How to Use Baking Soda in Your Pool for Better Maintenance

Baking soda has several uses for pools including its most common purpose, raising pool alkalinity and PH levels. This is because baking soda is made of sodium bicarbonate which is the same as the alkalinity up powder found in your local pool supply store. Adding baking soda to your pool is no different than any other chemical, just remember to brush down the pool after to make sure everything mixes in.

Read on for more information about baking soda and its other many uses for better pool maintenance.

What Does Baking Soda Do for a Pool?

Baking soda can solve and prevent a variety of issues in any pool like raising the alkalinity of a pool to prevent algae growth and cloudy water. Additionally, baking soda stabilizes and raises the pH level of the pool to help the chlorine keep the water clear and not promote algae and bacteria growth. A low alkalinity level can also lead to metal corrosion and scale buildup in more extreme cases which can cause significant damage to your pool if left untreated.

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Raise and Maintain Alkalinity Levels

Baking soda is primarily used to raise the alkalinity level of a pool. If your pool’s alkalinity level is too low, it can cause your water to turn green, stain your pool finish, and also cause metal corrosion.

Stabilize pH Levels

Another use of baking soda is to help stabilize the pH level of your pool. A pool’s pH stability is also directly related to the alkalinity level of pool water and will help maintain a more stable pH level than a pool with a low alkalinity level. Baking soda can also be used to raise the pH of a pool if it is found to be low.

Prevent Metal Corrosion

A pool with a low alkalinity level can also cause metal corrosion. However, this will not happen unless your alkalinity level is very low. To remedy this, just add a significant amount (several pounds) of baking soda and the corrosion should slow down.

Prevent Scale Buildup

Using baking soda in a pool can help prevent scale buildup on pool surfaces. Scale can build up in a pool in a few ways including having a high calcium level, high pH level, and high alkalinity levels. While acid can be added to the pool to bring the pH level down, it is easy to add too much. Always remember to add some baking soda to bring the pH level back up to prevent scaling if needed.

How to Use Baking Soda for Pool Maintenance

Baking soda is an excellent tool to have in any pool maintenance toolbox and an even better idea to have around in case it is needed quickly. Baking soda can substitute for alkalinity up powder and also help mitigate several water quality issues that can come up quickly and that have to be addressed immediately.

Some examples of what baking soda can do to help maintain a pool are as follows: help remove green, blue, or yellow algae, clear a cloudy pool, prevent and contain corrosion, and stop the buildup of scale in the pool water.

Using Baking Soda for Green, Blue or Yellow Algae

All pools are constantly fighting off algae growth because the moist environment and copious amounts of sunlight often allow algae to survive. This is why it is important to maintain your pool chemistry to keep the algae at bay.

However, if your alkalinity and pH levels are off, it will promote algae growth and cause your pool to turn green and slimy. For this reason, baking soda is an excellent solution to keep your pH and alkalinity level in check and a good choice for how to even get rid of algae after it starts growing.

1. Test the water to confirm which chemical levels are low that allowed the algae to grow in the first place.
2. Add the appropriate amount of baking soda to the pool to stabilize the alkalinity level and to bring the pH level back to an acceptable range (approximately 1.5 pounds for every 10,000 gallons).
3. Brush the entire pool down, especially the walls and water line to release as much algae as possible.
4. Leave the pool running for 24 hours to prevent the algae from “hiding” on the walls and to give plenty of time for the pool water to naturally kill off the algae.

Using Baking Soda for a Cloudy Pool

There are several reasons your pool can be cloudy that baking soda can help fix. Sometimes, a higher pH can cause cloudiness because of the low alkalinity level that allows the pH to change erratically. Fortunately, this is easy to diagnose.

1. Test the water to confirm which chemical levels are low that allowed the algae to grow in the first place.
2. Add the appropriate amount of baking soda to the pool to stabilize the alkalinity level and to bring the pH level back to an acceptable range (approximately 1.5 pounds for every 10,000 gallons).
3. Brush the entire pool down, especially the walls and water line to release as much debris as possible and promote mixing.
4. Leave the pool running for 24 hours.

Using Baking Soda to Prevent Pool Corrosion

One of the lesser known reasons why it is important to maintain your pool chemistry is to prevent metal corrosion. Usually, corrosion is not something that is thought of when thinking about pool chemistry, but in fact, a low enough alkalinity level can cause just that. This is why it is important
to always check your levels and adjust accordingly. To solve this issue;

1. Add at least 8 pounds of baking soda to the pool to significantly raise the alkalinity level of the pool.
2. Brush the pool down after to ensure all the baking soda has mixed.
3. Leave running for 24 hours to ensure proper coverage throughout.

Using Baking Soda for Scaling Buildup

Scale buildup is usually from a combination of elevated chemical levels such as high calcium, pH, and alkalinity levels. Also, if your water is hard (meaning naturally high in calcium), it will be much easier to form scale. Do not fear, it is fairly easy to diagnose and correct this to return your pool to the crystal clear water you are used to.

1. Test the water to confirm which chemical levels are low that allowed the scale to build up.
2. Add the appropriate amount of baking soda to the pool to stabilize the alkalinity level and to bring the pH level back to an acceptable range (approximately 1.5 pounds for every 10,000 gallons).
3. Brush the entire pool down, especially the walls and water line to release as much debris as possible that can affect chemical levels.
4. Leave the pool running for 24 hours to give plenty of time for the pool water to naturally mix and return the levels back to normal and remove the scale.

Tips for Using Baking Soda in the Pool

• Always make sure you’re using the correct amount of baking soda which depends on the pool issue you’re trying to solve.
• Make sure the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the pool instead of just one specific area.
• Allow the baking soda to fully dissolve by mixing it thoroughly and waiting for over six hours before testing it again.
• Slowly mix in the baking soda and make adjustments accordingly. If you’ve waited 24 hours and the issue hasn’t been completely resolved, repeat the steps again.

Baking Soda Alternatives

• Soda Ash
• Borax
• Sodium Carbonate