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.
When you shock a pool, you test and adjust the pH level for a reason. With that said, if you shock a pool outside of the 7.2 to 7.4 pH range, not only will you waste a significant amount of the chlorine used, you will also end up with cloudy water.
Answer: Don't shock the pool until pH and Alkalinity are balanced. Both your pH Alkalinity are still too high: Just add more muriatic acid to bring down TA between 80 - 120 ppm, pH between 7.4 - 7.6.
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.
Liquid bleach is a dangerous chemical so it is very important to make sure it is stored in a well ventilated, cool and dry area, in a container – to contain the bottles. Using Liquid shock or liquid bleach regularly will increase your pH so make sure you keep an eye on your pH and alkalinity levels.
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.
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).
Can you put too much shock in a pool? SKIMMER NOTES: It's unlikely but it could happen. It would take a lot of shock to really make the water unsafe for swimming. The best way to make sure you're safe to swim is to test your pool water and make sure free chlorine levels are between 1-4ppm for healthy swimming.
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.
If you have milky or cloudy hot tub water but your chlorine levels, PH and alkalinity are ok then Non Chlorine Shock will oxidise the products causing this and help restore your water to crystal clear.
Shock is chlorine, in a high dose, meant to shock your pool and raise the chlorine level quickly. Chlorine tabs (placed in a chlorinator, floater, or skimmer basket) maintain a chlorine residual in the water. You do need to use both tabs and shock.
To bring down pH, use a made-for-pools chemical additive called pH reducer (or pH minus). The main active ingredients in pH reducers are either muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate (also called dry acid). Reducers are readily available at pool supply stores, home improvement centers and online.
Treat the Pool to Lower pH Level
When you've determined that your pool pH is too high, there are two ways you can balance it: dry acid or muriatic acid.
Muriatic acid can help balance your water chemistry by lowering the total alkalinity and pH levels in your pool. It'll likely lower both levels together, since alkalinity and pH work hand-in-hand. But they may decrease at different rates.
High doses of chlorine, like pool shock, can cause temporary cloudiness as it kills contaminants. High levels of pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness are more likely to cause cloudy water.
Algae will remain in your pool after shock if you've had insufficient chlorine and an overabundance of metal elements in the pool water. Therefore, to start the cleaning process. Remove all the debris from the pool with a leaf net and then let the smaller dirt fragments settle.
A pool filter should be run for a minimum of 6 hours after shocking a swimming pool. This is to allow the filter to clean the water and give the shock enough time to fully mix with the pool water. Running the filter after shocking for 24 hours to 7 days is necessary if the pool has a large amount of algae.
Raising PH Level
PH Plus will increase your Alkalinity level slightly too so keep an eye on this as remember Total Alkalinity is the buffer to allow your PH to be set.
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. When alkalinity falls, it is more difficult to maintain a stable pH.
Alkalinity and pH are closely intertwined, and you cannot raise one without raising the other. Your levels of pH and alkalinity will help you decide between FreshWater® pH/Alkalinity Down (sodium bisulfate) and FreshWater® pH/Alkalinity Up (sodium bicarbonate) as an agent to increase your hot tub's pH level.
To raise your pool pH levels, try adding in sodium carbonate (AKA soda ash). Make sure that you don't add any more than two pounds of soda ash per 10,000 gallons of water per treatment. When adding in the soda ash, start adding from the deep end of your pool and work your way up to the shallow end.
When used correctly, muriatic acid can lower the pH levels of your pool water. The potency of muriatic acid makes it beneficial at getting rid of hardened water that has become too alkaline.
While slightly higher-than-normal levels of chlorine in your pool are harmless, exposure to an over-chlorinated pool can have adverse effects on your health and well-being. Excess chlorine can alter the pH level of the water in the pool, making it more acidic.
You can lower the pH in your pool naturally by directing the downspouts from your house into the pool. If a pool becomes too full due to backwash it dumps water. Since rain is about 5.6 pH it is going to bring down the pH of the water naturally. The problem that you will have with rainwater is its low alkalinity.
Just as was said earlier, white household vinegar is the most preferable for lowering pH, and it can be applied by adding it directly into the pool without necessarily diluting it with water.