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Found 22 results

  1. Hi all, We have 500 gal hot tub and have had it for about a year now. I have yet to be able to get PH and alkalinity into spec at the same time - as a result I have focused on PH. I have yet to find anyone locally who can help with this issue. If Ph is in spec, say about 7.6, my alkalinity will be about 20ppm. If I bring ALK into spec, say 100, my PH is north of 8.6. When I bring my PH back down (PH down/sodium bisulate), ALK goes too low. When I raise ALK, I am using Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate (baking soda) which I have read is supposed to move PH minimally - in my tub, it moves PH up a lot. I have had my ColorQ system verified by a local shop so I know it is not my tester giving me false readings. For example, the sample I brought to them yesterday, had PH at 8.1 with ALK at 47ppm. I followed their recommendation to bring both in spec(ph down and ALK up), I tested this morning and had a PH of 7.7 and ALK of 25. Has anyone had this issue? Ideas? Thank you Rich
  2. I recently emptied and refilled our hot tub and decided to use SpaBoss PH Stable for the first time. In the past our PH has bounced around and this product says it helps with that so I thought I'd give the product a try. I used it per the instructions on refilling it. After the product had been in the hot tub for more than 24 hours I tested it and found the hardness was too low so I added SpaBoss Cal-Rise. It turned the water cloudy (which the PH Stable instructions said could happen) and I kept rinsing the filter, after 12 or so hours the cloudiness went away. After I was left with a film/grit on the inside of the hot tub (also had residual calcium flakes on the bottom of the tub which I scooped out). I keep wiping it down with a rag and rinsing the filter. Now, one week later I just did the weekly shock and tested the water - hardness level is still too low, I suspect adding Cal-Rise will result the same as it did a week ago with cloudy water, flakes at the bottom, etc. What should I do?
  3. I am trying to do the decontamination process from Nitro. I have already done the enzyme part and dumped that. Now it's filled and I am trying to balance it to the TA of 80 and PH of 7.2. I've got the TA at 80 but nothing is getting the PH down. I just bought the test kit K-2106. The PH is showing at the highest level, and I only have to add 2 drops and it turns pink. So I check the book and for my 350 gallon spa I calculate that I need .63875 oz of muratic acid (18.89 ml) I do that and come back a few hours later or the next morning and test again. It gives me the same thing - high PH and 2 drops turns it pink. I've done this 4 times now. The only thing differently that I've done is that there is no filter. I accidentally missed the part of throwing the filter into the spa when I put the enzyme in and have a new one ordered. I didn't think it would be a good idea to put the dirty one back in. (The spa set with water for over a year - covered on a covered porch. Water was still crystal clear.) Any ideas on what I should do?
  4. Hi there I have been struggling with high ph but good alkalinity levels. Alkalinity is in perfect range as is the hardness and sanitizer ( use bromine) but ph is consistently high. I lower it with ph minus and it comes down to normal but then within a day it is high again. Any recommendations on how to deal with this?
  5. Hotsprings instructs users to put all chemicals only into the filter compartment. We are using bromine granules, and coincidentally?? the only time my water remained clear is after I put the bromine in the main tub area rather than filer area. Is this a coincidence? Background I have a new hotsprings Pulse spa and the water was cloudy after several days. I discovered the installer put the ozonator check valve in backwards. After many attempts with dealer to fix the chemistry, we finally drained and refilled tub, Then followed all instructions and water became cloudy after a few days, I proceeded to put in bromine 2.5 tablespoons for 380 gal tub. After 16 hours no free bromine detected. Ph 7.2 and alkalinity 122 water still cloudy Next I put in 4 tablespoons (super shock) but this time directly into tub not thru filter area (I also changed filter) Note "older" filter is only 1 month old and has been rinsed every week. Left cover off for 6 hours. Now finally water is clear. What was the problem?? Filter, putting bromine into filter area, check valve? other??
