There is no more important element to maintaining a healthy, attractive and comfortable swimming/bathing environment than water chemistry.
Each time you add anything, in the way of chemicals, you are affecting more than just the reading you are trying to adjust.
Below is an easy-to-reference list of some of the most common balancing chemicals and how they effect each other:
Muriatic Acid is used to lower pH as well as Total Alkalinity.
To raise pH, Soda Ash is used which has an effect on Total Alkalinity albeit not as great.
To raise Total Alkalinity, Bicarbonate of Soda (or Sodium Bicarbonate, also known as Baking Soda) is the chemical you would use. This has a slight influence on your pH.
The most important thing to remember when adjusting either of these two factors is, always adjust Alkalinity first! If you need to lower your pH and you are starting with a Total Alkalinity that is at the lower end of the acceptable range (80-120ppm) you need to raise that number first.
Depending on the sanitizer you are using, that will effect your pH either raising or lowering it depending on the pH number associated with your sanitizer of choice.
Liquid Chlorine has a pH up around 13 which will cause your pH to rise when used. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 Quart of Muriatic Acid for every Gallon of Liquid Chlorine you put into the water to help counter that high pH value.
Granular Chlorine and Tabs both have a low pH so you need to keep an eye on your pH and Alkalinity levels to be sure that they do not get to low which would indicate that your water is too acidic.
There are many calculators available online as well as several different apps that calculate chemical dosing schedules but there is only one out there that takes ALL the factors into consideration when recommending adding anything to your pool or spa. Please take advantage of this site and use it for free for 30 days. After the free trial it only costs $3.99 per month. About the cost of one gallon of chlorine.
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