Preventing pH Drop from Cooking

[cmcimino]

is there a way to prevent my pH from dropping when I cook dinner? I have a gas stove and it plummets when I cook dinner. I could open a window but it’s chilly this time of year and I’d prefer not too. I keep my alk between 8 and 8.5.

 

[azbigjohn]

Is there any way to vent your skimmer outside?

While pH is not something you should chase as long as your other levels are in line, I know I stopped most of my pH trouble in my previous house by running my skimmer feedline to the outside. (opposite issue; it was in Phoenix, AZ and was locked up tight in the summer as it was 110+ outside...

 

[EmdeReef]

How much does the ph drop?

CO2 scrubber or run a skimmer line outside.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

is there a way to prevent my pH from dropping when I cook dinner? I have a gas stove and it plummets when I cook dinner. I could open a window but it’s chilly this time of year and I’d prefer not too. I keep my alk between 8 and 8.5.

My gas cook top has an extraction fan above it, vented outside. No co2 build up in the home. Unflued gas heaters can also be a bigger problem.

Not that I know much about it really. Better call Randy

 

[JumboShrimp]

I’m not criticizing you or mocking you in even the slightest way— it’s just that your question reinforces in my mind that there are people in this hobby who are on ‘a whole other level’ than me! I have no doubt that you have a beautiful reef tank... continued best wishes! ;Smug

 

[cmcimino]

Drop really depends on the length of my cooking, and if I have people over. Maybe 15 minutes of cooking will drop it .1. If I have people over it can drop .15 to .2 and I generally run a low ph so it will dip down to 7.8 or so. Unfortunately my stove top fan is just a recirculation fan and does not vent to the outside. I will check on running a line outside for my skimmer, really don’t want to run a CO2 scrubber if I don’t have to.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

pH in and of itself is probably not something you need to focus on a lot if your alkalinity is where it needs to be and is stable.

There is some physiological minutiae involved with pH, but if the swings are small and temporary, then they don’t hit the radar. We’re talking way into the minutiae.

If you were going from 8.2 to 7.2, yeah...that would be an issue. But going from 8.1 to 8.0 isn’t worth thinking about.

 

[cmcimino]

pH in and of itself is probably not something you need to focus on a lot if your alkalinity is where it needs to be and is stable.

There is some physiological minutiae involved with pH, but if the swings are small and temporary, then they don’t hit the radar. We’re talking way into the minutiae.

If you were going from 8.2 to 7.2, yeah...that would be an issue. But going from 8.1 to 8.0 isn’t worth thinking about.

I try not to chase it too much, but I am use to my old cube running from 8.15 to 8.3 and being consistent. My Alk on my new tank is very consistent so maybe I’ll just leave it be. May try and run a fresh air line to my skimmer but my fiancé doesn’t want me drilling holes in the floor or wall. I am thinking about drilling through the boot plenum on an air grille beside the tank and running pvc through it and then running hose through that into my crawl space. Would be prettt hidden and should get it the fresh air it needs in a short run.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

I try not to chase it too much, but I am use to my old cube running from 8.15 to 8.3 and being consistent. My Alk on my new tank is very consistent so maybe I’ll just leave it be. May try and run a fresh air line to my skimmer but my fiancé doesn’t want me drilling holes in the floor or wall. I am thinking about drilling through the boot plenum on an air grille beside the tank and running pvc through it and then running hose through that into my crawl space. Would be prettt hidden and should get it the fresh air it needs in a short run.

Do you run a refugium? Wondering because your normal pH is on the low(ish) side.

For me, that would probably be the extent that I worked to rectify your particular pH issue.

 

[cmcimino]

Do you run a refugium? Wondering because your normal pH is on the low(ish) side.

For me, that would probably be the extent that I worked to rectify your particular pH issue.

I do run a refugium but it cuts on at 10 pm, normally when I’m done cooking. I’m mainly concerned because my ph drops usually occur within 30 min.

 

[cmcimino]

On a normal day my ph would get up to 8.05 it 8.1. When the stove comes on it interrupts that and it may drop down to 7.9-7.85 tonight.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

I do run a refugium but it cuts on at 10 pm, normally when I’m done cooking. I’m mainly concerned because my ph drops usually occur within 30 min.

Personally, I don’t sweat small, temporary pH dips or rises. Ocean water around reefs is hardly homogenous. For example, you could have rainfall emptying into a lagoon and lowering the pH. Tide goes out, lower pH water washes over the coral on the edge of the reef. Coral shrugs it off...no biggie.

It’s the long-term/permanent low pH that’s can be a problem (and, lo and behold, new research on calcification shows that maybe that isn’t even a big deal).

 

[cmcimino]

Personally, I don’t sweat small, temporary pH dips or rises. Ocean water around reefs is hardly homogenous. For example, you could have rainfall emptying into a lagoon and lowering the pH. Tide goes out, lower pH water washes over the coral on the edge of the reef. Coral shrugs it off...no biggie.

It’s the long-term/permanent low pH that’s can be a problem (and, lo and behold, new research on calcification shows that maybe that isn’t even a big deal).

Valid point! I think I’ll run a little experiment and put a 2x4 under the window and temporarily seal it and run my tubing through that to my outside air. If I see a difference and better consistency then I will come up with a more permanent better looking solution. If there’s no change then I’ll just leave it be!

 

[salty joe]

The only way to prevent pH from dropping when you cook with gas is to vent. If we have the oven on for hours on end, I crack a couple windows for a cross breeze. Do you use kalkwasser? While not ideal, your pH isn't low enough to worry about.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Running the vent fan and closing the kitchen door are probably the best you can do.

The big concern, IMO, begins as the pH drops below pH 7.7. Calcium carbonate will begin to slowly dissolve as the oH drops down into that range.