  6. Hi, I've been wondering, does increasing pH with NaOH also increase TA? Thank you [Edit] Already found my answer in pool calculator. Yes it does raise the TA.
  7. Hi, First off let me give you the specs and current water parameters. Clearwater 475 gal. With ozone & uv. 98° Typical user load is 4-5 days per week, 2 people, 1 hr. This is the first water fill and it has been running for approximately 3 months. Using Taylor K-2006 test kit Currently using a mineral stick in filter 1. I've been using 6% liquid bleach since my cya hit approx 35ppm. Ph6.8 CH 180 TA 60 FC 6 TC 1 I have had my TA @ 120+ for a while and have constantly Fought with pH rising to and above 8.0. Finally decided to read nitros bleach method and look up the acronyms that I did not know. Using muratic acid( lots of it) I have brought my TA down to the point where the PH settled at 6.8 . Boric acid is showing up tomorrow and I'll be adding 32oz (weight) to get a 50ppm boric load for buffering the low TA. I keep reading different things about mineral sticks, whether or not to use them and why. There seems to be a caveat to every situation. How long I can run the water before needing to drain and fill it? What are the indicators that I need to look for when it comes to water change? Water prices in my city are absolutely insane, so I'd love to limit water usage as much as possible. My CD has been insane, but my parameters have been all over the place so I'm not sure if it's the ozone or something else entirely. I've been adding around 3/4 cup of bleach after our nightly soak.By the next evening it's down to .5 ppm or less. Also, how often do I want to shock? I have non chlorine shock,or bleach available.. I really appreciate your time! -ToyCruiser
  8. For the past 3 days I have been trying to balance the pH and TA in my new Intex PureSpa. I have the impression that these need to be balanced before adding any other chemicals. I have done 24 tests in 3 days, and have made 23 adjustments, using only pH Down and Alkalinity Increaser. I am using up a lot of test solutions (in the Taylor test kit) and a lot of chemicals. I have added the pH Down and the Alkalinity Increaser separately, always running the cartridge filter pump and the jets. The jets shut off after 30 minutes, and at some point after that, I retest. I am pretty sure that I need to run the filtration pump after adding chemicals, but should I be running the jets afterward? Or should I be waiting longer to retest? I was trying to reach a pH of 7.6 and a TA of 60. The hot tub manual allows for a TA of 60 - 120 and a pH of 7.2 - 7.8. My untreated water had a pH of 7.8 and a TA of 120 - 130. During my adjustments, I have had TAs ranging from 0 to 80, and pHs ranging from a yellow color to over 8.0, but they are most often 7.8 - 8.0 or higher. Each adjustment of either of these throws the other one off. I am going away in 2 days for a period of 8 days. I may not have the chemistry balanced before I leave, and so I don't expect to be able to try out the hot tub until after I get back. I had planned to shock the hot tub before leaving. No sanitizer has been added, as of yet. I plan to use Dichlor. My last test showed a TA of 70 and a pH of 7.9. Any advice?
  9. Hi Guys Just thinking out aloud here I've been reading that aerating will naturally increase the pH of the water. Obviously, pH+ increaser will do have the same effect. Does using pH+ have any side effects? Thanks
  10. Ok so we got the Intex 77-Inche PureSpa on Prime Day to help with my Mom's bad back but were having some trouble getting the PH and alkaline just right. The Spa is 210 gallons and filled with water from our community well in southwest VA (AKA alot of limestone). The PH and TA both max out the test strip and I'm finding conflicting information online. So far I have added 202 grams of Clorox PH down as per the manual to bring it down 100 ppm. The strip in now reading somewhere between 180 and 120 for the TA 30 minutes later but the PH is still around 8.4. I haven't added any chlorine yet because I was told to get the PH in balance first. Also It warns that if the PH is too low It can damage the pump and tub and void the warranty. I'm brand new to owning a spa and need all the help I can get. If need be I can also upload a picture of a test strip The manual is located here I just realized I rambled a bit so heres a TL;DR, I have never owned a spa before. The PH is currently at 8.4 or higher and the TA after adding 202 grams of Sodium Bisulfate is at 120-180 berfore it was 240 or more. There is no chlorine in the water as of yet. I need help getting everything in balance so its safe for me and my mom to use.
