Is Baking Soda Bad For Your Pool?

To show that you are taking proper care of your swimming pool, you need to always balance acidity and alkalinity levels. The pH level in your pool must always be in the recommended range. This is why you would need some chemicals like baking soda to help in maintaining your swimming pool. So is baking soda bad for your pool? The answer is NO.

Baking soda is an important substance for your pool maintenance routine. Adding baking soda to your pool will help you keep your pool water clean, clear, and safe for swimmers. Most importantly, it helps in raising both the pH and alkalinity of a pool, bringing clarity and stability to it.

In this piece, you will learn why baking soda is good for your pool and how you can correctly apply it for optimum performance.

So, what is baking soda for pools?

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. It is a naturally alkaline substance that has a pH of 8. The essence of using baking soda in the pool is to raise both the total alkalinity (TA) and pH of the pool water. A lot of commercial pools adopted baking soda as their main active ingredient for raising alkalinity levels.

Is baking soda good for swimming pools?

Yes, baking soda is safe for your pool. Moreover, it is not as corrosive and harmful as other chemicals. It is a simple safe way to help in the maintenance of pool water quality. When it is added to the pool water it helps to keep the water clear, sparkling, and of course pleasant to swim in. there will be no sting to the eyes or dryness of the skin.

Can you put too much baking soda in a pool?

Yes, it’s possible to add an excessive amount of baking soda to your pool if you do not work with the recommended doses. Too much baking soda in the pool water can raise its pH and alkalinity to a level beyond the ideal range. When this happens it may also lead to calcium buildup in the pool. This will make the water cloudy. Worse still, it can even clog your pool filter. So you need to be very careful.

How often should I put baking soda in my pool?

The best practice that serves as a rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t add more than 2.5 pounds of baking soda daily. You can start with the 1.25lb of baking for 10,000 gallons of water. This will help you raise your alkalinity to about 110ppm. To add this quantity you can either sprinkle the chemical over the surface of the pool or pour it into your skimmer.

Does baking soda kill algae in pools?

Baking soda might not kill algae in the pool directly but it still does it indirectly. It can be described as a natural, safe, and effective substance that can aid in loosening the roots of algae. This will lead to their death. The bottom line is that with the use of baking soda, you can easily scrub the algae and remove them from a contaminated pool.

Does baking soda neutralize chlorine? No, it doesn’t lower your chlorine. It will only raise your pool water alkalinity.

Will baking soda clear up a cloudy pool?

You don’t use baking soda to clear a cloudy pool. It will be a lot better to use chlorine than baking soda. Baking soda rather raises a pH level of a pool.

How long does it take baking soda to clear up a pool? Adding baking soda to your pool shouldn’t be done on a windy day. Once added allow it to set (circulate and dissolve for at least six hours). The filtration system should be running during this time. After this time you will need to check both the pH and alkalinity levels with your test kit.

How good is baking soda for your pool?

Baking soda is one of the important substances for your pool maintenance routine. There are a good number of reasons is needed for your pool. Below are some of them;

Baking soda is good for raising pH and alkalinity in pools

Adding sanitizing chemicals like chlorine to your pool lowers the pool pH. Unfortunately, you still have to add it to help keep the water safe for swimming. Sometimes, the alkalinity falls as well. So the entire pool will be in a mess. This imbalance comes with several negative effects which range from stinging eyes for the swimmers, itchy skin, and even corrosion of your pool ladders, liner, and other components. So to deal with this pH or alkalinity fall, you need to add baking soda to your pool to fix the pH imbalance.

