- Did you know that you can replace most
of your expensive pool chemicals
with common household products?
Well, if you wanna stop spending extra money on things like
chlorine tablets or alkalinity increaser,
here's what you can use instead.
Bleach, baking soda, soda ash,
and muriatic acid.
Knowing how to use each one could help you save
hundreds on pool chemicals.
So here's a step-by-step guide
on how to maintain your pool
using these things you find
at the grocery store or your hardware store.
Let's dive in.
(upbeat music)
Hey, it's Matt from Swim University
and before we get into this video,
if you want more help taking care of your pool,
be sure to grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimu.com/cheatsheet.
It's totally free and it's gonna help you keep your pool
clean and clear throughout the year.
(water whirling)
When it comes to your pool's water chemistry,
there are a few levels that matter the most
for regular weekly maintenance,
chlorine, pH, alkalinity, cyanuric acid.
The right chlorine levels keep your water sanitized
and free from things like bacteria and algae.
And the proper pH keeps your water neutral
so it's not too acidic and it's not too basic.
There are also two other elements that help
with your chlorine and pH.
Total alkalinity, which helps your pH
from fluctuating wildly
and cyanuric acid or CYA
which helps protect your chlorine
from breaking down in the sun.
Now, to keep these levels in check,
you'll want to test the water at least once a week
and add the right chemicals
to rebalance your water chemistry.
And that usually means going to the pool store
and buying chemicals like alkalinity increaser,
pH increaser, pH decreaser, chlorine tablets or granules
and chlorine stabilizer.
Now, depending on the size of your pool,
that list can cost you hundreds of dollars.
The good news is,
is that most of these chemicals can actually be replaced
with regular store-bought items.
You can find their substitutes in the laundry aisle,
the baking section, or at your local hardware store,
and most of them have the same active ingredient
as the pool chemical they replace.
So here's how to maintain your pool
with common household products instead.
Now, a quick note before adding anything else
to your water,
you wanna test your water levels
so that you know what needs adjusting,
and always wear the right safety gear
like goggles and gloves,
even when using household products.
You'll also wanna add things slowly to your water
with the pump and filter running
and retest your water chemistry between each dosing.
Finally, make sure that you adjust your water chemistry
in the right order.
You wanna follow this sequence for the best results.
You wanna balance your alkalinity first,
then your pH, and finally your chlorine.
They each affect one another,
so balancing them in the right order is gonna help.
Okay, common household product number one is
to use baking soda to raise your alkalinity.
Alkalinity increaser that's sold at the pool store
has just one active ingredient,
and that's sodium bicarbonate.
And sodium bicarbonate is just baking soda.
So adding baking soda to your water
will raise your alkalinity levels.
It will also slightly raise your pH since alkalinity
and pH work hand in hand,
but you'll notice a greater change in your alkalinity.
How much baking soda do you need?
Well, for a 10,000 gallon pool,
you need about 1.5 pounds of baking soda
to raise your alkalinity by 10 parts per million.
And after you raise your alkalinity,
your pH might naturally rise with it.
Common household product number two,
use soda ash to raise your pH.
Soda ash also known as washing soda,
has the same active ingredient as pH increaser,
and that's sodium carbonate.
Found in the laundry aisle,
soda ash can be used to raise your pH,
so just make sure that the soda ash is 100% sodium carbonate
without any additives.
You might also see tubs of soda ash in the pool store,
but you can usually find a cheaper elsewhere.
So how much soda ash do you need?
Well, for every 10,000 gallons of water,
it takes about a half a pound of soda ash
to raise your pH by 0.2.
So if your pH is lower than seven,
start by adding one pound of soda ash at a time
for every 10,000 gallons of water.
Now, keep in mind that your total alkalinity
will slightly go up to,
but you'll notice a greater change in your pH.
But here's an even better secret.
You can actually bring up your pH levels without adding
any chemicals at all.
Aerating your water with a water fountain
or a water feature will naturally raise pH levels
without affecting your alkalinity
and without having to add anything to your water.
Be sure to check out our other video if you need more help.
Household product number three,
use muriatic acid to lower your pH and your alkalinity.
