Baking Soda Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a common household product used for cleaning, baking and — most importantly to pool owners — balancing the water in pools. If you have a robot pool cleaner or pool vacuum, you’re well aware of how crucial it is to maintain your pool’s pH at the right level. But what does baking soda have to do with it?
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) has a pH of 8.3, so it is an alkaline compound. And that is precisely why it’s frequently used to raise pH or total alkalinity in pool water. But that doesn’t mean you should be reckless with it and unbalance your pool and strain your pool vacuum cleaner or your swimming pool robot cleaner by applying it incorrectly.
The Role of Baking Soda In Pool Chemistry
You know baking soda isn’t just for storing in your fridge or as an ingredient in cookies — it’s also one of the least intimidating chemicals pool owners reach for when you ask them what’s in their pool closet. Adding baking soda can do the following when the pH of your water is beneath 7.2:
Increase pH and Alkalinity, which helps maintain proper water chemistry
Stop equipment from corroding such as pool skimmers and robot pool cleaner
Assist in prolonging the effectiveness of chlorine and lessening build-up which means no need for extreme measures like how to acid wash pool
Does Baking Soda Have Negative Effects on Pool Equipment?
If your pool water is too acidic, it could potentially damage some of the metal parts and result in greater debris than normal, and that means more work for your pool cleaning robot or pool vacuum robot.
Private High-End Equipment -Equipment such as the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro, and Beatbot AquaSense 2 is made to endure different types for water. But, continual low pH can eventually be beating on any type too, no matter if maytronics pool cleaner or any other brand.
Magically enough, if you utilize baking soda correctly, you can increase the life of robot pool systems and can reduce the wear and tear on your wall climbing pool cleaner.
The Best Way to Use Baking Soda in Pools
Here’s how you can safely use baking soda:
Test your water first: You want to test both pH as well as total alkalinity.
Apply 1.5 lbs per 10,000 gallons to increase Alkalinity by ~10 ppm.
Spread it out over your pool’s surface.
Wait six hours, and test your water again.
Run your swimming pool robot cleaner again to mix everything up, and in case you wanted to catch any dirt remaining.
Common Questions
Do pool robots take up algae from unbalanced water?
Yes, particularly savvy models with sophisticated sensors. But a balanced pH also makes your sanitizer more effective, and you’ll start with less algae.
How to drain an inground pool without a pump?
You can siphon it out or call in a professional. Check out our complete guide on draining an in-ground pool without a pump.
What is a pool booster pump?
It’s a booster pump that you use with pressure-side cleaners. Not that you need it for most robot pool cleaners anyway, including the Beatbot family, as they have their own self-contained motors.
Conclusion: Baking Soda and the Robot Pool Cleaner Edge
Well then, what’s the pH value of baking soda? It is about 8.3 – which means it’s a good alkalinity and pH booster for your pool. Using it correctly can help keep your robot pool cleaner (as well as supporting systems, such as your skimmer and pool vacuum) running longer.
Brands such as Beatbot can facilitate the maintenance of perfectly clear water with fewer efforts. Whether you use the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro, or the Beatbot AquaSense 2, a proper water chemistry will give you the best water clarity and extend the life of your product!
