What Happens If Pool Water Becomes Too Alkaline?

Maintaining proper water balance is essential for the health and safety of your pool. Alkalinity is one of the key factors in achieving this balance. When your pool’s alkalinity level becomes too high, it can lead to a variety of issues that not only affect the water quality but can also damage the pool equipment. In this post, we’ll go over what happens if pool water becomes too alkaline, why it occurs, and how to fix it.

What Is Alkalinity in Pool Water?

Alkalinity refers to the concentration of alkaline substances in your pool water, such as bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides. These substances help stabilize the pH level of your pool water, ensuring that it remains within a safe and comfortable range for swimmers. Alkalinity acts as a buffer against rapid pH fluctuations and ensures that the water remains balanced.

• Low Alkalinity: Low alkalinity can cause pH levels to fluctuate, making it harder to maintain a balanced pool. When alkalinity is too low, the pH can drop, leading to acidic water.
• High Alkalinity: If the alkalinity is too high, it can lead to high pH levels, causing the water to become more alkaline, which can lead to a host of problems.

The ideal alkalinity level for pool water is typically between 80 and 120 ppm (parts per million). This range helps maintain a stable pH and keeps the water safe for swimmers.

What Happens If Pool Water Becomes Too Alkaline?

When pool water becomes too alkaline, it can lead to several issues that affect both the water quality and pool equipment. Let’s break down the potential consequences of high alkalinity:

Cloudy Water

One of the most noticeable problems caused by high alkalinity is cloudy water. Cloudiness occurs when minerals in the water become less soluble due to high alkalinity, leading to the formation of particles that make the water appear hazy.

• Cause: High alkalinity causes calcium and other minerals to precipitate out of solution, forming white, cloudy particles that cloud the pool water.
• Solution: To clear up cloudy water, you’ll need to lower the alkalinity and ensure that your calcium hardness levels are within the recommended range.

Cloudy water can make your pool uninviting and harder to enjoy. If left untreated, it can also affect your filtration system’s efficiency.

Difficulty Maintaining pH Levels

High alkalinity also makes it difficult to maintain proper pH levels. The high alkalinity acts as a buffer that resists changes to the pH, meaning that even if you add acid to lower the pH, it might not stay in the optimal range.

• Cause: When the alkalinity is too high, it prevents the pH from being properly adjusted. You may notice that no matter how much acid you add, the pH remains high.
• Solution: The first step is to lower the alkalinity. Once the alkalinity is within the recommended range, you can then adjust the pH to the ideal range of 7.2 to 7.8.

Maintaining proper pH levels is crucial for pool water comfort and for preventing damage to pool surfaces and equipment.

Scale Buildup on Pool Surfaces

High alkalinity levels can also cause scale buildup on the pool’s surfaces, as well as the plumbing and equipment. This can make the water feel rough and lead to long-term damage if left unaddressed.

• Cause: When alkalinity is too high, it leads to an increase in calcium hardness. This can cause calcium to deposit on surfaces, forming unsightly white, chalky deposits.
• Solution: To prevent scale buildup, you need to lower both the alkalinity and calcium hardness levels. Regular maintenance and cleaning of the pool surfaces can also help prevent deposits from building up.

Scale buildup can lead to costly repairs and significantly reduce the efficiency of your pool’s equipment.

Equipment Damage

Excessive alkalinity can also damage your pool equipment, including the heater, pump, and filter. When the pH level is high due to high alkalinity, minerals in the water can start to form deposits on the pool equipment, potentially causing clogs or damage.

• Cause: High pH and high alkalinity levels encourage mineral deposits, which can clog the filter, damage the pump, and reduce the effectiveness of the heater.
• Solution: Maintaining the correct alkalinity and pH levels will prevent mineral buildup on the equipment and help it run more efficiently.

Failing to control high alkalinity can shorten the lifespan of your pool equipment and result in higher repair and maintenance costs.

Irritated Skin and Eyes

High alkalinity can cause skin and eye irritation for swimmers. Just like swimming in a pool with unbalanced chemicals, water that’s too alkaline can be uncomfortable to be in.

• Cause: Alkaline water tends to be more irritating to the skin and eyes. The higher pH levels dry out skin and cause stinging eyes.
• Solution: Keeping the pH within the proper range (7.2 to 7.8) ensures that the water is comfortable for swimmers and helps prevent skin and eye irritation.

Making sure your water is properly balanced will ensure that your pool is a pleasant experience for everyone who uses it.

How to Fix High Alkalinity in Pool Water

If you’ve discovered that your pool water is too alkaline, there are several steps you can take to correct the problem and restore proper balance.

Test the Water

Before you take any corrective measures, it’s essential to test your pool water. Testing the water will give you a clear understanding of how high the alkalinity is and if the pH level is also elevated.

• Use a test kit: A reliable pool test kit will measure your pool’s total alkalinity. If it’s above 120 ppm, it’s time to take action.
• Test pH levels: You should also test the pH level. If the pH is higher than 7.8, it’s a clear indication that your alkalinity is too high.

Testing the water ensures that you are making adjustments based on accurate data.

Add Acid to Lower Alkalinity

The most common method to lower alkalinity is by adding acid to the water. Muriatic acid is typically used to reduce both pH and alkalinity levels.

• Muriatic acid: This powerful acid is commonly used to lower pool alkalinity. It is important to handle it with care.
• Add in small doses: Slowly add the acid to the pool in small doses. Avoid dumping it in all at once.
• Follow safety precautions: Always wear gloves and goggles when handling muriatic acid. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Adding acid in small doses will allow you to control the reduction in alkalinity and prevent making the water too acidic.

Run the Pump

After adding the acid, run the pool pump to ensure the acid is evenly distributed throughout the water.

• Circulate the water: The pool pump will help mix the acid with the water, allowing the alkalinity levels to drop evenly.
• Wait 24 hours: After adding acid, wait at least 24 hours before retesting the water. This will give the acid enough time to circulate and adjust the alkalinity.

Retest and Adjust pH

Once you’ve lowered the alkalinity, retest both the pH and alkalinity to ensure they are within the recommended range.

• Adjust pH: If necessary, adjust the pH by adding more acid or pH increaser to bring the water to the ideal pH range (7.2–7.8).
• Monitor regularly: Continue to test and adjust the water as needed.

Maintain Regular Pool Care

To prevent high alkalinity from becoming an issue again, it’s essential to maintain a regular pool care routine.

• Test the water weekly: Test your pool water at least once a week to ensure the alkalinity remains within the correct range.
• Regularly clean the filter: Clean your pool filter at least once a month to ensure proper water flow and filtration.
• Cover your pool: When the pool is not in use, keep it covered to prevent debris from affecting the water chemistry.

By staying on top of pool maintenance and testing, you can avoid high alkalinity issues in the future.