I know a lot of folks use baking soda instead of pre-packaged alkalinity increases but there's a controversial pool care hack that touts baking soda as some sort of magic cure all. The advice has been shared a million times and recently went viral. This tip just doesn't seem to jibe with what I know about pool chemistry. It would seem to me that if you're routinely needing to add bicarb to your pool every other day, there is probably something else going on that needs to be addressed. Nothing about this video seems based on best practices or professional advice but got picked up by mainstream media outlets all the same. Thought I would open it up for debate here.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,062
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Nothing to debate.
Some people believe yoy-yoing pH and TA is normal pool care.
Some people believe yoy-yoing pH and TA is normal pool care.
I honestly didn't know that was an aspirational goal to shoot for.
- Apr 10, 2018
- 5,189
- Pool Size
- 18375
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45
When the baking soda hack doesn't work, she's got a cure for algae as well...copper pipe:
Don't get me started. I actually had a full-blown aneurysm when I watched that one.
Flying Tivo
TFP Guide
- Jan 24, 2017
- 2,966
- Pool Size
- 7500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
You mean I shouldn't throw a bunch of magic erasers in my skimmer even though Facebook said it's what all the cool kids are doing?Dont get me started!
- May 23, 2015
- 24,464
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I will never understand why anyone listens to anything posted on the interwebz …. oh wait … 
I’m pretty sure that TikTok and YouTube have a very stringent process to verify all videos for safety and accuracy before they allow people to post, so anything you see has to be legitimate.
Just a treasure trove of bad pool care advice. Cheers to all the news outlets who propagate this stuff as fact while doing absolutely zero homework.
People love “Hacks” and anyone can make any claim with zero logic or proof.
This one simple hearing hack improves your hearing by 1,000%.
Pouring this “secret” ingredient into your gas tank increases your mileage by 100X and gas companies are furious.
Doctors don’t want you to know this one simple trick to curing your cancer overnight.
The IRS doesn’t want you to know this one simple trick to paying zero taxes.
This one simple hearing hack improves your hearing by 1,000%.
Pouring this “secret” ingredient into your gas tank increases your mileage by 100X and gas companies are furious.
Doctors don’t want you to know this one simple trick to curing your cancer overnight.
The IRS doesn’t want you to know this one simple trick to paying zero taxes.
In a 25k gallon pool, 1 cup of baking soda a day will raise the TA 10 weekly. Or 12k gallons every other day. It will aid the forever sinking TA/Ph from habitual puck use.
Exactly. I did a podcast about these two hacks the other day with my friend who is a CPO instructor and we were talking about how these old wives' tales get regurgitated again and again as "hacks" then we had a good laugh comparing the baking soda and copper pipe hacks to how Robitussin cures everything from pneumonia to a broken leg.
A little sodium bicarb can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered but I'd be far out on a limb if I suggested people just dose their pool without testing the water and just make it part of their daily routine, no matter where they live, what type of pool they own, or what the environmental conditions are. I think that kind of careless advice being circulated out there on social media creates many more problems than it solves.
In a 25k gallon pool, 1 cup of baking soda a day will raise the TA 10 weekly. Or 12k gallons every other day. It will aid the forever sinking TA/Ph from habitual puck use.
#preach.
But the tab loving folks aren't testing or paying attention to anything anyway. They chew through tabs like they're tic-tacs and then dump and pray when it spirals out of control.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,062
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Just another pill for them to pop.
Don’t pills solve all your problems and make you feel better?