-Hey pool owners, this is Rob with Inyo Pools.
Today I'm going to show you how to lower the pH level.
I've just tested mine and it's at about 8.0.
Typically, I like to keep mine in the 7.4 to 7.6 range.
An acceptable range would be normally 7.2 to 7.8.
There's a couple of reasons why you want to keep it in a good range.
If the pH is too high, it can cause scale buildup on the walls,
the tile lines in your salt cells.
Also, if it's too high, it makes the chlorine less effective.
If for some reason it was too low,
that can cause your eyes to burn or it can start to damage equipment.
You want to keep it balanced.
Since it's high,
we're going to be lowering it with muriatic acid.
I've got a couple of products here.
I like to use this ACID Magic because it's got no fumes,
it doesn't irritate your skin if it drips on it.
It's got some buffers in there that make it a little easier
to work with versus the traditional muriatic acid.
Another option would be a dry acid that you could add.
Again, if the pH were low,
you'd be adding either soda ash or sodium bicarb.
Let's go ahead and get started.
All right, you don't want to guess on how much acid you need to add.
I'd recommend using a chemical calculator.
We have them on inyopools.com.
There's several others online.
A lot of test-kit will come with a card that tells you how much you need to add.
What I'd like to do is whenever I'm adjusting the pH,
I also test the alkalinity because if your alkalinity is real high,
let's say it's over 120,
you might need to add a little more acid than you would if just your pH
was high and your alkalinity was fine.
My pH was 8.
My alkalinity was 100.
When I punch everything in, it's calling for two cups of acid.
What I'll do is,
some people like to port directly into the pool,
I like to be a little more cautious.
I felt my bucket of water and then I add the chemical to the water.
You want to make sure that there's nothing else in this bucket.
Definitely not any chlorine because it can react harshly with it.
The other thing is if you're using the traditional muriatic acid,
I would strongly recommend wearing gloves and maybe some eye protection.
I'm not as worried about it again since I'm using the ACID Magic.
All right. I'm going to pour two cups of acid in here.
If you happen to splash some acid on the deck,
I would just rinse it off as quickly as possible with some fresh water.
We'll go ahead and pour this into the bucket.
I've got a PVC pipe that I'll stir it with.
I'd recommend PVC because it's not going to react with it.
Then just rinse off your PVC.
All right. Then with the pump running,
you're just going to grab the bucket and pour it along the side of the pool,
preferably near some return jets.
[pouring water]
All right. Just a quick recap, pH level was 8.
I wanted to get it down to 7.4.
My alkalinity was at 100 so the calculators told me
to get it down to 7.4, I needed two cups so I've added that.
What I'll do now is I'll come back a couple of hours and I'll test it again
just to make sure it's down to the proper range.
I typically check my pH at least once a week
and I make adjustments from there.
Again, this stuff is a lot more forgiving than this one.
If you ever use this and you catch a whiff of it,
it'll knock you off your feet.
I prefer to use this,
but if you use the traditional muriatic acid,
just take precaution, wear gloves, eye protection.
Again, if you spill any of it around the pool,
just rinse it off with some water and you should be okay.
If you have any questions on chemicals or anything pool or spur-related,
visit us over inyopools.com.
Thanks for watching.