Pool & spa
Pool Alkalinity Calculator
Baking soda to raise total alkalinity, the buffer that keeps pH from swinging.
Result
Dose against a test result, never against a schedule. Add chemicals in stages with the pump running, wait for a full turnover, then retest before adding more. Never mix chemicals, and never add water to acid. Where a product label differs from the figure here, the label wins. Raise alkalinity in stages of no more than about 20 ppm at a time, allowing a full turnover between doses. Lowering it is slower and is done with acid added in one spot with the pump off, which is a different technique entirely.
Get a Free Business AuditQuestions
About this calculator
What range should alkalinity be in?
Generally 80 to 120 ppm, lower for salt pools where 60 to 80 is often preferred because salt cells push pH up.
What happens if it is too low?
pH becomes unstable and swings on any small addition, and the water turns corrosive. It is the most common reason pH will not stay put.
How do I lower alkalinity?
Muriatic acid, but the method matters: poured slowly into one deep spot with the circulation off, so it works on alkalinity more than pH. Then aerate to bring pH back up.
The formula
about 1.5 lb of sodium bicarbonate per 10,000 gallons raises alkalinity 10 ppm
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.