How to Quickly LOWER pH in Your POOL

[@SwimUniversity]

The Pool Care Cheat Sheet (Free): swimu.com/cheatsheet The Pool Care Handbook: swimu.com/book The Pool Care Video Course: swimu.com/poolcourse

[@jessicaannes]

Interesting timing! I JUST added Muriatic acid to my pool an hour ago, sat down to watch some KZbin and this video popped up on my feed. I have a saltwater pool and wanted to note that our ProLogic Manual says NOT to use sodium bisulfate (dry acid) as it may cause a buildup of by-products that can damage the salt cell!

[@SwimUniversity]

Thanks for leaving this comment! Helpful for other salt water pool owners to see this. Another good reminder to always follow the manufacturer's instruction ;-)

[@jessicaannes]

@@SwimUniversity Agreed on the reading the manufacturer’s instructions. Btw, I just purchased your video course! I’ve been thinking about it for awhile and finally pulled the trigger. Thank you for the wealth of information you provide for us pool owners, you save us years of knowledge-building, frustrations and wasted money. And marriages, I’m sure. 😅

[@SwimUniversity]

@@jessicaannes Ha, thank you - that's the goal 😅 Hope the course helps!

[@Bdubbs1958]

What to do if your PH is 7.5 and the Alkalinity is over 240?

[@HP_Quinn]

What about the alkalinity being okay but pH too high? 😅

[@skillshappen87]

I was wondering the same thing, I just tested my pool and the alkalinity is low and the pH level is getting high

[@jbuck1975]

It says it in the video around 5:30 mark

[@rosemarieramirez2081]

​@@skillshappen87😊😊

[@jenniferalemar2986]

Alkalinity is priority so if it's low it's ok to just add acid. Bring that ph to 7.2 - 7.6. Follow up later through the week and add bicarbonate to level them out. You can actually pour the acid without stirring it, just drop it in the deep end

[@HHH_3]

​@jenniferalemar2986 can that stain the pool though? Do you recommend a specific ph reducer

[@tsendjavtumnee5566]

Very informative and helpful. Thank you.

[@Charly-jj7uc]

Hello excellents videos, I have a question if I have a Ph 7.45 and ORP 680 why I have a alarm say .41 Corrosive ? Intellichem and salt water pool!! thanks

[@jennbruley6528]

How long does it take after adding pH- to notice a decrease in pH? I put some in an hour ago and no change. Wait longer or add more?

[@susanlauder5308]

my pool guy gets upset when i dont buy his chemicals.. sometimes i cant get ahold of him so i go to Canadian Tire store

[@PewPew702]

My pool keeps getting low alkalinity and high PH. I’m assuming bring alkalinity into range then use muriatic acid to bring the PH down. As the alkalinity falls too low again add baking soda to bring it back. Repeat until both are in range? Feel like this is happening too often. Las Vegas Plaster pool 18k gal 3 water features

[@davidematerazzi4297]

Same, my ph keeps growing, I use half a bag a day for a 100 cubic meeter pool..

[@SwimUniversity]

Your water features are aerating your pool and likely causing high pH

[@wdbaer]

Aeration does not cause ph to increase. I added 2 chlorine tabs to the skimmer basket every week for a month. We have a waterfall feature that runs 8-10 hrs per day when pump is on. Ph stayed at 7.4 all month! As soon as I turn the salt cell back on the ph jumped to 8.1 within a few days. It’s the salt cell that is causing the ph to climb and adding MA every week is the only realistic solution to keep ph within range. Only problem for me is that adding acid constantly degrades my alkalinity since alkalinity is an opposing reaction to acid when you’re referring to ph.

[@HP_Quinn]

@@wdbaer I've read adding chlorine tabs to the skimmer basket is a big no and runs the risk of causing a lot of damage to your system

[@danam6527]

Can I use dry acid in a fiberglass pool And if so how do I add it?

[@listingvideosdrg1667]

Why can’t I find a video for us beginners on the PH seems to always be too high and Alkaline is always too low. OR PH is too high and even if I get it within range, then the Alkaline is now way too low. What the H E double hockey sticks am I doing wrong? All these videos almost feel backwards. *am I really that stupid? Please don’t answer that, but just my question. We still swim and our skin hasnt’ fallen off yet, but we are new pool owners and this is a massive learning curve. PS, my blonde dog is starting to get green fur. *Central Florida, vinyl lined pool and now August.

[@SwimUniversity]

Have you tried Alkalinity Increaser with any luck? It'll bring up alkalinity but only slightly raise pH. And if you have COPPER in the water, that'll cause green hair/fur.

[@mreyes3478]

Wow, having this exact same issue.

