Keeping your pool water clean, clear, and comfortable starts with maintaining proper water chemistry. When your alkalinity, pH, and chlorine levels are in range, everything else becomes easier — your sanitizer works better, your water stays stable, and your pool equipment lasts longer.
This Clover Home Leisure Quick Dosing Guide gives you simple, reliable steps for adjusting your pool’s chemistry safely and effectively.
📊 Ideal Water Chemistry Ranges
These are the recommended levels for most residential swimming pools:
- Total Alkalinity: 80–120 ppm
- Acceptable up to 150 ppm if the water is clear and stable
- pH: 7.2–7.6
- Chlorine: 1–3 ppm (free chlorine)
Keeping these three in balance helps prevent cloudy water, algae growth, staining, scaling, and equipment damage.
🧪 How to Adjust Alkalinity
Increase Total Alkalinity
Use: Alkalinity Increaser (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- Dose: Add 1.5 lbs per 10,000 gallons to raise alkalinity by 10 ppm
Decrease Total Alkalinity
Use: Muriatic Acid
- Dose: Add ½ quart per 10,000 gallons to lower alkalinity by 10 ppm
- Only adjust alkalinity when levels exceed 150 ppm
⚠️ Safety Reminder:
Always add acid slowly, with the pump running, and never mix acid with other chemicals. Avoid splashing and store acid away from chlorine.
📉 How to Adjust pH
Increase pH
Use: pH Increaser (Sodium Carbonate / Soda Ash)
- If pH is 6.8–7.1 → Add 1 lb per 10,000 gallons
- If pH is below 6.8 → Add 1.5 lbs per 10,000 gallons
Application:
Add the total amount slowly over 30 minutes, allow water to circulate for 2 hours, then retest.
Decrease pH
Use: pH Decreaser (Sodium Bisulfate) or Muriatic Acid
- pH 7.7–8.0 → Add ¾ lb per 10,000 gallons
- pH 8.1–8.4 → Add 1¼ lbs per 10,000 gallons
- pH above 8.4 → Add 1.5 lbs per 10,000 gallons
Important:
- Never add more than 1.5 lbs at one time
- Allow 2 hours of circulation before adding more product
- Retest before making additional adjustments
🧼 Why Proper Dosing Matters
Balanced water protects:
- Your pool surface (prevents etching, scaling, staining)
- Your equipment (pumps, heaters, filters)
- Your sanitizer efficiency (chlorine works best at proper pH/alkalinity)
- Your swimmers (comfortable, irritation‑free water)
Small, consistent adjustments are always better than large corrections.
📘 Final Tips for Success
- Test water 2–3 times per week during peak season
- Make adjustments one chemical at a time
- Allow circulation time before retesting
- Keep chemicals stored safely and separately
- Bring a water sample to Clover for free professional testing anytime
Balanced water is the foundation of a beautiful pool — and with this quick dosing guide, you’ll always know exactly what to do.