Send us Fan Mail
This week on Floc-It Friday, Rudy Stankowitz takes aim at one of the most misunderstood concepts in pool chemistry: pH drift. If you've ever been told that pH "just goes up," Rudy has news for you. Water doesn't drift. Chemistry doesn't shrug. And carbon dioxide may be controlling your pool far more than you've been taught.
Before diving into chemistry, Rudy opens with a satirical pool industry news segment covering algae in Washington's Reflecting Pool, Leslie's recent financial improvements, private equity acquisitions, above-ground pool recalls, and the growing obsession with smart pool equipment.
Topics Covered
Breaking News from the Pool World
A tongue-in-cheek look at:
- Algae growth in the Reflecting Pool near the National Mall
- "Operation Green Freedom" and a fictional crop-duster copper sulfate deployment
- Leslie's reporting improved sales and customer activity
- Ongoing consolidation of pool service companies through private equity acquisitions
- Above-ground pool recalls making national headlines
- The industry's growing fascination with app-connected heat pumps and automation
Why "pH Drift" Is a Bad Explanation
Rudy challenges one of the industry's most common phrases.
Water does not mysteriously "drift."
When pH changes, chemistry is causing it.
This episode explains why saying pH drift is often an observation rather than an explanation and why understanding the underlying chemistry matters.
The Pool Is Breathing
One of the most important concepts discussed:
Your swimming pool is continuously exchanging gases with the atmosphere.
Topics include:
- Gas exchange at the air-water interface
- Chemical equilibrium
- Carbon dioxide movement
- Why pools are dynamic systems rather than static containers of water
- How atmospheric chemistry influences water chemistry every second of every day
Carbon Dioxide: The Hidden Driver of pH Rise
Most pool professionals focus on chlorine, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and acid additions.
Rudy explains why carbon dioxide deserves far more attention.
Learn about:
- Carbon dioxide dissolution
- Carbonic acid formation
- The carbonate buffering system
- Why carbon dioxide leaving the water causes pH to rise
- The relationship between carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonate chemistry
Eric Knight's Brilliant Cyanurate-Alkalinity Explanation
Referencing the June 3rd episode of Rule Your Pool, Rudy revisits Eric Knight's explanation of why cyanurate alkalinity is treated differently depending on the calculation being performed.
Discussion includes:
- Why cyanurate contributes to total alkalinity
- How muriatic acid protonates cyanurate ions
- The difference between cyanurate ions and cyanuric acid
- Why total alkalinity and carbonate alkalinity are not interchangeable
- When to use carbonate alkalinity for LSI calculations
- Why total alkalinity is still used for acid demand calculations
Does pH Still Matter When CYA Is Present?
A detailed review of:
- The FC/CYA relationship
- Hypochlorous acid concentration
- The effects of pH on sanitizer strength
- Why maintaining the proper chlorine-to-CYA ratio matters
- Pathogen kill times at different pH levels
- Giardia and leptospira examples demonstrating how pH can still influence disinfection performance
Total Alkalinity Is Not a Chemical
One of the central lessons of the episode:
Total alkalinity is a measurement, not a substance.
Topics include:
- Buffering capacity
- Acid neutralizing capacity
- Carbonate and bicarbonate systems
- Why alkalinity gets blamed for everything
- The difference between cause and effect in water chemistry
Le Chatelier's Principle and Pool Chemistry
Rudy breaks down one of chemistry's most important concepts into practical pool language.
Learn:
- What happens when equilibrium is disturbed
- How the carbonate system responds to carbon dioxide loss
- Why hydrogen ion concentration changes
- The actual mechanism behind rising pH
Why Waterfalls, Spas, Bubblers, and Deck Jets Raise pH
If your backyard resembles a miniature Bellagio, this section is for you.
Topics include:
- Aeration and turbulence
- Increased gas exchange
- Carbon dioxide stripping
- Why decorative water features often accelerate pH rise
- Understanding the relationship between aeration and water balance
Salt Systems and pH Rise
A common misconception is addressed:
Salt systems do not create pH.
Instead, they create conditions that accelerate carbon dioxide loss.
Discussion includes:
- Hydrogen gas production
- Increased turbulence
- Gas transfer dynamics
- Why salt pools often experience persistent pH rise
Acid and Aeration: The Ultimate Demonstration
Rudy explains why the classic acid-and-aeration method for lowering total alkalinity proves that carbon dioxide—not alkalinity—is driving pH rise.
A practical chemistry lesson every service technician should understand.
Key Takeaways
- pH does not mysteriously drift.
- Carbon dioxide is often the real driver of pH rise.
- Total alkalinity is a measurement, not a chemical.
- Aeration accelerates carbon dioxide loss.
- Salt systems indirectly contribute to rising pH by increasing gas exchange.
- Understanding equilibrium makes pool chemistry easier to predict.
- Once you understand carbon dioxide, many long-standing pool chemistry mysteries disappear.
Support the show
Thank you so much for listening! You can find us on social media:
Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com