  11. I have been struggling with this problem for awhile. All my reading this subject hasn't helped. 360 gallon hot tub. My TA drops so I tried to raise it. I'm using SpaGuard Spa Total Alkalinity. Every time I attempt to raise the TA, my pH spikes. Then I'm following up with several cycles of pH decreaser. A cycle being putting a small amount of pH decreaser in, running jets for 20 minutes then checking. Because my TA has increased, the pH is slow to come down. The basic question is, why does my pH spike when I increase TA? Thanks, Scott
  12. Hi My water is very low Alkalinity (40-50) and high pH (~7.9 or 8). I can not seem to get the TA up to 80 and the pH down to 7.6. I am using baking soda (sodium bicarb) to increase alkalinity and Spa Down (sodium bisulphate) to bring pH down. bringing pH down brings TA down, bringing TA up brings pH up. Appreciate help and suggestions. If there is an existing thread on this topic, please point me to the comments and wisdom. thanks
  13. So I have had my spa for a couple months now. I thought i had things going pretty well with my water but now I have the issue that my TA is at 120ppm, but PH is showing 6.8. If i use the spa up to get my PH in line will it not then raise TA to above what is recommended? (120ppm) We use the hot tub almost ever day and I have been using shock and chlorine after every soak. I'm considering just using more chlorine after each soak instead of it and shock, after being told that using that much shock could show up as CC when testing. Would the use of shock also effect PH but not TA? or the use of so much chlorine use from using the tub a lot effect the PH but not TA? What steps can I take to get PH back up without raising TA? I plan on doing a water change as soon as I can but its to cold here right now to do that. Thanks
  14. Hi all: I am fairly new to the hot tub I have (I bought the house with the tub already here). It is a 500 gallon, and I use Chlorine. The first time I started up the tub, I struggled with PH and Alkalinity. The second time, I used "Leisure Time pH Balance Plus" when I first filled it. for my 500 gallon tub, I used a full 3lb bottle per the instructions. For that fill, I had perfect PH and Alkalinity for the entire time until I drained it. Now I am trying to recreate it without the $20-$30 expense. The MSDS says that there are only 2 ingredients, baking soda and boric acid. Does anyone know what amounts to combine them in to recreate the mixture? Thanks a lot, Joel Also - does anyone use anything homemade to clean the pipes before draining the tub, like 'Leisure Time Jet Clean'?
  15. How do I bring the total alkalinity up, without raising the ph? When I first fill my hot tub the ph is perfect (7.6) but the total alkalinity is somewhere between 20 and 30 (should be between 80-120)? I use alkalinity increaser, then my ph goes thru the roof. When I decrease the ph, down goes the alkalinity. I constantly have this yo-yo effect. Any suggestions?
  16. I have been told different things in regards to the pH of the water when closing the pool. What is the ideal pH as we close? Actually we need to know all the chemistries, including the calcium level, alkalinity, and chlorine. Also, our pool builder told us we don't have to put antifreeze in the lines here in upstate new York. Isn't this a risk? Thanks.
