How much soda ash should be used to raise the pH from 6.8 to 7.4?

To determine the correct amount of soda ash required to raise the pH from 6.8 to 7.4 in a swimming pool, it's important to understand the role of soda ash, which is sodium carbonate. This chemical is effective in increasing the pH level of pool water.

The general guideline for using soda ash is that 1.4 ounces of soda ash per 10,000 gallons of water can raise the pH by about 0.2 units. Since the pH needs to be raised by 0.6 units (from 6.8 to 7.4), calculations suggest that it is necessary to use a proportional amount of soda ash.

If we apply the guideline:

• To raise the pH from 6.8 to 7.4 (a 0.6 increase), approximately 1.4 ounces would be required for each 0.2 increase. Thus, for a 0.6 increase, you would multiply the amount by 3 (since 0.6 is three times 0.2), leading to 4.2 ounces for 10,000 gallons.

This means that in practice, for a typical residential pool size (let’s say around