Everyone who’s owned a pool for a while has probably wondered if there’s anything they can do to keep their pool all nice and clean without scheduling pool maintenance every other week. Luckily, a readily available household ingredient can do wonders for your pool.
Pool maintenance mainly involves balancing the water’s acidity and alkalinity, with the target pH level ranging from 7.2 to 7.8. Chlorine is the leading maintenance agent people use, but not many know that baking soda does an equally good job for pool maintenance.
Read to learn how a single ingredient tackles common pool issues. For a more professional approach, seek help to adjust the swimming pool pH in Phoenix.
Baking Soda Is the Ultimate pH and Alkalinity Stabilizer
Chlorine is the most reliable chemical for pH-balanced pool water, but what if you don’t have it when you need it? In that case, baking soda is a fit replacement. Excessive use of chlorine unintentionally lowers the pH and total alkalinity of the pool water.
Pool water with low alkalinity makes it difficult for pH levels to stay in check. Moreover, low pH and alkalinity levels are a pool’s ultimate bane. They can cause eye and skin irritation and corrode the pool ladders, liners, rails, etc.
To deal with low alkalinity, you are supposed to add chemicals. However, these same chemicals will inadvertently affect the water’s pH levels, resulting in pH bounce, and it’s a tough puzzle to solve.
Luckily, there’s a budget-friendly approach to the issue: baking soda! The sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) will stabilize the pool’s pH and alkalinity levels.
What Baking Soda Does to Pool Water?
In its natural form, baking soda is alkaline and has a pH level of 8. Therefore, when added to pool water, it directly affects the pH and total alkalinity levels, resulting in clear and chemically stable water.
It’s no wonder commercial pool maintenance products contain baking soda as a leading active ingredient. You can keep your pool clean, safe to use, pH balanced, and with adequate levels of total alkalinity with regular soda (in the form of bags instead of tablespoons).
How to Increase Alkalinity and pH with Baking Soda on Your Own
First, you need to be certain the pH and total alkalinity levels are off — don’t assume it. Test it and do it every day. Optimally, you are aiming for a pH level of 7.2 up to 7.8, while total alkalinity levels should be between 110 and 150 ppm (parts per million).
Make a habit of using baking soda for your pool’s maintenance and buy it in bulk — you’ll need it. You can find baking soda pouches of up to 15 lbs. For optimal results, add anywhere from 1.5 lbs to 8-10 lbs, depending on the condition of your pool water. In other words, the lower the alkalinity and pH levels, the more baking soda you must add.
Find Dependable Pool Services in Arizona Only at Poolsmith
Whether you’re looking to adjust the swimming pool pH in Phoenix or are after finding the right pool acid replacement, we at Poolsmith are the place to find it all. Serving Phoenix residents for 20 years now, we are confident our services are unmatched.
Get in touch with us today — we’d love to talk.
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