swimming pool chlorine. need facts: does tablets lower ph and liquid raise ph? doesn't make sense?
Answers:
Liquid chlorine does indeed raise Ph, because it has a high inherent Ph of it's own. Adding it will always raise your Ph somewhat., depending on your total alkalinity being in range (80-120). There's a reason why we pool pros advise you to keep your Ph only just slightly above neutral and that's because everything that you add to the pool will work better. If you bump that Ph up into the 7.8 range, you'll lose that. Clarifiers won't work, algaecide won't work and even your chlorine will have a tougher go of it..
It's important to note here that not all chlorine tabs decrease Ph. Ones that are stabilized WILL, those that are unstabilized won't.
Generally, you ought to be using the stabilized variety, as they're stablized against UV loss. The stabilizer in them, is an acid, which drops your Ph, again, only when your Ta is in range.
Other answers:
I have used both the pucks and liquid chlorine, a high chlorine reading may give you a false ph reading, but has nothing to do with changing the ph. Have you switched the type of chlorine you use? Is it reading higher than normal? Get a good test kit they have instructions on how to compensate for high chlorine readings to get an accurate ph reading. Ph is lowered with Muriatic acid and raised with soda ash, that is about the only thing that will move your ph once it is set. other than adding a lot of fresh water. Been doing pools for 18 years. Opening and closing.
I have used both the pucks and liquid chlorine, a high chlorine reading may give you a false ph reading, but has nothing to do with changing the ph. Have you switched the type of chlorine you use? Is it reading higher than normal? Get a good test kit they have instructions on how to compensate for high chlorine readings to get an accurate ph reading. Ph is lowered with Muriatic acid and raised with soda ash, that is about the only thing that will move your ph once it is set. other than adding a lot of fresh water. Been doing pools for 18 years. Opening and closing.
Whether it makes sense or not, it's true. The various "carriers" (molecules to which chlorine gas is attached) have different pH factors. However, there is usually not much of an effect on the pH in the pool because of the relatively small amount of chlorine used. As far as your Cyanuric acid (stabilizer ) level being too high-- 75 ppm is not excessive. You've a long way to go before it becomes an issue. Try to keep the pH at 7.5. That's typically the perfect spot. But anywhere from 7.2 to 7.6 is acceptable. You will just get more bang for your chlorine buck if you keep it at 7.5 or SLIGHTLY below.