Easily raise your pH with baking soda or any pH increaser. See how to add it and maintain optimal levels of pH in your pool.
Looking to increase your pool's pH quickily and easily? With just a few simple steps, here's how.
For ideal water chemistry for swimming, the pH of your swimming pool should be around 6.9-7.2. You want to keep your pH here because a human's eyes are around 7-7.2, so this will help reduce any irritation to the eyes and skin.
However, if you are not using your pool and just trying to maintain your pool water, try to keep your pH around 6.4-7 to maximize your chlorine's effectiveness. This will maximize your chlorine's efficiency. By keeping your pH in check, your chlorine will work better and help keep your pool clean.
Your pool's pH is one of the most important things in your pool. It helps maintain proper sanitation and makes your chlroine effective. Keeping your pH high ensures your swimmer's eyes and skin don't get irriated, help make sanitizer more effective, and helps maintain water clarity.
The first step is to find your pool's pH level. This can be done from a variety of ways. Use a reliable test kit or test strips to measure the pH.
Make sure to follow the instructions carefully. We always recommend having two different methods to verify your pool's pH.
Based upon your pool's pH, you will need to calculate how much pH increaser to use. There are two main forms of pH increasers in a swimming pool:
This will help raise the pH to the desired level. Refer to instructions for how much to add in dosage. If you want to use baking soda or sodium bicarbonate, use this simple chart:
| Pool Volume | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase By (Parts Per Million) | 5,000 Gallons (18,927 Liters) | 10,000 Gallons (37,854 Liters) | 15,000 Gallons (56,781 Liters) | 20,000 Gallons (75,708 Liters) | |
| 10 ppm | 0.75 lbs (340 g) | 1.5 lbs (680 g) | 2.25 lbs (1.02 kg) | 3.0 lbs (1.36 kg) | |
| 20 ppm | 1.5 lbs (680 g) | 3.0 lbs (1.36 kg) | 4.5 lbs (2.04 kg) | 6.0 lbs (2.72 kg) | |
| 30 ppm | 2.25 lbs (1.02 kg) | 4.5 lbs (2.04 kg) | 6.75 lbs (3.06 kg) | 9.0 lbs (4.08 kg) | |
| 40 ppm | 3.0 lbs (1.36 kg) | 6.0 lbs (2.72 kg) | 9.0 lbs (4.08 kg) | 12.0 lbs (5.44 kg) | |
| 50 ppm | 3.75 lbs (1.70 kg) | 7.5 lbs (3.40 kg) | 11.25 lbs (5.10 kg) | 15.0 lbs (6.80 kg) | |
| 60 ppm | 4.5 lbs (2.04 kg) | 9.0 lbs (4.08 kg) | 13.0 lbs (5.89 kg) | 18.0 lbs (8.16 kg) | |
| 70 ppm | 5.25 lbs (2.38 kg) | 10.5 lbs (4.76 kg) | 15.75 lbs (7.14 kg) | 21.0 lbs (9.52 kg) | |
| 80 ppm | 6.0 lbs (2.72 kg) | 12.0 lbs (5.44 kg) | 18.0 lbs (8.16 kg) | 24.0 lbs (10.88 kg) | |
| 90 ppm | 6.75 lbs (3.06 kg) | 13.5 lbs (6.12 kg) | 20.25 lbs (9.18 kg) | 27.0 lbs (12.24 kg) | |
| 100 ppm | 7.5 lbs (3.40 kg) | 15.0 lbs (6.80 kg) | 22.5 lbs (10.20 kg) | 30.0 lbs (13.60 kg) | |
Now is the easy part, add the pH increase. Try to spread evenly throughout the whole pool and add slowly. This will help ensure it gets mixed throughout the pool quickly.
Pro Tip: Add the pH increaser at night if possible. It will be more effective.
Make sure your pool water is being circulated. If not, it will not be mixed properly and may lead to the pH increaser not working properly.
Monitor the pool as needed. Try to test at least 4-6 hours after or even the next day. Repeat steps 1-4 as needed for optimal water chemistry.
Test as needed to ensure your water stays crystal clear.
The ideal pH level for swimming pools is between 7.0 and 7.6.
pH is crucial for maintaining proper sanitation, ensuring chlorine effectiveness, and preventing irritation to swimmers' eyes and skin.
You can test your pool's pH using reliable test kits or test strips.
The main types of pH increasers are Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) and Sodium Carbonate (Soda Ash).
You should test your pool's pH regularly, especially after adding any chemicals. Testing 4-6 hours after adding a pH increaser is recommended.
It's recommended to add pH increaser at night for better effectiveness.
Ensure your pool's filtration system is running to properly circulate the water.
Check out our Pool School where we go over all the tips, tricks, and more to keeping your pool clean and healthy.