  17. About a month ago my wife and I purchased a new Jacuzzi J-345. In the past month I have had a crash course in spa water chemistry. It was a little overwhelming at first, but I have learned a great deal, thanks in no small part to this forum, especially Nitro's post. The spa is equipped with the ClearRay UV sanitation system and came with a “starter kit” consisting of a bottle of Silk Balance, pH increaser and decreaser, chlorine powder (dichlor), non-chlorine shock (MPS), and some 4-in-one test strips. According to the Silk Balance brochure, all I had to do after filling the spa was add a tablespoon of chlorine powder, adjust pH to 7.2 – 8.2 and total alkalinity to 80 – 120 ppm (using the test strips), and the next day add 4 oz of Silk Balance. Then, add one tablespoon per person of MPS shock after each use of the pool, and once a week add a tablespoon of chlorine and 4 oz of Silk Balance. That's it - no testing and monitoring necessary. This scares me to death. The first thing I bought was a Taylor K-2006 drop test kit (based on recommendations in this forum). I determined that within a couple of days after adding the chlorine I had no detectable FC, and pH tended to creep up to above 8.0 over the course of the week. So, now I add a half teaspoon or so of dichlor every night or two, just enough to keep FC above 1 ppm, and a teaspoon or so of pH decreaser to maintain pH at 7.4 – 7.6. I continue to add the MPS after each use. Fridays after we use the spa I also add a teaspoon of dichlor, and Saturday mornings I add the Silk Balance. Here are my readings this morning: pH – 7.4, FC – 5.4, CC – none, TA – 100 ppm, CH – 140, CYA – less than 30 ppm. I have questions: Am I doing this right? Comments and suggestions greatly appreciated. The Silk Balance came with the spa, and my wife and I have both noticed how nice it makes our skin feel. However, it is priced about the same as Dom Perignon. Are there other (less pricey) additives with similar results? Nitro mentioned something called Gentle Spa.
  18. Hi. Just joined today, and although I've done my homework on water treatment, I hope it's not unheard of that things don't always play out according to plan. Anyway, my Spa is a 2012 Dimension 1 Arourora. I have had it now for about 3 months. It is situated in a screened in porch enclosed on three sides by the house, and one side by screen. The home where it is located is a weekend home (Hudson Valley, NYS), and which makes it a bit more difficult to stay on top of the water issues. So far, we've had no major water problems such as cloudy water, foam, smell, etc…, but our readings are not what they should be. We are using Chlorine, and maintaining optimum levels has not been a problem. The PH, however, as well as the Alkalinity, are always high, and don't respond at all to PH-down, Alkalinity-down, any of the Spa Down products. We've emptied, refilled and started from scratch, always with the same result. Tried new filters as well. Though the water is from a well, it is treated extensively by an in-home system, and has been analyzed by our dealer as well as others. A high iron content has been flagged in the water, yet the dealer and others see it as something which should be easily treated. Yet the products are not working to bring down alkalinity or PH. Any ideas or suggestions are very much appreciated.
  19. Hello all. Thanks for all the fantastic info on this forum. I've learned so much. I just bought my first spa, 500 gal Artesian Island and love it. Had it for 2 weeks and am researching chemistry and sanitation like a mad man to the point of obsession. The spa has an ozonater and the dealer set me up with an initial Spa Frog system. I've got 1 unused bromine cartridge and once it is done I'm dumping the Frog for bromine tabs in a floater (I've researche the 3 partbromine set up system). We have heavy use with teenage kids and friends and the low level of bromine was not keeping up with the bio load. With all the dichlor/bleach additions it makes no sense to spend the money on the Frog IMO. I initially was shocking with MPS and swithched to dichlor. After learning about the CYA I've swithched to bleach since the CYA levels should be more then sufficient now.. I have a good understanding of basic chem and the relationship between TA and pH as I also have a reef aquarium. I understand that borate helps buffer the pH by keeping the alk from dropping. I currently have the following parameters pH 8 TA 90 CH 250 I've got a Taylor K2106 ordered and have been using my neighbors pool test kit . Here are my concerns. 1-Pool calculator states TA should be 50-80. Manufacturer states TA should be 80-140. Is low TA going to affect the spa in any hardware way physically, or only the pH buffering? I have not added boric acid yet until I get the TA proper. 2- Adding boric acid should increase the TA without affecting pH, thereby increasing the buffering capacity, correct? If so I can see why lowering to 50 is ok as the borate will increase TA back up near manufacture's recommended. 3- In order to maintain a sufficient Calcium level TA needs to be at a certain level to be balanced (at least it does in my aquarium) and stop the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Given my Ca level do I need to worry about Ca falling out of solution if I drop the TA further? 4- Once TA is balanced how much borate do I add? I assume there is not much borate in city water. I will be using 20 Mule and muriatic acid. Thanks for any help and suggestions.
