pH Level Of My Pool

by Ada
(Hong Kong)

The pH level of my Intex pool (15 feet diameter) is very low and I have put in 2 boxes (in total 2 lbs) of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda into the pool. The PH level is not going up. The pool is about 3,600 gallon of water.

How many boxes of baking soda should I use to raise it from 6.8 to 7.6-7.8?

Thanks for your question Ada

As a general rule for the pH level of your pool it takes 40oz. (2 1/2 lbs) to raise a 20,000 gallon pool's pH 0.1ppm.

Swimming Pool pH Levels

If you don't have a Taylor Reagent K-2005 or 2006 test kit I would encourage you to get one.
It takes a little getting used to but it's worth it because it will give you the most accurate reading.

Water Testing Kit

Your pool is 3600 gallons and you say you're getting a pH reading of 6.8 and want to raise it to the correct level of 7.6 - 7.8. Using the above formula you would probably need 10oz. of sodium bicarb to raise the pH level 0.1ppm. To raise the pH to 7.6 - 7.8 you would use 70 oz. or 4lbs. of bicarb.

You can get a bucket filled 1/2 way with pool water and add the bicarb. Stir it with a stick then walk it around the perimeter of the pool (starting in the deep end) with the filter running. After the water has a chance to completely circulate through the filter, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, check the pH again and make another adjustment if needed.

Swimming Pool pH Levels

Start off slowly and work your way up when adding chemicals. You can always add more but it's a bit more difficult to take them out.

Let me know how this works for you. If you need immediate assistance (within 24 hrs) or for emergency personal assistance, you can make a donation of $35 per hour and I'll answer your questions by phone.

If you've found this site helpful please consider making a donation. Thank you.

Thanks for your question and have a great day

Robert

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Jan 17, 2015
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Arm & Hammer Baking Soda For Raising My pH Level
by: Mary-Ellen

I brought Arm and Hammer baking soda to bring up the pH level in my 20,000 pool. I put 4 lbs. in the water and it did not raise the level. Should I put the rest that is left out of the 12 lb bag?

Thanks for the question Mary-Ellen

To raise the pH level of a 20,000 gallon pool 0.1ppm, you would use 2.5 lbs. of baking soda with the pump on.

Swimming Pool pH Levels

What I would need is a little more information from you such as:

*The current pH reading of your pool

*The target reading

*How you added the baking soda (did you make a slurry out of it, add it in one spot, broadcast it around the perimeter, etc.)

*Was the pump on when you did it?

Your pH might be very low and the pool would require more baking soda, but it's hard to know. Without knowing the above it would be a little difficult to give you a correct answer.

Please answer the above questions and I'm sure I can help.

Robert

Jun 28, 2014
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What Do I Do To Raise pH In My Pool
by: Anonymous

I have an INTEX 12ft by 30in metal frame pool. Using 6way test strips it say my PH is 6.8 and total alkalinity is 0 and stabilizer is 0 the other numbers are great (total chlorine, free chlorine) how much and of what do I need to pur in there to bring these numbers up....and sometime my water gets cloudy fast....

HELPPPPPPPP MY KIDS LOVE THE POOL BUT THEY CANT GET IN IF ITS NOT RIGHT? WHAT DO I NEED TO DO

Thanks for the question

First you need to get a good test kit. I recommend the Taylor K-2006 kit. I've done several videos on how to use it and go into great detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZwZEGCMaZg

The first thing you want to do is the TA. It's 12 oz. of baking soda to increase the TA 10ppm per 5k gallons. You'd use about 90 oz total. Only use about 40 oz. for the first application. Add into the pool in one spot with the pump off. Allow to sit for 3 - 4 hours then pump on to FILTER for 10 hours, retest and make another adjustment. By using baking soda you'll hit the TA and to a smaller extent the pH. Be sure to test both.

Next is to get some CYA in the pool. It's 10 oz. of CYA to raise it 10ppm per 5k gallons. Get a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 with pool water and add the CYA, stir and broadcast around perimeter of the pool, sweep very well. 2 hours later shock the pool with liquid chlorine and FILTER. It's 1/2 gallon of chlorine to shock per 5k gallons. The range for CYA is 30 - 50ppm. Once you reach the 30ppm mark stop using CYA. You're finished with that step.

Shock the pool again with liquid chlorine. You may need to shock a few times because you're probably on the verge of a green algae bloom. Shocking is a process, not an event. The trick is to get AND keep the chlorine above 10 - 12ppm for a period of time. You'll need to manually dose the pool with chlorine to keep it at 10 - 12ppm. Make the adjustment at night, then retest in the morning. Be sure to have the pump running 24/7.

If you feel your situation is more complex than this, I do phone consultations for a donation of your choice. It makes things go much faster and many people have found it extremely beneficial, saving them time and money in the long run. All your questions will be answered. I have nothing to sell you so you know I'm not bias.

Pool Consultation

Hope this helps and have a great Summer.

Robert