If my swimming pool is too acidic, what chemical substance can I use to neutralize the pH level?

Question

What type of chemical reaction occurs to make this happen, and what are the products of this chemical reaction? Please explain in a chemical equation (reactants and products) format. Thanks.

Answer 1

You can try a weak base or the sodium salt of a weak acid, such as sodium bicarbonate, which is cheap as dirt, relatively speaking. Here, the reaction is
HCO3- + H+ -> [H2CO3] = CO2 + H2O. As CO2 is vented from the reactants, the reaction is driven to the right. If you need disinfection along with acid adjustment, you might try sodium bleach, NaOCl, the sodium salt of a weak acid.

Answer 2

The pH of near neutral water is dominated by the CO2 chemistry

CO2 + H2O ===> H2CO3 ===> H+ + HCO3-

So K = [H+] [HCO3-]/[CO2] or

pH = pK - log ([CO2]/[HCO3-]) .... Eqn 1

Soda ash (Na2CO3) or soda bicarb (NaHCO3) are commonly used to increase the pH pf a swimming pool. Given that the [CO2] level is relatively fixed by Henry's Law (equilibrium with the atmospheric CO2), increasing the [HCO3-] by bicarb addition will increase the pH according to Eqn 1.

The addition of sodium hypochlorite (pool chlorine) will also raise the pH as it supplies NaOH and this will neutralise the weak acids.

CO2 + NaOH ===> NaHCO3

HCO3- + 2NaOH ===> Na2CO3 +H2O + OH-

Answer 3

I always use this stuff the pool company that put my pool in called "shock" treatment and that gets all the levels and everything where they need to be... I hope I helped :)