Lowering Alkalinity?

[kayaknva]

Have had a problem with my ph since the beginning. Is there a way to lower the alkalinity without using ph lower? When I fill up my tub it is at 7.7 and takes of bunch of ph lower to get it down. Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance...

[hottubdan]

What is your Total Alkalinity reading?

[kayaknva]

always seems to be around 150.

[Chad]

As long as your pH is in range and stabilized , don't worry about your alkalinity being a little higher or lower than recommended.

[Cyn]

I thought keeping your alk around 100 was supposed to help stablize the pH.

[Chad]

I thought keeping your alk around 100 was supposed to help stablize the pH.

Typically yes, but everybody's water reacts to different things in differnt ways.

For instance, my pH stays locked in with a alk of 80-90ppm. Any higher or lower and it starts to flunctuate. I've seen people post similar pH stabilization results anywhere from 60 - 150ppm. As long as your pH is stabilized for an extended period of time(1 week+) leave it alone. Atleast that's what I've gathered from this forum thru the course of these past 12 months.

Fwiw, mine stays locked in for 4 weeks than starts to drop along with my alkalinity. A few TBS of baking soda a month is all I use every fill. Well, besides dichlor and a buffered mps.

[Chad]

always seems to be around 150.

Kayaknva,

A fresh fill with  pH of 7.7 and a 150 ppm alk really isn't too bad.  Mine is usually 120 and 8.0. You could probably leave it alone and after about a week they'd come down on there own. Atleast that's what mine do but that's not saying too much. If your a dichlor and mps user the chances of them coming down on there own should increase.

If you just can't wait like me(I use a Nature2 catridge and you really don't want to put it in with out of range levels as it has a tendancy to help stabilize the water) add sodium bisulfate in 1 ounce increminents, allowing a few hours between doses, until your alk comes down. Small doses spread out is always better than one huge dose. There's nothing worse than overdosing!

pH down(sodium bisulfate) will bring both down as you know but has a greater effect on the pH. So if you get your alk in range but your pH falls down out of range, you can use sodium carbonate(soda ash) to bring it up as it has minimal effect on raising alkalinity.

[hottubdan]

Small doses will not knock down alkalinity over time.  It tends to bounce back up if you don't use larger doses.

[Chad]

Small doses will not knock down alkalinity over time.  It tends to bounce back up if you don't use larger doses.

That's strange b/c I've used small doses to bring mine down with all 4 of my fills and it has never creeped back up. Just goes to show you how different everyone's water is.

[Brewman]

That's why it's sometimes hard to give water advice- it varies so much from person to person.  My Ph tends to creep up over time- not sure why.  I'm using dichlor, both to sanitize and as a shock.  Once in a while I'll add some MPS.  Nothing much else goes in the water.  So why the Ph creep?

[tony]

That's why it's sometimes hard to give water advice- it varies so much from person to person.  My Ph tends to creep up over time- not sure why.  I'm using dichlor, both to sanitize and as a shock.  Once in a while I'll add some MPS.  Nothing much else goes in the water.  So why the Ph creep?

My pH tends to follow my TA.  I like to keep alk at the low end of normal...about 80...this allows my pH to drift down slowly.  If my alk is on the high side...say 90-100...my pH will tend to climb even though I use dichlor and non buffered mps.  I prefer to add baking soda over dry acid..though I generally only need to adjust maybe once per month.

[windsurfdog]

kayak,

Starting at 7.7 isn't too bad...if you use MPS to shock, then the pH will come down as MPS pH is between 3-4.  Also, dichlor will very slowly bring it down from 7.7.  I wouldn't get concerned unless it approaches 8+.  Otherwise, hit it with dry acid and make your target 7.5 since it should inch down over time after that.