pH shot up with just two cups of borax!

[IGnatius T Foobar]

I haven't added any more dichlor because the SWG has been maintaining the chlorine level just fine without any help. But if it will lower the pH a little then I will give it another small dose. Unfortunately I do not have a CYA test.

Thanks for the dry acid suggestion. Buying a supply of muriatic would definitely be overkill; this is a seasonal pool and I really only need to get through the next five weeks or so. The water is already beautiful, so I just want to keep it safe and avoid doing anything that would wear down the liner so I can put it up again next year.

[aylad]

Rising pH is also an effect of the operation of the SWCG, and is something that you'll always see as long as you use it. If you'll drop your TA to the 70-80 ppm range, and drop your pH to 7.6, it should help it stay more stable, although it won't stop the rise altogether. Adding acid on a routine basis to combat the pH rise is one of the only water maintenance issues with a SWCG.

Janet

[IGnatius T Foobar]

yeesh ... I can't win. I added dichlor and dry acid at half the recommended amount for my size pool and my pH swung all the way back down to the acid end of the scale. Dunno whether I should try microdosing with borax or what. Would leaving the cover off (particularly during a rainstorm) tend to raise or lower the pH?

[aylad]

Aeration of the water, and operation of the SWCG, should both work to raise pH. However, if it's below 7.0 now, you need to get it back up above 7.0 ASAP using small doses of borax. Aeration doesn't work quickly enough when the pH is dangerously low.

[BigDave]

...Would leaving the cover off (particularly during a rainstorm) tend to raise or lower the pH?

As aylad suggests, aeration (raindrops) will tend to raise pH but, in my pool, rain usually lowers pH (acid rain). Definitely follow aylad's advice and bring the pH back up with small amounts of Borax.

[IGnatius T Foobar]

How small?

What's the correct dose of borax to move the reading just a little bit on a 3861 gallon pool?

[BigDave]

Two Cups was way too much so... try a half Cup at a time, let it dissolve / mix for a couple hours then retest.

[PoolDoc]

Two Cups was way too much so... try a half Cup at a time, let it dissolve / mix for a couple hours then retest.

. . . but we know that, only because of the results . . .


Sounds like a 1 cup dose might be it? The pH rise you experienced is not expected for a 3500 gallon pool with a TA=120.

See Pool Chart link below -- complete it, so we know more about your pool, and PARTICULARLY, about how you tested. -Ben

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[IGnatius T Foobar]

Thanks everyone; I gave it a 1/2 cup dose this morning and I'll check the results tonight. Pool chart has been completed with references to my user id and this thread.