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Taylor K-2006 Complete DPD-FAS Pool Test Kit
Lab-grade titration kit for accurate Free Chlorine, Total Alkalinity, Calcium & Cyanuric Acid.
How to Raise Pool Alkalinity with Baking Soda (Save $40 Over Pool Stores)
If your pool's pH bounces from 6.8 to 8.2 every time it rains or swimmers splash, your water lacks buffering capacity. Total Alkalinity is low (<70 ppm), leaving your water vulnerable to violent pH swings.
You do not need expensive commercial pool store chemical brands. Pure food-grade or agricultural-grade sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) raises Total Alkalinity safely without driving your pH above 8.2.
0MS BUFFER CALCULATOR
Baking Soda Weight & Dollar Savings Calculator
Enter your pool volume and tested Total Alkalinity to calculate the exact pounds of baking soda needed to hit 90 ppm and see your retail cost savings.
BAKING SODA REQUIRED
6.8 lbs
~1.5 boxes (4 lb size)TARGET TOTAL ALKALINITY
90 ppm
Locks pH ceiling securelyGROCERY COST
$6.50
Pure Sodium BicarbonateMONEY SAVED VS POOL STORE
$28.50
Compared to $35 tubADVERTISEMENTSponsored
01The Golden Ratio: 1.5 lbs per 10,000 Gallons for 10 ppm
The thermodynamic dosage rule is constant: 1.5 pounds of pure sodium bicarbonate raises Total Alkalinity by exactly 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons of water. Unlike sodium carbonate (soda ash), baking soda has a natural pH ceiling of 8.2 and will never turn your water cloudy or create scaling.
02Broadcast Across the Deep End with Pump Running
Turn on your pool pump. Walk along the edge of the deep end and broadcast dry baking soda directly across the surface like throwing grass seed. It dissolves almost instantly upon hitting the water with zero clumping or residue.
03Retest After 6 Hours of Circulation
Allow the pump to circulate the water through one full turnover cycle (typically 4 to 6 hours). Use a drop-based sulfuric acid titration test to confirm your Total Alkalinity has stabilized between 80 and 100 ppm. Now, any future acid additions will drop pH predictably without crashing.
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Need to Calculate pH, Chlorine & CYA Doses?
Alkalinity is only step one. Use our 0ms dynamic water balance engine to calculate exact chemical additions for your entire pool volume and prevent algae blooms.
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