How Much Baking Soda Do I Add To My Pool
As a rule of thumb, use 1.5 pounds of baking soda per 10,000 gallons of pool water. This should raise the alkalinity by about 10 parts per million . Or you can use the chart below.
If youre not sure how much water your pool holds, check out our pool calculator.
Once you know your pools volume, and youve measured out the baking soda, dont add it all at once! If you adjust the alkalinity too much in either direction, it can affect the pH as well.
Why Use Calcium Chloride
Calcium chloride is the go-to chemical product for raising the calcium level in your pool water because it has high calcium content.
This means, as long as you have no other products in the water that can cause calcium levels to rise, using calcium chloride will allow you full control over how much calcium is in the swimming pool.
Note: You may also come across a product called Calcium Hardness Increaser, which is basically calcium chloride in a fancy package with a more expensive price tag.
You will also introduce calcium to your pool as a byproduct of adding calcium hypochlorite to the water, but this is primarily a sanitizer commonly used as shock treatment.
The problem with using cal-hypo as your everyday chlorine is that it adds too much calcium to the water. And when used for shocking, the chlorine burns off but the calcium stays in the water, compounding each time you do it.
Pool Ph And Alkalinity Problems
Welcome back, students of pool! Pool pH and alkalinity are crucial to protect your pool surfaces and provide sanitary water conditions.
From Jackies pH / Alkalinity Tips well review why high or low pH and alkalinity are a problem in pools, and then cover several pH / Alkalinity scenarios and a few advanced tips for tough pH and alkalinity issues.
After the lecture, at the bottom of the page, Ill be taking class questions, just click Leave a Reply to post your pH and alkalinity questions, I answer them personally.
You May Like: Can Lice Drown In A Pool
Prevent Corrosion Of Parts Of The Pool Due To Acidity
Another use for baking soda in a swimming pool is to prevent corrosion of parts of the pool due to acidity. Preventing corrosion will extend the life of your equipment and make it easier for you to maintain your water quality throughout all seasons.
If the pool is too acidic with a low pH level, adding the needed amount of baking soda will balance the pH out thus preventing corrosion of the ladders and other parts of the pool.
About Frog Pool & Hot Tub Products
For more than 25 years, FROG has sanitized pool and hot tubs in its unique, patented way. FROG features prefilled cartridges for no mess, no guess, and no stress pool and hot tub care. Each FROG product uses Fresh Mineral Water to make your water Cleaner, Clearer, Softer and Easier®. No matter what size pool or hot tub you have, we make a product for it!
For pools and hot tubs.
Recommended Reading: Filling Pool With Well Water With Iron
Calcium Hardness In Swimming Pool Water
- checking pH and chlorine levels daily. Preferably before the first swim of the day to make sure the water quality hasn’t altered overnight.
- checking the pH and chlorine twice daily in very hot weather.
- monitoring chlorine levels in heated pools which need more chlorine than non-heated pools.
- brushing and vacuuming your pool on a regular basis.
- regularly checking the pump, skimmer boxes and other pool equipment, and repair or replace parts as necessary.
What Happens If The Ph Is Too High
When pH gets excessively high, the water becomes overly soft. The effects? Well, just think skin irritation alongside dryness and red eyes. Too high a pH level can also damage swimwear including swim caps and goggles. Thats not all water with a pH thats too high can cause scaling on pool equipment which in turn hampers the effectiveness of the pools circulation system and increases the cost of maintenance.
Its also worth noting that too high a pH level can cause you to spend more on chlorine. Why? Well, its only because soft water causes the chlorine to work less effectively. In other words, youll need to add much higher amounts for proper disinfection.
Also Check: What Are Pool Cages Made Of
Sodium Bicarb Vs Soda Ash
Many people think bicarb and soda ash are the same thing. They are not. The pH difference between them is substantial; soda ash is approximately 1000-1200 times more basic than sodium bicarb.;Let’s look at the pH scale below.
This massive difference in pH is why we recommend neutralizing acid washes with soda ash, not bicarb. It is also why such a small amount of Soda Ash can have more of an impact on pH and alkalinity than a much larger amount of sodium bicarb. For example, if you throw in soda ash without pre-dissolving it first, it tends to cloud up the pool. This clouding phenomenon is explained in detail here.
How To Raise Ph Levels In Your Pool
Maybe you have noticed something off with your pool water, or perhaps it was just time to test the water. You run the test, and the pH is low. You retake it to be sure and again, it is low. What steps can you take to raise the pH level and get it back in balance?
There are a number of things that you can try to correct the issue and raise the pH level in the pool. Before you go to the trouble of adding products and additional testing, double-check your reagents. Your test strips should be replaced at least once per year, if there is a chance that these are out of date, buy a new test kit and test again.
Recommended Reading: Salt Water Pool Cost Estimator
Test The Alkalinity Of The Pool
The first step is to test the alkalinity of your pool. Test kits are available at pool supply stores and online in many different varieties, such as for testing pH levels or calcium hardness.
