Soda ash is a chemical used to raise the pH of water, and it is commonly used in commercial swimming pools that use acid feeders to suppress pH. It can also increase alkalinity slightly, but the doses of soda ash are quite small compared to sodium bicarbonate. Soda ash is not often used in residential pools because aeration and loss of CO2 is sufficient to raise pH naturally, and soda ash can complicate things for those pools.
To add soda ash to a swimming pool, it should be pre-dissolved in a bucket prior to adding to the pool. The following steps can be followed to add soda ash safely and properly:
- Use a reliable test kit that measures alkalinity and pH.
- Wear safety equipment such as glasses and gloves.
- Fill a 5-gallon plastic bucket with pool water.
- Measure the soda ash. You will need six ounces of soda ash for every 10,000 gallons of water in your pool.
- Add the soda ash to the bucket of pool water and stir it with a wooden paint-stirring stick or any other object you can stir with to dissolve the soda ash in the water.
- Pour the solution into your pool gradually around the pool.
It is important to note that soda ash can harm your skin if it touches you because of its high pH level, so goggles and gloves should be worn when handling it.
