Another pH lowering product, muriatic acid, is sometimes used for pools with a high pH. Muriatic acid needs to be handled with caution, as it's a powerful corrosive that could plummet your pool's pH if you add too much. 5. Retest

Then, add the reagents into the water. After adding the reagents, make sure to add a small amount of chlorine neutralizer. This is one way to get the correct reading of the total alkalinity in your pool. Did you notice that total alkalinity is not measured on the pH scale? This is an important distinction to make because this is usually how pH and alkalinity get confused. Total alkalinity is measured by the amount, or concentration (ppm)in the water, not by how alkalinethe water is. Wait until the next day to retest your total alkalinity. If it’s still above the ideal range, run through these steps once more. It makes your water cloudy. As pH rises and calcium falls out of solution, it floats around in your pool water causing it to appear murky or cloudy, especially with higher calcium hardness. Keep reading for a complete guide on what affects your pH and how to lower pH in a pool with pH decreaser or muriatic acid. How Do pH and Total Alkalinity Affect Each Other?Without it, your pH could fall too low, causing the water to become corrosive to your pool surfaces and equipment, including the etching of plaster. It may also drift too high, leading to calcium scaling. What Makes Up Your Total Alkalinity? Additionally, high alkalinity can reduce the effectiveness of chlorine in sanitizing the water as it affects the pool chemistry. Also, you are more likely to end up with cloudy water, and the pH levels will also rise.

If you already know how much water your pool holds (in gallons), you can skip this step, otherwise, you’ll need to whip out your tape measure and calculator. If you’re a pool operator, you probably already know that pH fluctuates. In particular, it naturally rises. Correcting pH is almost always accomplished by lowering it with acid or injecting CO 2. Alkalinity, acidity levels … there’s no need to get hung up on terms. The most important reason you should lower your pool's pH is that chlorine, the main chemical in your pool, won't work as well in high pH water. Thinking the pH in your pool might be too high? The only way to know for sure is to test, but there are some telltale signs to look out for.

Only make one addition of pH and Alkalinity Reducer at a time and always re-test the water, should a further addition be required please follow step 1 again.