Muriatic acid can be used to replace pH decreaser
or dry acid.
If you already have muriatic acid on hand
for cleaning surface stains or pool filters.
You can also use it to lower your pH.
Now, just keep in mind that it's more hazardous
to handle than pH decreaser.
So you wanna wear the right safety gear,
and you wanna check out our other video about safely adding
muriatic acid to your pool.
So how much muriatic acid do you need?
Well, if your pH is between 7.8
and eight, you'll need to add about a pint
or two cups of muriatic acid
for every 10,000 gallons of water.
This will bring your pH down to the proper range
between 7.4 and 7.6.
If you have a smaller pool,
start extra slowly and add one cup or less
of muriatic acid at a time.
Finally, household product number four,
use bleach or liquid chlorine to sanitize your water.
You need chlorine to keep your water sanitized,
but it doesn't have to be tablets or granules.
Household bleach and liquid chlorine
both contain the same active ingredient,
which is sodium hypochlorite.
Liquid chlorine contains about 10 to 12% chlorine by volume.
Now, bleach from the grocery store is less concentrated
with about 7% to 8%.
If you're buying bleach,
make sure it is 100% sodium hypochlorite
and there's no added scent
or other ingredients.
Better yet, look at the labels at the store
that say chlorinating liquid.
This usually has a higher concentration of chlorine.
Now, for a maintenance dose of liquid chlorine,
you'll need about one gallon
for every 10,000 gallons of water.
This should bring your chlorine into range
if it's on the lowish side, around one part per million.
Now, if you're using bleach,
you'll need to double the dose since it's less concentrated.
When adding it to your pool,
just be sure to pour around the perimeter of your pool
with the jets running so it doesn't settle on any surfaces
and bleach your liner if you have one.
Check out our other video for more help
on how to add chlorine the right way.
Now, the downside to bleach
or liquid chlorine is how much you'll need to have on hand
to keep your water sanitized.
It's definitely heavier
and it takes up way more space
than chlorine granules or tablets.
And if you need to shock your pool,
say to get rid of algae,
then you're gonna need to add twice as much
or even triple the amount to your water.
But this type of chlorine can be a good option
for smaller pools that are about 10,000 gallons or less.
Now, what about salt water pools?
Bleach or liquid chlorine can be a great option
for shocking your pool if you have algae
or if you have cloudy water.
But you shouldn't need to worry about adding any extra
chlorine as long as your salt water
generator is running properly.
So those are the common household chemicals
that'll take care of most of your water chemistry needs.
But there are two other pool chemicals
that you still might need to buy.
That's chlorine stabilizer and calcium hardness increaser.
Now, chlorine stabilizer,
which is also known as cyanuric acid or CYA,
helps protect your chlorine from breaking down
under the sun's UV rays.
Chlorine tablets and granules
are types of stabilized chlorine,
meaning that they already contain CYA.
Now bleach or liquid chlorine does not,
which means it's unstabilized,
and that means it'll break down quickly in direct sunlight.
Salt water pools also need stabilizer
to protect the chlorine it produces.
If you're using bleach or lipid chlorine
to sanitize your pool, you have two choices.
You can either add chlorine almost every day to your water
after it breaks down in the sun,
or you can add a chlorine stabilizer,
aka cyanuric acid to your water
to keep the chlorine protected.
Your CYA level should be between 30
and 50 parts per million.
The other chemical you might need
is calcium hardness increaser.
Low calcium hardness levels in your water
can corrode your pool surfaces and your equipment.
And high calcium hardness can cause scaling and buildup.
If it's too low,
you'll need to add calcium hardness increaser.
But if you take down your pool every year,
then you don't need to worry about hardness in your water.
That's because the erosion from low calcium hardness levels
happens over a longer period of time.
And finally, no matter what products you add to your water,
they won't work if you don't keep your filter
and your pool surfaces clean.
So make sure that you're cleaning
or back washing your filter,
skimming your surfaces and brushing and vacuuming your pool.
And if you need more help with pool care,
be sure to grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimu.com/cheatsheet.
And if you found this video helpful,
be sure to subscribe and check out our channel
for more tutorials.
That's it, thanks again and happy swimming.