  20. Hi, Been reading the forum a bit more now. The following question rose to my mind. Wouldn't testing these 4 parameters suffice (for my pool). My pool being plastic above ground, outdoors and no splashing, pH elevating fountains or such. CYA: test CYA to reach optimum level. pH: test the pH and correct pH with hydrochloric acid or sodium bicarbonate when necessary. FC: test FC and correct with bleach. TA: test and correct with sodium bicarbonate. The amounts of HCl, NaCO3, trichlor and bleach needed will be calculated with pool calculator. 'Correct' me if i'm wrong, Tim
  21. Hi all, New to this forum. First post. I installed a 6000 gallon pool in my garden a few weeks ago. So im new to the world of pools also. Have been reading a lot of forums on pool chemistry. I think i understand the pool chemistry now. So i will tell a story and please correct me when im wrong, or feel free to add things if i left them out. So... Istalled 6000 gallon above-ground pool couple of weeks ago. Filled with tap water. Bought shock (unknown white powder ) from local pool guy and added to pool. Adding 2 tabs of stabilised chlorine and replacing when dissolved (about once a week). At first pH, chlorine and total alkalinity were fine. Then after a few weeks, the pH and TA were dropping, so I added sodium bicarbonate to pool until pH was around 7.5 and the TA was in the right zone (on the test strips). So i guess the chlorine tabs were dropping the pH of my unbuffered pool. Now I will keep using the chlorine tabs until the optimal level of stabiliser is reached in the pool. Now that my pool is buffered with the sodium bicarbonate, the pH should stay more or less level when using chlorine tablets. When the optimal level of stabiliser is reached, i will stop using the stabilised chlorine tablets and switch over to household bleach (without additives). This will increase my pH over time so will need to adjust with hydrochloric acid once in a while. Will the stabiliser in my pool (from the tabs) still be stabilising the chlorine (from the household bleach ) im now adding ? After a while, due to water loss (kids splashing etc), the stabiliser levels will be sub-optimal again, and i will need to use stabilised chlorine tabs again until stabiliser levels are ok, then switch over to household bleach again, etc, etc. The only thing that would be accumulating in my pool (besides mierals from dust) would be sodium ions. Is this a problem? Did i learn well from the pool forums? Thanks in advance, Tim
  22. Question 1 # Why won't my PH settle into the 7.2-7.6 range? Question 2# Why does a light film build up at the water level? Question 3# Are the above questions the reallity of owning an acrilic tub, the Muni Water or bad readings? North Texas Municipal Water stats Treated mg/L TA = 100 Tot Hardness 152 Non-carbonite hardness 51.8 PH 7.84 Chlorine Residual 2.94 I have had my 380 gallon J-335, with Proclear inline mineral cartridge for three weeks. I find that my consumption of test strips, PH decreaser and wiping the shell at the water level is more than I expected. My water is clean, has a neutral smell, no foam and skin dryness is not too bad. I toss a little MPS in after a soak and the ozonator seems to be doing it's job. The test strips that the dealer gave me are good quality and I know this because I bought a different brand and they are simply cheap. I probably need a Taylor test kit but wanted to get some input from the GEEK. Does the original water from the hose only affect the initial setup of the chemicals. If I add a few inches of water should I expect the city water to adjust the balance by a little or a lot? Will bathers increase PH? Should I expect to wipe down the spa everytime I get in? Based on the first three weeks should I expect to use acid every 7-10 days? I plan on cleaning the filters this weekend since we used it a lot in the last three weeks. We are in the habit of showering before we get in the Jacuzzi. This is only a small challenge in a long road of ownership. We love our tub and expect the workload to settle down as time goes on. Thanks, Nug.
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