How to Adjust the Total Alkalinity Level in Your Swimming Pool

Keeping your total alkalinity under control is vital for making sure your pool water is properly balanced. Total Alkalinity (TA) is the measure of the amount of alkali in the form of carbonates, hydroxides, and bicarbonates presented in the pool water. Total alkalinity affects the pH levels making it vulnerable to the bacteria that come in contact with your pool water.  read more…

It goes without saying that the total alkalinity of your pool should be kept sufficiently high to stabilize the pH, but low enough to prevent cloudy pool water after shock.

This article will teach you how to adjust the total alkalinity in your swimming pool and take pool care to a new level.

How Total Alkalinity Affects pH Levels

There’s no doubt about the fact that there is a clear relationship between a pool’s pH level and the total alkalinity present in water. When alkalinity increases, the pH of the pool increases as well.

Adjusting your swimming pool’s total alkalinity is also known as buffering, because you are safeguarding the pH level in your pool, trying to stabilize it. If the total alkalinity is too high, it can cause cloudy water, decrease chlorine’s effectiveness, and lead to filter problems. If the total alkalinity is too low, pH may drop drastically causing corrosion and etching.

Depending on who you ask, the optimum total alkalinity level varies, but most pool suppliers recommend keeping a range of 80-150 ppm of alkalinity.

How to Raise Total Alkalinity

Since total alkalinity works like a cushion around the pH level, it’s not unlikely for other chemicals to work against it. That’s why it’s very improbable that your TA will get too high, but it’s much more probable that you will need to raise it. Here’s how.

Use a pool water test kit to determine the total alkalinity level. If your water test kit shows your TA is below 80 ppm, then you will need to raise it by adding sodium bicarbonate. Use the instruction guide that came with your pool test kit to determine how much sodium bicarbonate you should add. Turn the pool pump off and sprinkle sodium bicarbonate in one location into the deep end of your pool. Keep the pump off for at least two hours before turning it back on. Test you total alkalinity level again after three days. If it’s still too low, repeat the process.

How to Lower Total Alkalinity

Although not as common as low total alkalinity, high TA can affect your pool water. For instance, you can get skin and eyes irritations when swimming in a pool that has high TA. Adding a pH reducer will stabilize the pH levels in your pool while lowering the total alkalinity.

Turn off the pump and sprinkle the pH reducer into one spot in the deep end of your pool. Let the chemicals react for around 30 minutes before turning the pump on again. Test the water again to ensure that TA has reached an optimum level.

Maintaining the optimum levels of total alkalinity in your pool is paramount for your pool’s health. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR POOL OR IN NEED OF SERVICE GIVE US A CALL AT 623-939-1346. YOU CAN ALSO COME VISIT US AT OUR RETAIL STORE AND ONE OF OUR POOL CARE PROFESSIONALS WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP!

ENJOY YOUR POOL, AND LET US HELP YOU ALWAYS KEEP IT CLEAR AND SWIM READY!

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