How to achieve this is simple

The first thing is to test your pool water regularly to ascertain if the pH level is with the ideal range of 7.2-7.8 and that your alkalinity is also between 80ppm and 150ppm. If the alkalinity is lower than 80ppm then it is time to raise the alkalinity of your pool.
You can now get some baking soda, you might need to add from about 1.5lb to anything around 10lb. this will depend on the capacity of your pool and how low the alkalinity of your pool is.
You can use an online calculator to determine the exact amount. Generally, the measurement for pool chemicals is always per 10,000 gallons of water. The rule of thumb is to add about 1.5lbs of baking soda for every 10,000 gallons of water. Doing this will help raise the alkalinity of a pool by 10ppm. For the pH level, if your pH is below 7.2, you will need to add about 3-4 pounds of baking soda.
Now, if you are new to working with chemicals as a pool owner, you may need to start by adding only one-half or 3/4^th of the recommended dose of chemicals to your pool. You keep adding a little amount until the alkalinity and pH level are at the appropriate levels for your pool.
You would have to avoid applying the baking soda on a windy day since it is in powder form. Doing so will help you avoid wasting the soda from the air that might blow it away. So all you need to do is to get the right dose and sprinkle it directly into your pool and avoid dumping it into a spot. You just need to spread it in wide arcs across your pool surface.
Then you would need to wait for about 6 hours so that your baking soda gets completely dissolved in the pool water. You can go ahead to turn on the circulation system to aid in dispersing it better.
Now, you can retest to ascertain the levels, but you must do this between 6-24 hours after you had added the first baking soda. Check to see if the pH is still below 7.2. If it’s still low, you will need to repeat the process to bring them to the ideal levels.

Helps in offering stability or clarity in a pool

Baking soda is a natural alkaline that has a pH of 8. With this pH, it gives your pool good stability and clarity.

Good for clearing algae in your pool

Once you noticed dull green water or slimy walls with a slippery pool bottom, you should know that algae have started growing in your pool. Of course, it isn’t the best to swim in such a pool. So to fix such a pool you need to first use an algaecide to kill the algae, then you super chlorinate the pool to keep the pool clear. This might make the pH go beyond the recommended level. If it happens, add baking soda to bring it to the ideal level. The total alkalinity should be at least 100ppm, and then the pH should be between 7.2 and 7.8.

Good for reducing pool corrosion

Whenever you have damages on your pool ladders, pipes, titles, or liner, you should know that you have low water alkalinity. You just need to test your water and find out its level. Then you add baking soda to your pool according to the instructions given. You might need to add up to 8lbs to help reduce the corrosion on your equipment.

Helps with scaling buildup on pool surfaces

When it comes to pool scaling, the culprits are usually too much calcium, pH, or high alkalinity levels. The water will turn hard water. To fix this you need to stop using calcium-based disinfectants and ensure that the total alkalinity is at least 80ppm. You can then test the levels before carefully adding muriatic acid. This will help lower the pH level to 7.8. You can then add baking soda sparingly to get the overall balance for your pool.

Helps to indirectly fix cloudy pool water

Various factors may be responsible for cloudy pool water but the common one’s bad filtration system and water hardness. The truth is if your water is naturally hard and maybe has a whole lot of minerals, then you need to check the products you are adding to your pool especially the ones with added calcium. To treat cloudy water you need to first bring the total alkalinity to a level that is lower than 110ppm but above 80ppm. Then you go to super chlorination, you would then check the pH levels if it is high before adding your baking soda to the pool. This will help in bringing down the pH levels. A high pH level that is higher than 7.8 always leads to a cloudy pool.

How best to use baking soda for your pool?

Baking soda isn’t bad for your pool, rather it helps you treat your pool better. But you need to know how to use it for the good of your pool. You should also remember the following tips when you need to use baking soda for your pool;

Always buy a good quality baking soda for your pool.
Know the amount of baking soda that you should use for your pool. Avoid using an excess amount of it.
You can either spread your baking soda into your pool in its powder form or add it to water before use. But make sure it isn’t more than 2.5lbs per day. You can add more the next day.
Always sprinkle your baking soda either over the surface of the water or put it in your skimmer to dissolve quickly. Then to avoid a cloudy pool keep the pool water in motion when you add the baking soda.

Conclusion

Baking soda is safe for your pool as one of the chemicals you would need for your pool care. It isn’t bad for your pool provided you are using the right measurement for your pool. If you need to add baking soda to your pool for whatever reasons, you have to follow the instructions systematically as discussed earlier.