[@listingvideosdrg1667]

@@SwimUniversity I haven’t tried Alkalinity increaser but I have added a boat load of Sodium Bicarbonate and once I do that then PH is high off the charts again. I can’t win for losing. As far as green fur i do have a copper pipe maybe 4 inches long in my skimmer basket that kept the chlorine the most balanced for the longest time and almost never had to shock the pool, while others say they do this weekly. Now our central Florida Summer has seriously intensified. I am not a legal blonde per se, but the dog around his tail area certainly is and that is the only place where the green shows up but wondering if i rinse him off if that would subside? Also I was going to try to do the copper pipe only 2 weeks out of the month to see if this works. - Don’t judge me- I am new to pools and watched just about every video on KZbin from everyone, but you are my favorite to watch. Stay cute and funny! And thanks for replying.

[@LostDepot]

I have added 2 gallons of muriatic acid and it has barely lowered my alkalinity. My pool is 6,000 gallons is it normal to add that much.

[@SwimUniversity]

What are your levels? That's quite a bit to add.

[@LostDepot]

@@SwimUniversity They are over 240. I may take a sample to a pool store to verify.

[@swtt314]

I am the same way, but have 22,000 gallons. Been a nightmare trying to get it lowered. Nothing seems to be working! My pH level seems almost normal though and everything I'm reading and watching says to keep lowering alkalinity and then raise pH. Challenging for sure when nothing seems to be working!

[@LostDepot]

@@swtt314 I finally got mine lower after the third gallon.

[@ddtuss2585]

The acid I bought this year doesn’t seem to work as well as previous years. It even smells less strong. Bought the powder and it is working great.

[@tylerthayne1748]

I have a problem with PH levels staying high even when adding 3-5 gallons of Muriatic acid a week. What could be the problem!?

[@vitoriasacha6218]

is it bad if my hot tub jets shoots so much water when I turn it on?

[@asanti76]

Is sodium bisulfate ok to use in vinyl pools?

[@empress_angelikka2720]

Thanks a lot for having a free tutorial 👍👍👍..all the way from the Philippines

[@SwimUniversity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@paulcostinett886]

15,000 gallon salt pool. What if my alkalinity stays in range but my pH continuously rises above 7.8 each week? I can drop in enough muriatic per the book's dosage charts to reduce pH, and a week later my pH is now over 8.0. That's with no load (no swimmers, no rain) on the pool. FC is 3.0. TC is 3.0. CYA is stable. Thoughts?

[@SwimUniversity]

Your pH is rising because the salt water generator is running. It's a natural byproduct of the SWG. You can try to decrease the run times (but you obviously want to make sure your Free Chlorine is still okay)

[@muhammadsheraz2397]

My swimming pool have a low ph level how to increase ph level and cl level no water becomes light green please advised how this problem solved

[@MrEtrans]

So what if the pH is a totally different color than what is on the test strips? Is that too high? Is that too low?

[@LIBERTY0RDEATH]

You probably have a bad test strip. Go off closest color to the strip

[@melindabucy8459]

I just bought a pool and my sister shocked it but, I have no clue what chemicals to use🤦🏼‍♀️

[@DGsKattKatt]

What size is it?

[@seanstrickland4970]

You should make a app.

[@petersalls4083]

Orenda has an app

[@bonniemoss8149]

I have an Intex above ground pool. I cannot find a vacuum that will clean the dirt/debris from the bottom of the pool. I bought an Intex automatic pool vacuum. It doesn’t work. It stops after one short spurt. I have looked and looked. HELP!!!!! My pool is an Intex 15 by 48. Thank you!!!!

[@SwimUniversity]

Dolphin is a great brand for automatic pool cleaners. If you're having trouble finding any pool vacuums, try looking at the rechargable SPA vacuums. They're smaller but might be more available.

[@brianx2640]

Second on the Dolphin. My kids named him “Bob”. Bob does a great shop cleaning the pool.

[@faamecanic1970]

I have a gunnite pebble tech pool that was just finished Jan 2022 (25,000 gal, chlorine pool). Is it common to go thru about 1 gallon muriatic acid a week? My alk is at 80 to 120 ppm. I adjust once per week and after I add acid it’s at 7.2-7.3. But 6 days latter it’s over 8.0 again. Should I be adjusting twice/week?

[@SwimUniversity]

New plaster/curing will cause high pH and it can take several months to stabilize. In the meantime (unfortunately) you'll need to keep stabilizing when your pH gets over 8.0

[@dmid1274]

I added soda ash to increase my ph now I’ve a cloudy pool, will muriatic acid fix this?

[@SwimUniversity]

After a few hours or by the next day it should clear up.

