By The Zagosa Team. Published .
Reviewed or updated .
Total alkalinity matters in hot tubs and pools because it holds your pH steady. Total alkalinity, or TA, helps stop brown staining forming on walls and floor tiles, and it heads off the corrosion problems that can drain the chemicals out of your system. Keeping it right also helps keep the surface free of foam and dirt. Aim to hold total alkalinity between 80 and 120ppm.
TA increasers raise total alkalinity and come as a powder or a liquid. The Zagosa Spa & Pool Total Alkalinity Increaser works for hot tubs, swim spas, inflatable spas and pools.
Total alkalinity increasers act as both an alkalinity increaser and a pH increaser in one, so you can nudge your TA up without meddling with your pH. It is an economical way to manage or raise TA compared with traditional sodium bicarbonate boosters or calcium carbonate products, which can be up to 50% filler that does nothing useful.
Total alkalinity is close to total hardness (TH), but it specifically measures the alkaline content that balanced water can neutralise. Total hardness is just one of the things that shapes TA, along with calcium and magnesium. Once you grasp that, it is easier to see how to keep total alkalinity where it belongs in your hot tub or pool.
Why not to use supermarket sodium bicarbonate in your spa or pool
There are a few reasons to steer clear of supermarket sodium bicarbonate. First, it has no additives to help stabilise the pH. Second, it can take up to 24 hours for the water to heat and settle. There are also no dosing instructions, so it is hard to control the total alkalinity. And for spas with sensitive softener resin filters, it can cause damage, because there is no guidance on the right balance between salt level and total alkalinity.
Struggling with high pH and alkalinity? Have a read of our blog on high pH and alkalinity in your hot tub.