Water Quality in your Intex Pool – pH

Another important component of water quality is pH. pH indicates how acidic or basic the water is. The acceptable range is between 7.2 and 8.0, with ideal levels being around 7.4 or 7.5. The good news is that pH generally stays pretty stable, as long as you have sufficient Alkalinity.

Adding substances that are acidic will lower your pH. Generally, the most common way this happens in a swimming pool is from rain, which is slightly acidic. Low pH (acidic) can contribute to corrosion of pool components and irritate swimmers. If your pH is nearing 7.2 and needs to be raised, you need to add a substance that is a base. The best thing to add is soda ash, which is commonly sold at pool stores as “pH Up”.

High pH means that your water is basic. This condition can irritate swimmers eyes, nose and skin. A rise in pH is most commonly caused in pools by splashing & movement in your pool. Aeration also causes a rise in pH. If your pH is nearing 8.0 and needs to be lowered, then you need to make the water more acidic. The easiest way to do this is to add muriatic acid, which is available at home improvement stores in the paint section. Important Note: pay attention to warning labels and exercise caution in the storage & handling of muriatic acid.

As with other water adjustments, use the calculator at www.poolcalculator.com to determine how much pH Up or muriatic acid to add.

 

4 thoughts on “Water Quality in your Intex Pool – pH”

  1. Are there any other ways to lower the pH without muriatic acid? My pH was too low and and I was adding a little pH Up powder when a large chunk plopped into the pool. I stopped adding the pH Up at that point, but now that it’s been a few hours the pH is testing over 8.

    Reply
    • Maybe wait a few more hours or overnight then test again. If pH is still high you can purchase pH minus or pH reducer from a pool store. These products are a little less risky to handle than straight muriatic acid. As always, follow instructions & add half to 3/4 the amount you think you need then repeat until the levels are correct.

      Reply
  2. I have very high Chlorine and my Ph is low, I have shocked the pool and I am filtering, I have a sand pump. I have also put some PH up in, not for sure what to do the pool is clear, the water doesnt burn your eyes, I am concerend of the high chlorine , I have a HTH test kit the chlroine test is almost orange and the PH is a very ligh purple, should I leave the Chlorine floater in as well.

    Reply
    • The chlorine should come down after a few sunny days. Until then, either remove the chlorine dispenser or close the slats so that the addition of chlorine is either stopped or slowed down.

      As far as pH goes, there are some methods of testing and adjusting mentioned on our pH page.

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