Using Chemgeek's Bleach Method And Need Help With Ph & Ta

[newspaguy]

I recently drained and refilled my tub and am following the bleach method recommeded by ChemGeek. Used dichlor for about 4 days then went to 6% bleach, however PH keeps getting too high (along with my TA) and I am going through PH decreaser by the spoonful, literally.

Is there a way to stabilize my PH and TA while still using bleach. From reading on this forum, I know that bleach has a high PH, but Im wondering if the PH anchors you can buy work, or if there is another or better solution to stabilize and "lock" my PH and TA in the desired range.

I have a smaller tub that holds about 250 gallons.

[Nitro]

I recently drained and refilled my tub and am following the bleach method recommeded by ChemGeek. Used dichlor for about 4 days then went to 6% bleach, however PH keeps getting too high (along with my TA) and I am going through PH decreaser by the spoonful, literally.

Is there a way to stabilize my PH and TA while still using bleach. From reading on this forum, I know that bleach has a high PH, but Im wondering if the PH anchors you can buy work, or if there is another or better solution to stabilize and "lock" my PH and TA in the desired range.

I have a smaller tub that holds about 250 gallons.

What is your TA and pH? You need to lower your TA to the 60-70 ppm range. That will reduce pH creep via aeration. Go here to learn everythig thing you need to know about the Dichlor/Bleach method.

[newspaguy]

I recently drained and refilled my tub and am following the bleach method recommeded by ChemGeek. Used dichlor for about 4 days then went to 6% bleach, however PH keeps getting too high (along with my TA) and I am going through PH decreaser by the spoonful, literally.

Is there a way to stabilize my PH and TA while still using bleach. From reading on this forum, I know that bleach has a high PH, but Im wondering if the PH anchors you can buy work, or if there is another or better solution to stabilize and "lock" my PH and TA in the desired range.

I have a smaller tub that holds about 250 gallons.

What is your TA and pH? You need to lower your TA to the 60-70 ppm range. That will reduce pH creep via aeration. Go here to learn everythig thing you need to know about the Dichlor/Bleach method.

Nitro,

My TA is ranging between 120 to 180. I know it needs to come way down. My PH is floating in the area of 8. I saw the link and see that I can lower the TA with acid. What do I buy, where can I buy it, and how much should I add at a time to start dropping the TA.

[chem geek]

It's not just acid, but a combination of adding acid to lower the pH and aerating and adding more acid to keep the pH low that results in a faster drop in TA as described in this post. As for how much to add, it's easy to figure out how much total acid you'll need to lower TA since in 350 gallons it takes 5 teaspoons of dry acid to lower the TA by 10 ppm. HOWEVER, you can't add all the total acid at one time or else the pH will drop too much. As for how much acid it takes to drop the pH down to around 7.0, that depends on the TA level. At a TA of 120 ppm, it takes 7 teaspoons of dry acid to lower the pH from 7.5 to 7.0. It takes almost 10 teaspoons to lower it from 8.0 to 7.0. You should probably just add about half these amounts, remeasure pH, then add some more until you get to the pH you want and then aerate a lot, watch the pH, and add more acid to bring the pH back down. The TA should drop fairly quickly as it's pretty easy to do in a spa (it's much harder in a pool).

Dry Acid is pretty much just sold at pool and spa stores. It's 93.2% sodium bisulfate. There is also Muriatic Acid (31.45% Hydrochloric Acid) sold in hardware stores, sometimes at half strength which is less fuming, but it's more dangerous to handle because of the fumes. Regardless of you choice of chemical, you want to add it slowly over a return flow with the circulation pump running (I would have the main jets off to avoid any splashing -- wearing eye protection is recommended whenever handling concentrated chemicals, especially acid).

Richard

[newspaguy]

I recently drained and refilled my tub and am following the bleach method recommeded by ChemGeek. Used dichlor for about 4 days then went to 6% bleach, however PH keeps getting too high (along with my TA) and I am going through PH decreaser by the spoonful, literally.

Is there a way to stabilize my PH and TA while still using bleach. From reading on this forum, I know that bleach has a high PH, but Im wondering if the PH anchors you can buy work, or if there is another or better solution to stabilize and "lock" my PH and TA in the desired range.

I have a smaller tub that holds about 250 gallons.

Okay....so looks like my PH decrease is dry acid...sodium bisulfate????? So I just start adding it a little at a time till my TA gets down to a desirable range while aerating????and the aeration will bring the PH back up? Once I get the TA and PH right, do you guys recommend any of these PH anchors or PH locks to stabilize it. Someone said I can order something called "Borates" and that will help?

[chem geek]

Yes, you've got it except that you may need to cycle a few times between the aeration having the pH go up and the acid bringing it back down. For example, if I start with a pH of 8.0 and a TA of 180 (and a CYA of 30 and temp of 100F that won't change), then in a 350 gallon tub the following is one way the procedure could happen:

pH 8.0, TA 180

add 2.0 fluid ounces (4 tablespoons) of dry acid

pH 7.0, TA 155

aerate

pH 7.5, TA 155

add 1.2 fluid ounces (7 teaspoons) of dry acid

pH 7.0, TA 140

aerate

pH 7.5, TA 140

add 1.1 fluid ounces (6-1/2 teaspoons) of dry acid

pH 7.0, TA 126

:

:

If you aerate until the pH is higher (say, 8.0), then it will take less cycles, but more acid per cycle. Essentially all you are doing is accelerating the process that would occur over many weeks.

Once your TA is lower then see if your pH is stable. If it's pretty good and you want to lock it in, then yes you can use Borates to do so. They are available in products such as Leisure Time pH Balance Plus or SpaGuard Optimizer Plus -- the former may be more pH neutral than the latter.

Richard

[Nitro]

Okay....so looks like my PH decrease is dry acid...sodium bisulfate????? So I just start adding it a little at a time till my TA gets down to a desirable range while aerating????and the aeration will bring the PH back up? Once I get the TA and PH right, do you guys recommend any of these PH anchors or PH locks to stabilize it. Someone said I can order something called "Borates" and that will help?

Once you get your TA down, your pH should be much more stable. You can also add Borates to help slow down pH creep. The easy way to add Borates is to get a product called Gentle Spa sold here, or in bulk here. It's pH balanced, so you don't need to add acid. The cheaper route is to add Borax (aka 20 Mule Team). However, you then have to add acid to counter balance.

[newspaguy]

Okay....so looks like my PH decrease is dry acid...sodium bisulfate????? So I just start adding it a little at a time till my TA gets down to a desirable range while aerating????and the aeration will bring the PH back up? Once I get the TA and PH right, do you guys recommend any of these PH anchors or PH locks to stabilize it. Someone said I can order something called "Borates" and that will help?

Once you get your TA down, your pH should be much more stable. You can also add Borates to help slow down pH creep. The easy way to add Borates is to get a product called Gentle Spa sold here, or in bulk here. It's pH balanced, so you don't need to add acid. The cheaper route is to add Borax (aka 20 Mule Team). However, you then have to add acid to counter balance.

Alright. I think I got it......I'll give it a try and keep you posted. Thanks!!!!