[@greatgames5793]

Hey swim university I’m not sure if my SGS salt cell is working correctly. There is a service light that is on the salt cell controller. My chlorine levels are very low. I need help finding a replacement for it. I have the Breeze 540. Please help!

[@SwimUniversity]

Sorry we don't sell replacement salt cells!

[@SlashtaCross]

what does it mean if my ph was 8.2 and I added 8 ounces of muriatic acid into my 4,000gal saltwater pool and after 24 hours tested the water and my ph was 7.9? Do I need to buy ph decreaser so I can focus on bringing down my ph only bc now my alkalinity is right in a good spot via the test strips.

[@SwimUniversity]

The pH decreaser will bring down both. You can keep adding muriatic acid and then use an Alkalinity Increaser if the levels are way too low.

[@felixmendez6294]

my problem is my alkalinity is at 80 and my PH says 7.9 what should I do? please help I think that's the reason why I'm getting yellow mold I shock the pool every week and it goes away but keeps coming back drives me crazy

[@guillermohudson8316]

Keep your pH at 7.5

[@jillhookvollmer2040]

@@guillermohudson8316 How? I use muratic acid and PH decreaser every day. keep chorinator going, and use a floating chorine dispenser. I shock every three days. Why oh why will my PH keep increasing at an insane rate? No algae, vacuum three times a week and skim every day...brushing twice a week. So now what?

[@tahernabieh6096]

1:35Total alkalinity 100-150ppm

[@Kasey84]

Please help!!!! Trying to clear up a green pool (same as I have past 2 years) My alkalinity is 0 my pH is beyond the highest reading over 8.4 after adding 1 quart and 1 cup of Muriatic acid in 13,500 gallon pool. Before the acid was added the alkalinity was 40ppm and it looks like no Change at all in the pH. So I started out with a 40ppm alkalinity and over 8.4 pH should I have went a different route? What can I do to raise alkalinity and lower pH. I’m so confused.

[@SwimUniversity]

Have you tried an Alkalinity Increaser (sodium bicarbonate) yet?

[@PutEmInTheBox]

Thanks!

[@SwimUniversity]

No problem!

[@homesteaderfiftywmartha603]

I used ph decreaser about 1- 1/4 cup - for 3000 gallon pool 12 ft x 36 inch deep- After 13 hours the water seemed salty-ish

[@sherrimurphy3896]

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF I HAVE USED MURIATIC ACID AND PH DECREASER FOR HIGH PH AND ALKALINITY AND IT DOES NOT GO DOWN? CONSTANT STRUGGLE

[@jungdupont936]

Baking soda is for when you test pH and it suppose to between 80 and 120. If you test pH and it's orange your pool is acid now you have to test all before you add anything if it is seventy or below add baking soda 4pds. If you test pH and it is purple your pool is alkaline and you add about 3 quarters to a gallon of acid to the pool with it running walking in a circle when you add baking soda you dump it all in one spot with pool running so if your using baking soda to lower pH it will never work it is a base for acid and it helps balance between the use of baking soda and acid constantly

[@ggali09]

Can my ph be consistently too high and my alkalinity be consistently too low at the same time?

[@SwimUniversity]

Yes, it can especially if you have a salt water system or something causing chronically high pH

[@Jimbozinya]

Or just use baking soda?

[@CTINF]

Algae loves high pH . Alkalinity is the bouncer of pH. If your pH is out of range test for alkalinity and adjust as need it. Wait couple filtration cycles and once total alkalinity in check adjust pH.

[@homesteaderfiftywmartha603]

pH seems normal- but alkaline is high

[@CTINF]

@@homesteaderfiftywmartha603 what is the alkalinity ppm?

[@janjaf844]

Is there an alkalinity chemical? I have oh down. Both my oh and alkalinity are too high. I have the ph down, can I use that to bring both down?

[@CTINF]

@@janjaf844 , what is the alkalinity ppm? What’s the pH level ?

[@lindavillarreal5610]

I'm having trouble lowering my ph. I finally bought green gobbler on Amazon ph down and have added 8 # and nothing has changed What's the max amount I can add at one time. I have been adding liquid chlorine one gallon at a time and nothing is happening either

[@lowrider5717]

I put over two gallons of acid over a week and ph is still to high!

[@kaitlyngray7469]

Me too!

[@angelsaidferreira5193]

I read that to lower PH it’s recommended to eat more alkaline foods 🤔 It’s strange, if we have a high and alkaline PH we are not supposed to eat acidic foods? 🤔

[@blessing1564]

Ph is high and alkalinity low

[@roygonzalez7211]

This video makes me not want my pool anymore. Y’all making stuff way to complicated

[@engelkiss99]

If this is too complicated, idk how you accomplish anything else in life