Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is naturally alkaline, with a pH of 8. When you add baking soda to your pool water, you will raise both the pH and the alkalinity, improving stability and clarity. Many commercial pool products for raising alkalinity utilize baking soda as their main active ingredient.
Run a test to determine the alkalinity and PH level of your pool. A PH level less than the standard minimum of 7.2 indicates that you need to add baking soda to help move the PH towards 7.2 to avoid having acidic water in your pool.
Will baking soda clear up a cloudy pool? The answer to this question is absolutely, yes! If the cloudy pool water problem is being caused by the water in your swimming pool having a lower than recommended pH and Alkalinity.
Bicarbonate, the active ingredient in baking soda, is an effective spot treatment to help kill the algae and loosen it from the wall. Make sure you really get every last particle free; black algae has particularly long and stubborn roots which makes it a persistent strand.
ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda is the quick, safe and natural way to open your pool for the season. Use our conveniently sized larger bags to help naturally balance your pH and alkalinity to achieve stunning clear water you can be proud of.
Can baking soda replace chlorine in a swimming pool? Nope. Baking soda is a very similar composition to what is known as soda ash. Soda ash is used to raise pH in a swimming pool.
You should wait at least six hours after adding baking soda before swimming in your pool. Even better, wait at least 24 hours to ensure it's fully mixed in and dissolved.
Adding shock to your pool super-chlorinates your water. And this extra dose of sanitizer will kill algae growth. The more serious your pool algae problem, the more shock you'll need. We recommend using calcium hypochlorite shock, or cal-hypo shock, as an effective algae treatment.
She says: 'Contrary to popular belief, baking soda does not directly decrease the chlorine levels of a swimming pool, but aids in the neutralization process of chlorine. One of the high alkaline chemicals is baking soda and adding this to your swimming pool will increase the water's pH and alkalinity.
Will baking soda clear a green pool? No. Baking soda will only raise your alkalinity and pH levels and this will not kill algae. Chlorine is what kills algae.
As a rule of thumb, use 1.5 pounds (680 grams) of baking soda per 10,000 gallons (37,854 liters) of pool water. This should raise the alkalinity by about 10ppm (parts per million). Or you can use the chart below. If you're not sure how much water your pool holds, check out our pool calculator.
Barley straw is a natural way to fight algae. On contact with water, the straw starts to break down, and as it does so it releases peroxides into the water which combat algae. Available in mini bales, or as a concentrated extract of barley straw liquid, it's a natural way of chemically fighting algae.
Run Your Filter 24/7
You'll need to continuously run your filter over the next few days to help clear up the cloudy water. Then you can return to regular filter run times once your water is clear. Your pool will clear faster depending on the type of filter you own.
Shock Your Pool
Shocking is the process of adding chemicals to your pool to raise chlorine levels and kill bacteria and algae. We recommend using a calcium hypochlorite shock to treat your algae problems.
Pools can immediately turn green after shocking when they have metals like copper in the water. These metals oxidise when exposed to high levels of chlorine which makes the pool water turn green. Adding a metal control product such as Zodiac Metal Remover will help to restore the pool water.
The simple answer is yes, you can over shock a pool. This is when the chlorine level in the water becomes too high and can be harmful to swimmers. When you shock your pool, you are raising the chlorine level to 10 times its normal level. This is done to kill off any bacteria or algae that may be present in your pool.
Having too much chlorine in your swimming pool water can cause it to become cloudy. Having too many chemicals in your water can throw off the delicate pH balance. Using too much of any pool chemical can cause cloudy water. High pH, high chlorine, and high alkalinity are all possible culprits.
Once algae gets into your pool water, they can turn into an algae bloom if you have nitrates, out-of-balance chemicals, warm temperatures, sunlight, carbon dioxide, or phosphates. Poor water circulation, poor filtration, and not sanitising your pool will also contribute to rapid growth.
Pool algae occurs for many reasons. Low or inconsistent chlorine levels, faulty pool filtration and poor water circulation may be to blame. Preventing pool algae from flourishing helps to keep your pool operational so you can enjoy it all season long. The key to an algae-free pool is regular maintenance.
Fortunately, baking soda and chlorine interact favorably. In fact, when mixed, the cleaning properties of both products strengthen. Chlorine works best in slightly alkaline water, so putting in baking soda before pool shock can be a good thing!
Reaction with Chlorine
Chlorine and sodium bicarbonate combine to form sodium chloride, sodium chlorate, carbon dioxide, and water.
Clear pool water with a green tint may be from pollen, chlorine-resistant algae, or most often from a too-high pH level. When a pool's pH is over 7.8, even high levels of chlorine destabilize and cannot sanitize, and metal in your water and pool components can oxidize, giving off a greenish hue.