How Much Baking Soda To Raise Alkalinity In Hot Tub?

How much baking soda to raise alkalinity in hot tub? If you didn’t know, the level of alkalinity in your hot tub is something that most people ignore, but maintaining it properly is very important.

While you can buy expensive chemicals to manipulate the pH value of the water in your hot tub, you might be surprised to know that baking soda is also an excellent option for increasing alkalinity.

But, most people don’t know about the quantity of baking soda that they need to add into their hot tub to increase the alkalinity.

A few tests revealed the following: For an ideal increase, you need to use a tablespoon of baking soda for every hundred gallons of water in the hot tub.

While the sizes of hot tubs usually vary, the average medium-sized hot tub is capable of holding around 600 gallons of water. So, according to the math, you will want to add six tablespoons of water to increase the alkalinity.

After that, you just have to let the baking soda circulate to spread it evenly and then adjust according to your needs.

How Much Baking Soda To Raise Alkalinity In Hot Tub?

As mentioned, you will want to add one tablespoon of baking soda for every hundred gallons of water in the hot tub. But, before you decide to do that, it would be a wise idea to go through the owner’s manual that came with your hot tub.

If you can’t find one, just call the hot tub manufacturer to find out the maximum capacity of your hot tub. Then, when you are going to add the baking soda, you need to turn off the jets.

Before you decide to add the baking soda as well, it’s important that you take a testing strip to check the pH value of the water in your hot tub. This will make it easy for you to determine just how much you need to add.

Once you add the baking soda, just turn on the jets and allow the water to circulate evenly. You will want to make sure that the jets remain on for at least four hours until the baking soda has mixed evenly throughout the water.

Then, you should consider testing the pH value of the water again to check if it is safe. More importantly, you should also check the alkalinity level and see if it falls between 80 and 120 parts per million.

Is Baking Soda a Wise Choice for Use in Hot Tubs for Raising the pH?

The pH value of most liquids is designed to indicate their acidity or alkalinity. If it is above 7, the liquid is deemed to be alkaline. Similarly, if it’s below 7, it’s acidic. At 7, the liquid is balanced.

While there are quite a few chemicals and liquids that you can use to raise the pH value of your hot tub, you should know that some of these are a bit harmful, and could cause severe burns to your skin if you don’t know how to use them properly.

Thankfully, there are a few common items such as baking soda that you can use to raise the pH value without having to worry about the additional danger.

If you own a hot tub, you should know that baking soda can be extremely helpful in raising the pH value. Baking soda is capable of raising the pH value of your hot tub accordingly.

The ideal pH value for the water in your hot tub should be between 7.2 and 7.8. anything more or anything less might be a problem.

If you add too much baking soda, the pH value will rise, and this will create too much alkalinity. Ultimately, this could cause damage to the heating system and other components installed within the hot tub. That’s definitely not what you want!

Understanding Total Alkalinity

The pH value is designed to measure the level of acidity in the water. On the other hand, alkalinity is the measure of the water to neutralize the acids. While the two interact with each other, think of them as lying on the opposite ends of a spectrum.

Ideally, the alkalinity level of your hot tub should lie between 80 and 120 parts per million.

Will Baking Soda Raise the pH as Well as Alkalinity?

The two go hand in hand. You can’t raise the pH value in your hot tub without affecting the alkalinity of the water. Similarly, when you add baking soda, it doesn’t just increase the pH value, but it also raises the alkalinity.

To figure out just how much of an increase has been registered, you might want to test the pH value before you add baking soda.

There are conventional pH value test strips available that change a certain color depending on the level of alkalinity or acidity in the water. Keep in mind, however, that one rises significantly whereas the other doesn’t.

Understanding pH Values

Now it’s time for a little science refresher. The pH values range from 0 to 14, and 7 is when it’s neutral. If the value is below 7, we say that the liquid is acidic. On the other hand, if it is above 7, it’s alkaline.

Ideally, you will not want the pH value to increase above the 7.8 mark. Similarly, you don’t want the water to turn acidic either.

This is going to increase corrosion that could cause serious damage to your hot tub. If your pH value is above 7.8, it could cause skin problems as well.

When you take a dip in water that has a higher pH value, it could cause itching and your skin might turn red. The water is likely to turn thicker and cloudy, and scale deposits may form on the pipes and the jets. It’s the last thing that you want!

For those who don’t know, scale is white and chalky buildup that usually appears due to hard water. It can also build up within the pipes, so it’s not limited to the surface.

Ultimately, it can cause the pipes to get clogged and can sustain damage. In worst situations, scale deposits can cause the heater and the water pump to fail as well.

Needless to say, it’s something that you need to fix quickly otherwise your hot tub will end up costing you a significant amount of money in repairs.

What About Other Products?

Remember, baking soda is just a last resort of sorts. It’s not necessary for you to use baking soda all the time, although it’s a great choice if you want to save money.

If you want to raise the pH value without raising the alkalinity by a significant margin, you will want to choose an alkalinity increaser. There are quite a few brands that are designed primarily for this sole purpose.

Most people often wonder about the difference between baking soda and the conventional alkalinity increases that are available in the market. There really isn’t much of a difference, so to speak.

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, and it is used to raise the alkalinity by a significant margin, while the pH value doesn’t rise by much.

Most of the alkalinity increasers that you get on the market are the same. You might want to flip the box and look at the ingredients, and you will realize that they also contain sodium bicarbonate.

Essentially, they are made from the same sodium bicarbonate. Ultimately, you are buying the same thing with just a little bit of derivatives. It’s really not a lot.

Safe Practices

Ideally, before you are going to raise the pH value, it would be a wise idea to test it first. You should always have a box of litmus strips handy so that you can evaluate the pH value of your water and then determine whether it needs to be raised or not.

If not, you can always get in without going through the extra trouble. Similarly, you should be a bit careful with the use of baking soda.

Most people get too heavy-handed with baking soda and it eventually gets into their hot tub’s pipes and jets and could cause serious damage.

That’s not something that you would want at all. Therefore, it’s recommended that you read about the use of baking soda and be very gentle about adding it into your hot tub.