apples24

iTrader: (1)

having a problem with ph

had the pool up and running a couple months, chlorine level is ok but ive never been able to sort the ph

if you look on the pic its bright orange, ont he chart on the pot its red up the end of the scale, cant work out weather or not i have a low or high ph

due to the crap weather last week i removed the cover 2 days ago to find a green pool pmsl

so pump on and a blast of chlorine to nearly 5 pph sorted that within 24 hours


but my ph level is the same as before, when i added the shock treatment i also put a fair amount of ph reducer in there as i know chloring works better with a low ph


thing is ive never seen a different colour on the dipstick

i know in the pic it looks like its higher than the end scale but colours are not too clear to be honest
forgive the oily hands ive been working on my van lol

ScoobyDoo555

TBH, for the sake of the next few weeks, I'm ignoring my PH level. Granted, it's not as blatant as yours, but I have had issues with Algae.

Stuck in a pool-magic mix & a big shock/chlorine treatment + a chlorine tablet in the dispenser, and it's been perfectly clear and fine.

Besides, after the August B/Holiday, kids go back to school. Pool comes down then

not much use, sorry, but hopefully an element of perspective


Dan

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Has your test kit got damp/contaminated (reaching inside the pot with bare fingers)? Those type of kits go off after a year or so (they usually have a best before date), so this may affect its accuracy, also if the label has been exposed to the sun and faded the print. Another note is if the chlorine level is high (and i mean really high), it'll bleach the test strip reading, so any readings will be useless, in this case though I don't think the latter is an issue.

Anyhoo, assuming it is accurate:

The total alkalinity is very high, which is goes hand in hand with regulating PH. I wouldn't say the PH is "that" high (our tap water is 8.0+PH - bright red, as a consequence I go through gallons of hydrochloric acid), but obviously, if the water is green/cloudy, the lower the PH the better as the chlorine simply won't work properly. PH reducer powder is ok, but its an **** as it takes forever to dissolve, hence I prefer it in liquid form. I should mentioned that the above should all be premixed and dissolved in a bucket pool water before adding to the pool, otherwise it just sits there at the bottom of the pool.

Turbulant water (aeration) from the jets or air leaks in the pump/pipes will cause the PH to creep back up, as does shock treating. Chlorine is very alkaline so it raises the PH. Also algae will cause PH to sky rocket.

Its important to note that the PH must be correct before adding any chlorine, not the other way round. Especially when shock treating, otherwise it won't split off into enough hypochlorous acid (this the good stuff that kills bacteria in seconds and oxidises the dead matter into the air) adding chlorine to a pool with high PH will cause it to split off into hypochlorite ions, (which is very slow acting and leaves the dead matter there in the pool making it cloudy).

Also is that test kit showing the amount of free chlorine or total chlorine? Either way it looks a bit low. Ideally one needs to know both to assertain whats going on. Free chlorine is chlorine able to do its job, Total chlorine includes combined chlorine. For example, a high total chlorine level with low free chlorine level is bad. Whereas 2ppm Total and 2ppm Free is good. Combined chlorine can be measured by subtracting the free ppm from the total ppm. Combined chlorine levels should always be less than 1ppm, (unless you like getting stingy eyes).


Drop of algaecide (copper sulphate) wouldn't do any harm; that'll kill algae leaving the chlorine to oxidise and burn off the dead matter (assuming the PH is low enough).

After all that, if its still cloudy, put some flocculant in, let the pump run until it clears, then thoroughly wash out the filter.

Hope that helps

LeeMac

iTrader: (1)

I find the pump isnt used as it should be when pools are not reading right

it should be on every day, used or not

I have a salt and chlorinator pool so easier to run, just keep it clean, the pump running and check the PH every fortnight

in my experience, if its cloudy, first check the filter, clean it, try again, add chlorine if nec

apples24

iTrader: (1)

right the pool is still cloudy.

in all fairness im a novice, i just bought a kit forma spa place near me for £20 it had the test strips a kg of ph+ a kg of ph- and a kg of chloring granuals

someone else said i should buy some algae stuff too

its only a 10ft pool just under a 1000 gallons, but i want it safe and half right for the kids

bigsinky

why do i keep reading this thread title as FAT people with pools/paddling pools

CowbitSpecD

Test strips are notoriously bad if the ph is too high or low. You need a testing kit that uses tablets for an accurate reading.

Dr Hu

Always wondered about these temporary pools, do they get warm any? Do they get to average ambient air temp eventually, or do you use a solar gain pool warmer lid?

Or are they just frackin freezin all the time?

(and Yes! I read it as FAT people with pools too! lol)

apples24

iTrader: (1)

pmsl

well i think there a great bargain if you have kids, ours is 10ft with a pump/filter and was £50

Lee247

We've got a 15' pool, folded up in the cellar. Kids are too old to be interested in it now and yes, it was bloody freezing