Having a hard time maintaining your pool? Learn our easy and affordable guide on how to raise alkalinity in pool for water chemistry.
Maintaining your pool does not have to be always costly. While the importance of chlorine is evident to keep your pool clean and safe, an excessive amount can bring down alkalinity, leading to rashes and tingling eyes for pool users.
Baking soda works perfectly here in adjusting water to its optimum pH levels. In the following section, you will know how to raise alkalinity in pool through baking soda, along with its other benefits in keeping your water clean.
Contents
Pool Alkalinity Vs. pH Level
Figuring out how to raise alkalinity in pool water can sometimes be tricky. One of the most common misconceptions is how we use pH level and alkalinity interchangeably. While they are both necessary in testing and keeping water chemistry, pH level and alkalinity are not the same.
Water pH gauges hydrogen in the water to see how acidic or basic it is. The capacity of chlorine to kill microorganisms is directly impacted by pH. As it rises, this capacity is heightened too. However, keeping a stable pH level of 7.2 – 8.0 is recommended to prevent cloudy water.
On the other hand, alkalinity determines the concentration of alkaline substances, assessing the water’s ability to withstand a change in pH. Note that it is the alkalinity that directly determines how much acid is required to reduce pH levels, not the pH itself. The suggested range for alkalinity is 80‐150 parts per million (ppm).
Learning how to raise alkalinity in pool without affecting pH is easy when there is a straightforward and savvy approach. Baking soda has a pH level of 8 naturally. Adding it in your pool will increase both pH level and alkalinity, enhancing water clarity, while saving costs.
How To Raise Alkalinity Using Baking Soda
1. Test.
Daily, regular testing is necessary to ensure safe water levels. Preferably, your pH should be somewhere in the range of 7.2 – 8.0, while 80 – 150 ppm for alkalinity.
2. Save Costs While Preparing.
Buy baking soda in wholesale to save, as you will add from as low as 1.5 pounds to as much as 10 pounds, based on the need for the alkalinity of your water.
3. Measure.
Remember, if a pool is under 80 ppm, you have to start raising the pool water alkalinity already. With a baking soda, the best way to raise alkalinity in pool is to use this formula: 1.5 pounds baking soda will increase 10 ppm alkalinity on 10,000 water gallons. Having a larger pool, you may have to increase the measurements while keeping this standard in mind.
Afterward, you can retest to see if the alkalinity is still insufficient and continuously add higher amounts as needed. Otherwise, if it goes too far, you can add an acid to adjust the pH balance.
4. Sprinkle And Wait.
Since baking soda is a powder form, you can sprinkle it straight to the pool. Disperse widely across the floor to prevent clumping. Give it six hours or more to let it dissolve. You can also turn on your pool filter to mix it thoroughly into the water.
5. Retest.
Measure your pool’s pH level and alkalinity again. A pH under 7.2 with alkalinity beneath 80ppm indicates a need to repeat these steps until you have met the requirements.
Conclusion
Aside from the common pool issues baking soda solves caused by low alkalinities, such as cloudy pool water, you have already learned its vital importance in regulating the pH level and maintaining good pool water chemistry.
By knowing how to raise alkalinity in pool, you are potentially saving yourself from unwanted and unnecessary costs later on. As long as you follow the guidelines mentioned earlier religiously, you can now maintain your pool with much ease and convenience.
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