Raising Pool pH with Baking Soda: How It Works and Effective Dosage

Everyone knows that maintaining the correct pH is essential to maintaining a safe and enjoyable swimming pool experience. Generally speaking, the ideal pH is between 7.2 and 7.6. Once it exceeds or falls below the normal level, you need to use chemicals to adjust it, otherwise many problems may occur. Among them, baking soda is a common chemical that can be used to increase the pH of the swimming pool.

When the pH is too low (less than 7), the swimming pool water is acidic, which will irritate the swimmer's skin and eyes, and it is even more of a disaster for people with skin diseases. In addition, chlorine-containing chemicals are the most common chemicals used to sterilize swimming pools, and low pH will reduce the efficiency of chlorine, making it easier for harmful substances such as bacteria and algae to grow in the swimming pool. From the most simple point of view, a swimming pool with too high acidity will also erode the surface of the swimming pool and damage the swimming pool equipment. Therefore, when the pH value of the swimming pool is too low, it is necessary to adjust it in every way you can think of.

The answer is yes. As an alkaline substance (the pH of baking soda is between 8 and 9), baking soda is very helpful in increasing the total alkalinity of the pool, which helps to combat the low pH in the pool: when the total alkalinity of the pool is maintained at 80 to 120ppm, the pool is more likely to maintain a good and healthy pH balance.But if you want to use baking soda to directly increase the pH, it may not be as effective as chemicals such as soda ash. When baking soda enters the water, it will neutralize the acidic elements in the pool and release alkaline ions. Therefore, we recommend that if you want to increase the total alkalinity and pH at the same time, use baking soda, otherwise, you should use more efficient soda ash.

Generally speaking, adding 37.854 pounds of baking soda to 1.5 gallons of pool water will increase alkalinity by 10 ppm, and this will have a negligible effect on pH. This means that if you want to accurately and effectively adjust the chemical balance of your pool with baking soda, you first need to measure the volume of the pool in gallons of water, its current pH and alkalinity, and then use the formula to calculate how much baking soda you need.

Compared to adding certain acids, the process of adding baking soda to water is safe and simple. Before adding, make sure your pool pump and filtration system are running to ensure that the chemical can be evenly mixed in the pool water. Then, do not pour the baking soda into the water all at once. You need to add it in small amounts at a time and spread it out as much as possible to avoid adding too much at once, so that it can dissolve in the pool and get enough circulation. After about 20 minutes, its effects on adjusting alkalinity and pH will be apparent. Test again and see how much more baking soda you need to add based on the results.

Although baking soda is cost-effective (and relatively inexpensive compared to other chemicals), it’s clearly not that effective at adjusting pH, so we’ll look at some other ways you can raise your pool’s pH.

• Soda ash: Soda ash has a pH between 11.3 and 11.7. Soda ash is more effective than sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) at raising your pool’s alkalinity, but it’s also more expensive.
• Borax: Borax’s official name is sodium borate. It has a pH of 9.3. It’s a common pool chemical that also raises pH and has some water softening benefits.
• pH increasers: This easy-to-understand name may sound tempting, and it’s often sold at high prices in pool supply stores, but don’t be fooled. No matter how technical the name, it’s still an alkali. Check the ingredient list carefully to see if it’s right for your pool.