Another option is to buy an electronic tester like the ones from Taylor Instruments. They have testers that will measure everything from chlorine to total dissolved solids contamination levels and even algae growth rates.
The ideal pH level should be between 7.2 and 7.8 with an alkalinity between 110 and 150 ppm. If the pH is lower than 7.2, you will need to add baking soda.
Products To Help Lower Ph Levels
There are two main chemicals normally used to lower pH levels in pools: sodium bisulfate and muriatic acid.
Both can cause damage to the pool surface and your skin, so its important to use caution with either one, including wearing clothing that fully covers your body, along with gloves and goggles.;
You’ll also usually find these chemicals in products called something like pH Reducers or pH Minus. If you’re particular about which you use, be sure to check the labels before buying.;
You May Like: Does Chlorine Kill Lice
What Happens In A High Ph Swimming Pool
A swimming pool with a high pH is considered alkaline, which can cause issues with the pool and swimmers. There can be several answers to what causes high pH in pool, such as a sudden rise in water temperature, but more importantly that the causes are its effects. If the pH level is above 7.8, you can expect the water to become cloudy and to see scaling along the pool sides.
Further, a pH that is above normal prevents the chlorine and other disinfecting chemicals to do their job. This means bacteria and other microorganisms may thrive in your pool. While you cannot see with your naked eye, bacteria in your pool water can be harmful when they enter your body. Read on to learn how to lower pH in pool naturally.
Let Phin Give You Exact Instructions
Getting an accurate reading of your pool’s chemical composition is extremely difficult, and deciding what to do with that information is no walk in the park either.
That’s why you should rely on pHin‘s readings. The smart water monitoring device tests your water 144x a day to provide you the most accurate reading based on the results.
The benefits don’t stop there – it also goes on to tell you exactly how much of each specific chemical you need to add to your pool water to get it back into a healthy, balanced state.
Don’t Miss: How To Remove Hard Water Stains From Pool Tiles
How To Raise Ph And Alkalinity In Pool
When you confirm that your pools alkalinity level is low, you have to raise the standard to avoid harming the pools users or its equipment and walls. Before you begin, you have to ensure that you know the size of your pool and the target range of the alkalinity you want to increase. Most pool maintainers say your alkalinity level should rest between 80-120ppm so always listen to the advice of pool contractors in your area.
To improve your pools alkalinity, ensure you use a product made with Sodium bicarbonate as theyre the key substance to raising alkalinity. To increase the pools alkalinity, follow these steps;
Test Alkalinity level: test the alkalinity level of your pool to determine the pools range. If the level is lower than 80 ppm, you need to raise the alkalinity level.;
Dilute Sodium Bicarbonate with water: ensure your purchase enough sodium bicarbonate that would get your pool to its desired level. Dilute the mixture if indicate in the product instructions otherwise, you can apply it directly to the pool.
Add Sodium Bicarbonate to the pool: spread the diluted mixture or the powdered mixture in the pool directly and try not to do it in the win to avoid it getting blown away. To ensure that you didnt pour more mixture in one place above the other, pour the mixture in light arching motions.
Allow pool rest: Wait for six hours at least before retesting the pools alkalinity. In all your waiting time, try not to wait longer than 24 hours.;
How To Lower Your Pool Ph Level Using Dry Acid
There are 2 products that do a very good job at lowering your pool pH and they are muriatic acid and dry acid, sometimes called sodium bisulfate.; I love using dry acid.; Its benefits are enormous such as easy to add to your pool, easy to store, cost effective, and if you spill a little one your deck, no worries.; It won’t stain your deck like muriatic acid, so just sweep it up and you’re done.
To lower your pool pH, you will need:
- 4 or 5 gallon bucket.
- Dedicated stir stick.; PVC pipe works great.
You May Like: Head Lice Swimming Pools
Why We Adjust Ph And Alkalinity
The answer to this question is not “because the textbooks tell us to.” The reasons we should adjust pH and alkalinity are to keep water in LSI balance; and in non-stabilized pools without any cyanuric acid , to maintain efficient sanitization. In non-stabilized pools, pH controls the percentage of strong chlorine . Therefore, pH greatly impacts the strength of chlorine.;CYA changes the game, however, and that’s another conversation for another time.
We know that many factors will raise pH over time, so reducing pH is a very common practice. And each time you add acid to reduce pH, you’re reducing some alkalinity in the process too.
Test And Balance Pools Water Total Alkalinity
Total alkalinity is the measure of the number of alkaline substances in your pool. Alkalinity is the measure of the waters ability to resist a change in pH.
Alkaline is also a pH stabilizer so when your pools total alkalinity fluctuates, so does your pH level. Total alkalinity ideal level should range to 80 120 ppm.
