Rather than investing in chemical products, which are expensive and polluting and which can cause allergies in bathers, you can clean and treat your pool without fear, especially if the water turns green. Let’s see how to clean the pool, correct the Alkalimetric Title (TAC) or even raise a Hydrogen potential (pH) that is too low just by using this white powder called bicarbonate de sodium. But by the way, what exactly is bicarbonate?
What is Baking Soda?
What is commonly called baking soda – which is more accurately called bicarbonate de sodium – is actually thehydrogénocarbonate de sodium. Simply put, it is a compound of the anion (negative ion) of hydrogen carbonate and the cation (positive ion) of sodium. It can, among other things, be obtained from brackish water that is treated, from natural deposits of tronite (a mineral rare in Europe but common in certain desert areas) or from saline rocks.
Sodium bicarbonate comes in three types (officinal – we also say medicinal -, food and technical) which are differentiated by the degree of purity. Whatever its form, it is a product very widely used for its availablityson very low price for purchase but also for its safety. Depending on its category, it can be used for body care, maintenance of the house, car, garden, kitchen, etc. It should be noted, however, that if the food type is suitable for all areas, the technical type should in no case be used for food or even medicinal use.
To return to the subject which concerns us here, it is with the technical baking soda that you can treat your pool. It is recommended to use food-grade sodium bicarbonate to take care of his swimming pool even if it is a biological swimming pool.
Swimming pool maintenance: the benefits of sodium bicarbonate
Bicarbonate is of great versatility. It is in any case an excellent solution that you can use with confidence to clean your swimming pool but also to treat the water in the pool. Economical, non-polluting, simple to use, it is THE swimming pool product to always have on hand.
Clean your swimming pool with baking soda
The cleaning of the swimming pool must be carried out very regularly during the swimming season. Note that the more bathers there are, the more frequently it must be cleaned.
Regularly clean the bottom of the pool
Pour remove all algae and the various debris and dirt, simply spread the white powder on the water line at a rate of 40 to 45 g of sodium bicarbonate per cubic meter of water. The bicarbonate must then be given time to dissolve, observing a waiting period of around twelve hours. At the end, all that remains is to vacuum manually or with the robotic pool then to launch a backwash (filter back-rinsing or backwashing). This step is very important because it allows you to take off and then eliminate all the sand that has accumulated in the filter.
Clean the synthetic pool filter
Soaking the filter for approximately 7 to 9 hours in water containing sodium bicarbonate must be followed by careful rinsing with clear water.
Treat pool water with baking soda
Cleaning your swimming pool is good, but you also have to treat the water so that it is healthy and clear.
Prevent the proliferation of algae and bacteria
When the outside temperature rises, bicarbonate is essential. At the time of pool recommissioningthat is to say following his winteringwe proceed exactly as we do to clean the bottom of the pool (see above).
Obtain an ideal pH
Nothing is more unpleasant than swimming pool water as green as the lawn. This greening is frequent in swimming pools where the water has a high level of acidity. It is accepted that the ideal pH for pool water is 7,4. If this Hydrogen potential is less than 6, the water becomes green. It must therefore be softened (we also say alkalize it) but not too much since the pH must not exceed 8.
To do this, simply pour sodium bicarbonate into the water. The result is quite spectacular because in a very short period of time, the pool water changes from greenish to a very pleasant clarity. The approximate dosage is 1.5 to 2 kg of bicarbonate for a very large pool, 1 kg for a medium-sized pool and 0.5 kg for a small pool.
Correct the TAC (Alkalimetric Title)
The mineral salt content (calcium and potassium in particular) is indicated in different ways, namely in milligrams per liter of water (mg/L), in Parts Per Million (ppm) or in French degrees (°f). When everything is normal, the TAC is more or less 120 mg/L which can also be written as 120 ppm and 12°f.
Many factors influence the TAC such as the temperature water, the brewing water that is obtained thanks to devices of the cascade type for example. Of course the products that are added to the pool water such as pH reducers and enhancers (Hydrogen potential) also vary the TAC. All these phenomena directly impact the characteristics of the water in the basin and consequently its Alkalimetric Title which can decrease or increase. It is therefore imperative to correct it.
The pH having a direct impact on the TAC, to know if it is necessary to rectify the Alcalimetric Title it is enough simply to measure the pH of water. With a TAC below the norm, the pH is necessarily low and if the TAC is higher, the pH has also increased.
When the TAC is too low, this promotes pH instability. Limestone deposits multiply and the water loses its clarity until it becomes extremely cloudy. Sodium bicarbonate being a alkaline compoundIt is perfect for correcting this type of problem. But adding baking soda to the pool water to correct the TAC is not done on the fly. The precision is rigorous. To raise the TAC by a single French degree (1°f), you must add to the water in the pool 16.3 g of sodium bicarbonate per M3 of water.
This white powder is completely environmentally friendly. And in terms of health, it poses no risk of allergy. It is also perfect for people with atopic skin, whether children or adults. Moreover, sodium bicarbonate is strongly recommended by swimming pool specialists.