How to Raise pH Level in Pool? — Ensure Safe and Balanced Pool pH Levels (2021)

Once the pH of your pool drops to the normal range, there are several problems you might experience. But with the right products and chemicals to use, you've got nothing to worry about.

Luckily, you can avoid that by restoring the pH yourself with a quick and easy solution we'll give you in this how to raise pH in pool article!

How to Raise pH Level in Pool

When the discussion starts to shift on "How to raise pH in pool," we're sure a lot of pool owners tend to shy away from it.

What is Pool pH level?

pH levels [1] refer to the hydrogen ion present in the water. On average, the normal scale for swimming pools is 7.2 and 7.8.

Achieving this number isn't always easy, considering several external influences which affect the rating of your pool.

Such include the addition of chlorine, chemical, humans, bacteria, just to name a few.

Importance of Maintaining Good pH Level

Maintaining the ideal rating for your pool keeps the water sanitary and increases the longevity of your equipment. Plus, it also affects the pH and total alkalinity of your pool water.

Unknown to many, reaching the perfect pH balance affects how it interacts with other chemicals and anything else you put. One great example is chlorine.

Chlorine does wonders at cleaning a pool and keeping it sanitary.

But, with the wrong rating and total alkalinity levels, using chlorine won't do much of its job. It'll be a waste of time and can cause some serious physical manifestations.

You'll start feeling itchy, your skin feels irritated, and your eyes have that burning sensation. And don't let us even get started with muriatic acid or cyanuric acid.

It can also cause some serious damage to your pool equipment. A swimming pool water is too acidic once the rating goes down, and it corrodes your equipment.

Root Causes of Low pH Levels

There are several factors why your pool has a low pH reading.

Natural factors, for one, are among the common reasons. When it rains, and your pool is in an outdoor and unroofed area, rainwater will mix with your pool water. And when this happens, rainwater adds acidity.

The presence of swimmers in the water is also a big factor. When the pool has a lot of swimmers at a time, expect the base levels to go lower.

Raising Your Pool’s pH Level

Raising your pool's water to its normal range isn't an unnatural thing. If at all, one crucial aspect of being a pool owner.

Test pH Levels and Water Levels

Before heading straight to adding pool chemicals, you should test the waters first.

In doing so, you want to check whether the rating is too high or low, for you to know how much you need to add. And what better way to do this than by using test strips and getting a water sample.

Add Soda Ash/Baking Soda

Sodium Bicarbonate and Soda ash (or Sodium Carbonate) is known for their high alkalinity that can also increase the pH of your pool, and lower acidity. Here's how you can use soda ash or baking soda.

Step 1: Turn on the pump of your pool

Step 2: Based on the results of your test kit, determine how much Soda Ash you need per 10,000 gallons of water.

Step 3: Evenly pour the sodium carbonate on the water surface of your pool. Give it an hour or two for the water to circulate in your pool.

Step 4: Re-test the water on your pool until it reaches the desired rating.

Check and Test pH Level Again

The process of achieving the perfect rating lies with some trial-and-effort. You'll need to re-do the test until such time you get the right pH balance.

The results can either show a high pH or a lower pH. In general, a higher pH is always better than having a low and acidic pH reading. It's a lot harder to raise the pH than to overdo the treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if pH is too low in pool?

Low pH levels equate to higher water acidness.

This is a bad thing for pools because it exposes the water, swimmers, and pieces of equipment to several risks.

Low pH levels show a lot when it comes to the tiles, pool liner, and grout. It starts to deteriorate pretty quickly, gets brittle, and cracks in time, even with the presence of a chemical.

Pipes and metal stairs are also highly susceptible to rusting and corrosion with low pH. Thus, it's always best to raise the pH rating of pool water when the chance presents itself.

You can also feel the effects on your skin and eyes, by having an itching or burning sensation.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that restoring the pH and alkalinity of your pool water is easy. All it takes is the use of the right materials, chemicals, and you've got yourself a quick swimming pool fix.

On the road to learning how to raise pH in pool, using the right chemical solution is only one part of the answer, while the rest is through trial-and-error & experience.