lpad Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 I have 50ppm borates. pH= 7.5 TA= 50 CH=190 sanitation method= dichlor then bleach. I typically use a visions cartridge however I just ordered a new one so this moment I don't have one in there. New one should arrive later this week though. what area should i target to get the CSI more balanced? Is it more preferable to raise the pH or the TA? thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 My GUESS is to raise pH slightly but I am new to this also. I believe you could use 20 Mule Team Gentle Spa to add pH balanced Borax which also buffers pH some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Even in a plaster spa a CIS of -.34 is not a cause for concern. In an acrylic spa it is NOT a problem at all! Where did you get the idea it was a problem? With a plaster pool if the saturation index is between .6 and -.6 it normally is not a cause for concern. With other surfaces it is moot, except when positive, where it can indicate a propensity for scale formation when the pH spikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 My GUESS is to raise pH slightly but I am new to this also. I believe you could use 20 Mule Team Gentle Spa to add pH balanced Borax which also buffers pH some. Gentle Spa is a product by Proteam and is not the same as 20 Mule Team Borax from Dial Corp. You are correct that raising the pH is going to have the most effect on CSI. Temperature will have the next biggest effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpad Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 the pool calculator say that-0.34 is a problem, and that I need to be closer to -0.15 or so to be balanced. but if you say it's fine, then I guess I won't adjust anything. pH and TA have been rock solid since the new fill in October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 The Pool Calculator is referring to plaster pools and does not say that +/- 0.3 is a problem, but that +/- 0.6 is suggestive of problems. Specifically, it says the following: Less than -0.6 is suggestive of problems for plaster, tile, stone, and pebble pools.Greater than 0.6 is suggestive of problems for all pools. The reason you keep a CSI closer to zero is to saturate the water with calcium carbonate to protect plaster surfaces. This is not an issue with acrylic spas. Where are you seeing that The Pool Calculator says anything about lower than -0.3 being a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 But if the water is too acidic wouldn't it start attacking his metal heater element? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 But if the water is too acidic wouldn't it start attacking his metal heater element? A low CSI and having the pH be too low (i.e. acidic) are not necessarily the same thing. If the CSI is low because the Calcium Hardness (CH) is low, but everything else is reasonable including the pH, then there is no problem with other components. There is plenty of talk about how saturating the water with calcium carbonate can form a thin protective layer on metal pipe surfaces, but it's controversial (see this link, for example). In many municipalities, the water is not very hard and yet corrosion does not occur in copper pipes in homes. My tap water has a pH of 7.7, TA of 80, CH of 55, Temp of 67ºF, TDS of 136 ppm for a CSI of -0.6, as just one example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 But if the water is too acidic wouldn't it start attacking his metal heater element? Saturation index and pH are two different things completely! (And some people have questioned why I say not to worry about saturation index but just keep tabs on the pH...chem geek understands what I am talking about here because we have had this discussion before). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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