So, you end up with an alkalinity that is still too high. From a water balance standpoint and from a practical standpoint, a high alkalinity will continuously raise the pH. You will always be adding acid to a pool that has high alkalinity.

Use Aeration to Raise Pool pH (and not Alkalinity) You can’t, but you can raise pH without affecting Alkalinity. This is done by lowering the pH and Alkalinity with pH Decreaser, then raise the pH through aeration. Just add air!

A rule of thumb is 1.5 lbs. of baking soda per 10,000 gallons of water will raise alkalinity by about 10 ppm. If your pool’s pH tested below 7.2, add 3-4 pounds of baking soda. If you’re new to adding pool chemicals, start by adding only one-half or three-fourths of the recommended amount.

If your pH is high and alkalinity is low in the same water, you may need to add pH reducer/minus and then alkalinity increaser to your pool to lower pH and increase alkalinity respectively. In very rare cases, your total alkalinity may be high but with a low pH in the same pool.

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is. Alkalinity is a measure of the buffering capacity of water – its ability to resist sudden changes in pH. pH and alkalinity can be measured through testing at an accredited lab.

Too much alkalinity is actually a source of rising pH. The more alkalinity you have, the more acid it takes to reduce pH. Non-stabilized chlorines, like liquid chlorine (bleach) or cal hypo, each have a high pH. So you can have lower alkalinity, like 80-100 ppm, or even lower than 80 ppm if your LSI allows for it.

Water with low levels of alkalinity (less than 150 mg/L) is more likely to be corrosive. High alkalinity water (greater than 150 mg/L) may contribute to scaling. Acceptable results: There are no health concerns related to alkalinity.

An alkalinity level that is too high in a swimming pool can lead to problems such as an imbalanced pH level, which contributes to high calcium levels. High calcium levels can cause scaling, cloudy water and clogged filters. Not to mention, itchy skin and irritated eyes for your swimmers!

High pH can lead to high calcium hardness and high alkalinity. Because pH is naturally unstable, it needs a buffer to help it stay in optimal range. That’s what alkalinity does.

If you wish to lower the pH without also reducing the Total Alkalinity, simply pour the dose of muriatic acid about the pool.

If the pH level of the well water is greater than 8.5, you can reduce the effects of excessive alkalinity by installing either a special ion exchange unit designed to reduce alkalinity or a chemical feed pump system that injects a weak acid solution.

What affects alkalinity? Total alkalinity is affected by environmental factors; rain, acidic sanitizers, addition of fill water and other product applications can all change the alkalinity over time. Most alkalinity in surface water comes from calcium carbonate, CaCO3, being leached from rocks and soil.

20-200 mg/l

Higher temperature shifts the equation to the right, slightly increasing the carbonate to bicarbonate ratio. At the same time, the acid (H+) concentration increases slightly which causes a slight drop in pH. This means that a warmer solution can have better buffering capacity despite a lower pH.

The alkalinity of natural water is determined by the soil and bedrock through which it passes. The main sources for natural alkalinity are rocks which contain carbonate, bicarbonate, and hydroxide compounds. Borates, silicates, and phosphates also may contribute to alkalinity.