Does Shocking a pool lower alkalinity?

Another cause for high alkalinity can be when you shock the pool. While this is performed to quickly rid the pool of pollutants, chlorine-based pool shock is highly alkaline, and can raise the water's total alkalinity level in the process.

Will Shocking the pool increase alkalinity?

It's also not uncommon for pool owners to go a bit overboard when shocking their pool, and since chlorine-based pool shock is a high-alkaline substance, it will also naturally raise your pool alkalinity.

Will Shock help lower alkalinity in pool?

I highly recommend that you shock your pool using liquid chlorine. This article is for anyone who needs to lower high total alkalinity (TA) and high pH down to the recommended levels for a swimming pool.

What lowers alkalinity in a pool?

The two most popular chemicals available to help you lower the total alkalinity in your swimming pool are muriatic acid and sodium bisulfate (also known as dry acid).

Why is my alkalinity so high?

One of the most common reasons why alkalinity levels are so high in pools is because of too many chemicals. This is usually the result of human error. However, for people who live in a geographical area that experience acid rain, this can be a common problem. The acid rain can continuously change your pool's pH level.

How To Quickly Lower Your Pools Alkalinity Levels

How do I bring my alkalinity down?

Muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) is the most common way to lower your pool's total alkalinity level. With a pH level of between 1 and 2, it's inexpensive and strong enough to kill mold, remove rust, and rid the pool of calcium deposits.

How do I lower the alkalinity in my pool but not pH?

The reality of it is that you can not raise or lower one without affecting the other, with very few exceptions. If you add acid to the pool to reduce the pH, you will also reduce the Total Alkalinity. If you add acid to the pool to reduce the Total Alkalinity, you will also lower the pH.

How do you fix high alkalinity and high pH in a pool?

What causes high alkalinity in water?

Geology - the types of rocks surrounding the stream affects alkalinty. Phosphates, limestone, and borates give the water a higher alkalinity and buffering capacity. Seasonal weather - spring snow melt and rain can increase runoff which generally also increases acidity, in turn decreasing alkalinity.

How do I lower alkalinity in my above ground pool?

To reduce the alkalinity of your pool, you can use either sodium bisulfate or muriatic acid. Before you use either of these chemicals, stop the pump, and let your pool settle down for several hours. Allowing the currents in the water to stop will help prevent the acid from affecting the pH of your pool.

What should be adjusted first alkalinity or pH?

Alkalinity is the total alkaline material in your pool water. You should test alkalinity first because it will buffer pH. Your reading should be in the range of 80 to 120 parts per million (ppm).

Does pH minus lower alkalinity?

Lowering PH & Alkalinity Levels

PH Minus is the sole chemical used to reduce PH and Total Alkalinity in your hot tub.

Does chlorine raise or lower alkalinity?

Most people know that chlorine is an important chemical in keeping pool water safe for swimming. But adding too much chlorine can lower your pool's pH as well as its total alkalinity.

What happens if you put too much shock in a pool?

Although, if you overdo the shock treatment, you risk getting green hair from chlorine due to the excess chlorine oxidizing the copper in the water. You can execute a shock treatment with a few different types of pool shock, just be mindful of how much you're using.

Can I add shock and alkalinity at same time?

Never add chemicals at the same time, whether you're balancing the water, shocking the pool, or adding a specialty chemical. For most water balance changes, the pump needs to run on the high setting for at least four hours before you can add another chemical or retest the water.

Does muriatic acid lower alkalinity?

One gallon of muriatic acid will lower the alkalinity about 50 parts per million per 15,000 gallons of existing balanced pool water. So if you had a reading of 100 ppm and you added one gallon of muriatic acid in the same-size pool, the reading should drop to around 50 ppm.

Does high alkalinity cause cloudy water?

High Total Alkalinity

A high-pH environment can result in high calcium levels, making the water cloudy or causing “scale,” a hard, crusty mineral build-up. Too-high levels of alkalinity can also result in green water (Algae). It can reduce the effects of the chlorine you use to keep algae under control.

Can you add muriatic acid and shock at the same time?

Perhaps most important note of all, never add chlorine and muriatic acid together in the pool. This creates a dangerous toxic gas that can have severe health consequences if inhaled.

Does aeration lower alkalinity?

Raising the pool water's pH level using aeration is reserved for situations where you need to lower its total alkalinity quickly. Lowering total alkalinity is usually done because the pH level is rising too fast, or the total alkalinity is high and contributing to calcium scaling.

What is more important pH or alkalinity?

The Relationship Between pH and Total Alkalinity. Maintaining both pH and total alkalinity in your swimming pool is important for keeping your pool properly sanitized and non-corrosive. Total alkalinity is to pH what cyanuric acid is to free chlorine. Total alkalinity stabilizes pH levels.

Why is my pool pH always high?

The most common reason for a consistently high pH level in pools is the use of liquid chlorine or a saltwater system as the primary sanitizer. Sodium hydroxide is produced, which has a pH of around 13. New pool plaster or pebble finishes will also raise pH in pools for about a year after installation.

Does liquid chlorine raise alkalinity?

Liquid chlorine and bleach (sodium hypochlorite) have a pH of 11.0 to nearly 13.0 so it is logical to think that they will raise the pH of the pool water. The fact is that initially or upon addition liquid chlorine raises pH because sodium hydroxide (lye) is made.

Why is my pool still cloudy after shocking it?

But if the cloudy water persists long after you've shocked the pool, you're likely having an issue with water balance, circulation, or filtration. Heavy use of a calcium based pool shock (cal-hypo) may increase Calcium Hardness over a period of time, increasing your odds of cloudy water.

Does chlorine raise pH?

Using liquid chlorine raises the pH of the water.

When added to water, liquid chlorine (which has a pH of 13) makes HOCl (hypochlorous acid – the killing form of chlorine) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which raises pH.