How to increase the levels of alkalinity?;
- Sodium bicarbonate
How to decrease the levels of alkalinity?;
- Sodium bisulfate
- Muriatic acid
Read Also: How To Deter Wasps From Pool
The Difference Between Ph And Alkalinity
Lots of pool owners get hopelessly confused by the difference between alkalinity and pH. As I already discussed, you measure pH using a scale. On the other hand, you measure total alkalinity in parts per million. This means that total alkalinity is an absolute measure of the concentration of all alkaline substances in a solution.
The most common alkaline substances in a pool are bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydroxides. Alkaline substances are important because of how they affect pH. They act as buffers, preventing pH levels from rising or falling. They do this by neutralizing acids. So, in the end, total alkalinity is a measure of how strongly pool water resists changes in pH levels.
What Causes Low Ph In Pool
Low pH can create many negative effects like corrosion of pool ladders, liners & other pool components. Swimmers are also feeling the effects like irritation on the skin and burning eyes etc due to low pool water pH.
The major cause for low pH in the pool is improper use of chemicals, overuse of pool & heavy rainfall.
Do you know?;
Rainwater is acidic in nature. The pH of rainwater is around 5.5. It means when heavy rainfall occurs the rainwater mix up with your pool water and it decreases the pH.
The dissolved fluid of the human body can also lower the pool water pH. In case, there are lots of swimmers are using your pool then overuse of your pool is the solid reason for the low pH level of pool water.
Also Check: How To Heat An Above Ground Pool
Raising Your Pool Ph By Adding New Water
Filling your swimming pool with water might raise the pH slightly.
Water from your local water source is often slightly higher in alkalinity than your pool water should be. ;So, adding more water will bring your pH up slightly. ;If you are perhaps at 7.4 pH and you knew you needed to backwash the pool filter, you would backwash, replace the lost water, then retest pH. ;The water added might be enough to bring the pH up a little.
Tips on Raising your Swimming Pool pH
If pH is really high, test strips and even test kits cannot test below a pH of 6.8. ;If this is the case, you will need to add a significant amount of pH increaser to bring that pH value back up to testable levels. ;Once you can test pH, then you can fine tune how much more you need to reduce the pH. ;In general, you add about 1 pound of soda ash per 10,000 gallons of pool water to raise the pH by 0.1.
Guide To Raise The Ph Level In Your Pool Safely
If you have a swimming pool at home, youll need a pool testing kit to ensure that the water levels are all properly balanced.
If the water in your pool is too acidic, this will corrode your equipment, and its likely to bring about etching on surface materials. Beyond this, acidic water will irritate your eyes, nose, and skin.
If, on the other hand, your pool water is too alkaline, this can cause scale to develop on the surface as well as all over your pool plumbing gear.
Neither of these scenarios is ideal. Excessive acidity or alkalinity both impact the efficiency of the chlorine in your pool, and resultantly impede the process of disinfection.
When youre checking the pH level in your pool, you should aim for somewhere between 7.2 and 7.8. On the pH scale, 0 is extreme acidity, with 14 representing extreme alkalinity. 7 is neutral, so youre shooting for just the alkaline side of neutral.
Now, before we show you how to raise the pH level in your pool, a few more basics so you can proceed better informed
Contents
Also Check: How To Heat Above Ground Pool Fast
Can You Swim In A Pool With High Ph
by Team Regal | Jan 21, 2020 | Swimming Pools
Having a swimming pool at home means summer is just a few steps away, no matter the weather. However, you should remember that pool maintenance is no joke. You need to keep it safe for swimming, and this means you must regularly monitor the level of chemicals in it, such as its pH. Water pH is a measure of the acidity of water. The question is can you swim in a pool with high pH?
How To Add Soda Ash Or Bicarb
You will need:
- Safety equipment – glasses and gloves
- Something to stir with – like a wooden paint-stirring stick
- Sodium Bicarbonate or Soda Ash – The Orenda App displays both
- A dry measuring cup or bucket – dose properly. Don’t cut corners.
Step 1
Test your pool water and your fill water for pH and total alkalinity. Record results. The Orenda app will tell you exactly how much of either product you need. Bring the bag of soda ash/bicarb and the items above to the pool, and put on safety glasses and gloves.
Step 2
Dip the bucket into the pool until;it is about 3/4ths full of water. Slowly pour the measured amount of soda ash or bicarb into the bucket. If your dose is more than the bucket can handle, you will need to repeat these steps, or use multiple buckets. We strongly advise you to use good judgement in how much a bucket can handle. Do not exceed 15 pounds per bucket, as it can become difficult to dissolve.
Step 3
Stir until the powder is;completely dissolved. Pouring undissolved bicarb or soda ash can cloud up the pool. Sodium bicarb can also make it to the bottom of the pool and settle there without dissolving. So be sure what you have mixed is actually dissolved before step 4.
Step 4
Don’t Miss: How To Get Iron Out Of Your Pool
