Can I Use Baking Soda to Raise the pH In My Hot Tub?
Every homeowner with a hot tub is aware of how critical it can be to keep the pH level in a proper zone. But with the hot tub chemicals being as expensive as they are, it may have popped up in your mind “Can I use baking soda to raise the pH in my hot tub?”
Baking soda works great to increase the pH levels of a hot tub. It is an effective and cheaper alternative to pH boosters. The only problem may be that it can require about a pound or more baking soda if you want it to significantly affect the pH levels of your hot tub.
Using baking soda to maintain the pH of a hot tub is unarguably one of the easiest and popular methods out there. It’s always readily available as well. But using the appropriate method is important. In the rest of the article, I will share a few easy steps you can follow to adjust the pH. I will also discuss if it is the best method out there to get the job done.
Is Baking Soda the Best Way to Raise the pH in Your Hot Tub?
A hot tub can provide you the ultimate relaxation after a long and stressful day. But if the pH levels of the water are unstable, it can get more stressful instead. When the water is highly acidic, sanitizers cannot work effectively and your hot tub is vulnerable to harmful contaminants.
That’s why, as a homeowner with a hot tub, it is always important that you keep an eye on the pH levels of your hot tub. You will also need to know how you can raise the pH in your hot tub the correct way.
Many chemicals in the market can quickly and effectively restore the pH levels of your hot tub. But you can use a common household chemical like baking soda to get the job and it is one of the easiest and most popular methods among others. This method doesn’t increase the total alkaline level as other ones either and is quite effective.
The proper pH level of your hot tub’s water should be equal to or between 7.4 – 7.6 per million. Because the pH level of baking soda is 8.3, you can use it to increase the levels back to normal. But pH levels of baking soda are not high enough. It can raise the pH only slightly and it may take a lot of time as well.
So if you need to significantly raise the level, you will need to use a lot more baking soda than you might need with other methods. So comparatively, this method falls a bit short of other better chemicals available in the market. But that doesn’t change the fact that baking soda is readily available at home and can be very helpful if you need to get the job done without delay.
How Much Baking Soda Do You Need?
Correctly maintaining the pH of your hot tub is important. If the pH level is unbalanced, it can be extremely unsafe to get in the hot tub. The ideal pH level for your hot tub should be between 7.4 and 7.6. Anything below 7.4 pH level can be troublesome and the lower it is, the more acidic the water of your hot tub is.
If you are facing some unbalanced pH problems with your hot tub, using baking soda to bring the levels back to their proper place can be a quick solution. If the pH reading of your hot tub is 7.2, it will take about 1.30 lbs. of baking soda to bring it back up to 7.6. This is for a 600 gallon hot tub.
The amount of baking soda depends on the current reading of the pH levels of your hot tub and the amount of water it holds. The further away from 7, the reading comes out, the more baking soda you will need.
This is because baking soda only has a pH level of 8.3 and it is only slightly above the neutral pH scale. While it can raise the pH reading of your hot tub, it can only do it so much. If the pH level of your hot tub is too low, it can take a significant amount of baking soda to bring it back up.
So it is an important step to always use a test kit to check first how low or high the pH level of your hot tub is. Then measure out how much baking soda you will need and you can swiftly get to work.
4 Easy Steps to Raise The pH of A Hot Tub Using Baking Soda
To any homeowner with a hot tub, baking soda can be a handy chemical. It can be a useful product in assisting the pH level of your hot tub to jump back to its proper zone. The ideal pH level of your hot tub should be equal to or between 7.4 and 7.6.
Anywhere below means the water is too acidic and the alkalinity is probably low as well. If the pH level of your hot tub is lower than normal, you can use the right amount of baking soda to fix it. The pH levels will determine how much baking soda you will need. The following are 4 easy steps to guide you through how you can raise the pH level of your hot tub using baking soda:
Everything You Will Need
1. Water Test Strips
2. The right amount of baking soda
3. Some measuring spoons
Step 1
For the first step, you will turn off all the hot tub jets and test the pH level. You can use a liquid test kit, test strips, or even a digital tester for this.
Take a note of the water’s pH level and total alkalinity. If the hot tub’s pH is below 7.2 and TA is below 80 ppm, you can add baking soda.
Step 2
If you have bought your baking soda from a pool supplier, the container should have instructions for the amount you should use for your hot tub. You should read the instructions as it may recommend diluting the product in the water before you add it into your hot tub.
But if you buy it from the supermarket, you can pour it straight into your hot tub without any problem. For each gallon of hot tub water, you will need to add 1 tablespoon of baking soda. It is best if you measure out the amount you might need beforehand.
I’d recommend that you walk around the hot tub and sprinkle in the baking soda. This helps the product dissolve faster rather than having it sitting in one place. You could also dilute it in a small amount of water before pouring it in. Let it sit for about 2 to 3 hours.
Step 3
The next step is to turn the jets on for about 60 minutes and let the water circulate all the baking soda properly.
Take a test strip and place it into the water for a couple of seconds. Then remove it and put it on a flat surface for about 10 seconds.
Step 4
Compare the results with the guide that came with it. If the pH is below 7.2, you need to add some baking soda again.
About 1 oz. of baking soda should do this time. After a couple of more hours, retest the water to see if the pH level is back to normal.
Where Can You Get Enough Baking Soda For Your Hot Tub?
Going to a pool supply outlet is the easier and best way to get large amounts of baking soda for your pool.
Needless to say, if the pH levels of your hot tub are quite low, you will need a large amount of baking soda to increase the levels. It may even take ten times the mentioned amount of baking soda. It’s not uncommon to not have such a large amount of the product in your kitchen cupboard. So you may face a dilemma over where you can get so much baking soda.
To treat your pool, you will typically need about 7 to 9 pounds of baking soda if you want to treat 10,000 gallons of water. There might be some supermarkets that have a large stock of baking soda in huge containers.
But the easier option can be to buy the product in larger quantities when you visit a pool supply outlet. Not only will you get any desired amount from a pool supplier, but the container will also specify exactly how much product is the suggested amount for your pool.
So this is an added benefit when you are shopping for some baking soda specifically to treat your pool. But regardless wherever you buy the product from, make sure to check the labels to ensure what you are getting is sodium bicarbonate.
Maintaining the pH level of your hot tub is quite critical so that it doesn’t get damaged anytime soon. But the typically used chemicals from the market can be too dry and harsh for your skin and even cause severe burns. So if you are wondering, “Can I use baking soda to raise the pH in my hot tub?”, I get you.
In this article, I have explained how you can use this common household item to get the pH level of your hot tub back to normal. I hope the article has proved to be useful to you. Thank you for reading till now. Have a nice day.
