How to use it
- Test your pool's pH and total alkalinity with a kit or strips.
- Enter both, plus your pool volume and the strength of your acid.
- Add about three-quarters of the recommended dose, let it circulate, then re-test before adding more.
Why alkalinity matters for pH
Total alkalinity is pH's buffer — it's the reason a splash of acid doesn't crash your pH. The higher your alkalinity, the more acid it takes to move pH the same amount, which is why a calculator that ignores alkalinity gives you the wrong dose. We factor it in.
Acid vs. soda ash
To lower pH, use muriatic acid (or dry acid). To raise it, soda ash works fast but also raises alkalinity — if your alkalinity is already fine, simply aerating the water (running features, jets up) raises pH without touching it.