calcs.homes
calcs.homes
Enter your current and target total alkalinity and we'll tell you whether to add baking soda or muriatic acid, and how much.
Estimate only — adjust alkalinity before fine-tuning pH, and retest after 6 hours of circulation.
We subtract current alkalinity from your target reading. If the target is higher, we multiply the difference by pool volume (per 10,000 gallons) and by 1.5 lb of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) per 10 ppm to get a raise dose. If the target is lower, we use 26 fl oz of muriatic acid per 10,000 gallons per 10 ppm instead, since acid pulls alkalinity down.
Total alkalinity buffers pH, keeping it from swinging wildly every time chlorine or acid is added — the 80-120 ppm target range gives enough buffering capacity without over-resisting adjustments. Pool professionals bring alkalinity into range before fine-tuning pH, since a stable buffer makes pH corrections predictable instead of chasing a moving target; lowering with acid also nudges pH down, so it's worth aerating afterward to let pH recover.
Alkalinity first — it acts as pH's buffer, so getting it into range makes your pH adjustments more stable and predictable.
Yes — most "alkalinity increaser" or "pH increaser" pool products are pure sodium bicarbonate, the same compound as household baking soda, just sold at pool-store purity and pricing.