years ago switched to the Taylor Service Complete (FAS-DPD chlorine) kit and never looked back. Some background on my pool--it's an approximately 30,000 gallon gunite infinity pool + catch-pool with spa attached to the pool via a spillway. I live in SC and keep the pool running year round. Here's the numbers from my tests today:
pH: 7.7
Calcium Hardness: 225
Temp: 44F
Stabilizer: 90
Total Alkalinity: 90
Free Chlorine: 3.0
CC: 0.2
Today, I ended up doing my usual and adding 1/3 gallon muriatic acid. Maybe it's normal to use this much muriatic acid weekly on a regular basis, but it doesn't seem right to me--I just want my pH to stay more constant and where it's supposed to be!
A few other side notes and questions, while I'm at it:
-The stabilizer level seems too high to me (is it really?)--I used to manage the pool's chlorine with a mix of either Clorox Active 99 or Xtrablue tablets in two floaters + tossing in Clorox Xtrablue chlorinating granules as needed and I was able to keep both my chlorine and stabilizer in range--if anything, my stabilizer would be low (<20) and I'd add a stabilizer sock in the skimmer once a month or so to bump the level up (always kept it 50 or less). Since the chlorine shortage, I've switched to a no name Trichlor stick product in the floaters and an occasional scoop of calcium hypochlorite granules that will keep the chlorine in range, but I've noticed the stabilizer creep up to the 90-100 range. It seems to have stuck in this range for awhile--is it really too high and should I consider draining some of the pool outside of the monthly backwash I already do? Any other solutions for this? I wish the Clorox products would come back in stock, but I haven't had any luck locating them...
-In the Taylor test kit, is it normal for the "R-0011L Calcium Indicator Liquid" to become increasingly viscous with age to the point it's hard to squeeze out of the bottle? I've been using all the other chemicals since I bought the kit in-date and about a year after their "best by" dates in most cases and haven't noticed a change in my usual readings since they've expired--just noticed the r-0011L change its consistency. Any thoughts on this or using the expired chemicals to test?
-I typically test a full panel of the chemicals every 7-10 days in the Winter off-season and every 3-5 days in the swimming season...is this consistent with most?
Thanks for your time in reading and responding to my issues, it is very much appreciated!!
