Having a swimming pool is not only about the fun, but you also have to pay attention to the regular maintenance that it needs. Most of the regular maintenance of a swimming pool is all about keeping the chemical of the water in an ideal level, so you can swim around comfortably.
You may be familiar with some chemicals that pool water contains, and one of them is alkaline. In short, alkalinity is the term that we use to refer to the measurement of how much acidity that it can neutralize.
Alkalinity works to keep the pH level of the pool in the ideal range. When the alkalinity level itself is not balanced, it can lead to several problems that make your swimming pool less inviting. The alkalinity level is either too high or too low, and you have to take some actions ASAP to handle it.
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The factors that cause a high level of alkalinity commonly relate to the local water source of your swimming pool or when you accidentally add too much baking soda in the attempt to raise the alkalinity of your pool.
But don’t worry, you can easily lower the level of alkalinity of your beloved swimming pool all by yourself by following this simple tutorial on how to lower alkalinity in pool below.
How to Lower Alkalinity in Pool | Simple Tutorial
Test the Alkalinity Range
TA (total alkalinity) of a residential pool should be between 80 to 120 ppm, if it’s higher than 120 ppm then you need to lower it. To find out the level of alkalinity of your pool water, you can follow these steps:
Prepare this tool:
- Pool water testing kit with alkalinity reagents
Follow these steps:
- You can first identify the high level of alkalinity by some visible signs like the murky water, cloudiness and calcium scaling that clogged the filter.
- If the cases happen, then you need to test the alkalinity by using the kit.
- Typically, you will need to add the pool water to the tube then add the reagents, then follow the manufacturer’s instruction to check the alkalinity level.
Calculate Pool Capacity
Before start lowering the alkalinity of your pool water, you need to know the water capacity of your swimming pool. It will determine the amount of muriatic acid which will be the main material for the lowering process.
- If you build your swimming pool under your authorization, then you may have known its volume.
- If not, today you can find a lot of websites that offer the manual pool calculator, you can use them for this step. Remember, you have to at least know the length, width, diameter, and depth of the pool to calculate the pool capacity.
Prepare the Acid
To lower the alkalinity of pool water, we’re going to use muriatic acid. This kind of substance can harm your eyes and skin, so make sure you wear some safety gear.
Prepare these materials:
- Muriatic acid
Prepare these tools:
- Eye goggles
- Rubber gloves
Follow these steps:
- Switch off the pool circulation pump.
- Wait for about an hour to ensure that the water has stopped moving.
- Wear safety gear.
- Read the manufacturer’s direction to amount the muriatic acid that you need for your pool volume. The rule of thumb is 1 quart of muriatic acid is sufficient enough for 10’000 gallons of water.
(Recommended to read: Here’s How to Raise Alkalinity in Pool with Only 6 Easy Steps)
Dilute the Acid
Once you have measured the acid, you need to dilute it with water instead of pouring directly to the pool. Keep wearing your gloves and goggles.
Prepare these tools:
- 1-gallon bucket
- Some kind of stick made of wood or plastic to stir the solution
Follow these steps:
- Add 1 gallon of water to the bucket first.
- Then, add muriatic acid to the water and dilute them completely.
- Remember to always add the acid into the water, not the other way around. It’s important for your safety.
- Pour the acid into the deepest part of your swimming pool all at once. Do not pour it around the pool.
- Let the acid solution to sit for about an hour in the water.
- Turn on the circulation pump and wait for about 6 hours before you retest the alkalinity level.
Recheck the Level
The last step is to recheck the alkalinity level of your swimming pool. Though it’s the last step, you may need to keep rechecking until you get the ideal range of alkalinity. Lowering the level of alkalinity is a slow process so you have to be extra patient.
- If you find that the level of alkalinity is still lower than the ideal range, you can add more muriatic acid, but you have to wait for 2 to 3 days before adding it.
- If you find that the pH level of the pool is lower than 7 ppm, you need to give more aerators as an addition to the pool’s pump. The unstable alkalinity level also affects the pH level of the pool.
(Read also: Maintain Your Pool with this How to Raise pH in Pool Tutorial with 6 Steps)
The process of lowering alkalinity can be quite tricky since you are dealing with quite harmful material and it takes a longer time than the other pool maintenance. However, you can still do the process all by yourself if you have enough patience and attention to detail. You can save a lot of cost if you do the process without any help from a pro.
Remember to always maintain the level of alkalinity at least once a week to make the water of your pool in healthy condition and prevent the damage of the pool itself. By just following the tutorial of how to lower alkalinity in pool, you can get an inviting and appealing swimming pool without costing you a lot.
