5 Boxes of Borax later.... PH STILL very low

[doggie]

So I'll just keep adding Borax daily for the next few days until I get the stablilizer all dissolved. I better inform Meijer that they don't stock enough of it to meet my pool needs.

Since we just got a new liner last thing in the fall before we closed, I was worried I was off to a poor start this spring. Sounds like I'm OK for now after all.

Thanks so much guys!

[mbar]

Your alkalinity is a little high, so you can also turn your return jets up so that the water bubbles on top - it will raise your ph while lowering you alk. killing two birds with one stone You want the alk between 80-120.

[chem geek]

Excellent suggestion Marie! Only add enough Borax to keep the pH around 7.0 if the aeration isn't enough to keep the pH there all by itself.

[doggie]

Well crap, I thought Borax wasn't supposed to increase the alkalinity much.

I fought that vicious circle back when I used pucks.

PH low, raise ph. Find alk too high, add acid. PH low, raise ph. Find alk too high again. etc etc etc

Turning the jets up sounds easy enough, but won't that affect the way the pool gets circulated?



Edit: also, how can you aerate that way when you use a solar cover?

[CarlD]

Well XXXX , I thought Borax wasn't supposed to increase the alkalinity much.

It doesn't. But T/A moves up and down with pH. As pH goes up, so does T/A.

I fought that vicious circle back when I used pucks.

PH low, raise ph. Find alk too high, add acid. PH low, raise ph. Find alk too high again. etc etc etc

Part if it was not understanding the mechanism. T/A rises and falls with pH. Soda Ash, however, increases T/A MORE than that rise-and-fall ratio. But Borax, which only increases pH, doesn't prevent the rise-and-fall.

Only aeration can raise pH without raising T/A.

Turning the jets up sounds easy enough, but won't that affect the way the pool gets circulated?

Not too much. You don't HAVE to turn up the jets--it just makes aeration go faster. So will a crowd of 10-12 year old boys turning your water into a maelstrom!

Edit: also, how can you aerate that way when you use a solar cover?

You can't. Sorry about that, but get your chemistry correct first, before trying to warm the pool.

[chem geek]

doggie,

If you believe that your TA used to be lower and that it has gone up, then as Carl says that wouldn't have come from the Borax. Most likely, it came from your fill water. Is your fill water from a well? Have you tested it for TA and CH? That's my best guess of what may be happening. In any event, Marie is absolutely right that now is a great time to lower the TA since you've already got a slowly dissolving acid in your pool and that's perfect for lowering TA through lots of aeration.

Richard

[CarlD]

doggie,

If you believe that your TA used to be lower and that it has gone up, then as Carl says that wouldn't have come from the Borax. Most likely, it came from your fill water. Is your fill water from a well? Have you tested it for TA and CH? That's my best guess of what may be happening. In any event, Marie is absolutely right that now is a great time to lower the TA since you've already got a slowly dissolving acid in your pool and that's perfect for lowering TA through lots of aeration.

Richard

Richard's right. My fill water, which is public water, frequently runs a T/A of 180ppm--safe to drink, of course. You should check it.