Pool & spa
Clearwater Total Alkalinity TA Plus dupe
Why pay around £11.99 for Clearwater? The bulk active is Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate — 93% less per working litre than a typical shelf pack.
From the retail pack to the active and the mix
1 · Retail
Clearwater Total Alkalinity TA Plus
1 kg tub · £11.99 typical snapshot
None (pure salt)
2 · Active
Sodium bicarbonate
100% on the label
144-55-8NaHCO3
Bulk Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate
3 · Mix
18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm
£0.78 per working litre · 93% less than the shelf pack
- Active
- Sodium bicarbonate
- CAS
- 144-55-8
- Dupe
- Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate
- Saving
- 93% / L
Saving is per litre of working-strength mix versus a typical pack price, not versus the DIY kit total. Shop prices move — always check the listing.
Label teardown
What the pack promises versus what the label chemistry actually is.
The marketing claim
“Stops pH bounce and erratic swings”
The chemical reality
Standard baking soda sold at a 1,200% retail markup under spa branding.
Active vs filler
100% Sodium bicarbonate · 0% carrier / filler — None (pure salt)
- Typical retail
- £11.99
- 1 kg tub
- Estimated active cost
- £0.78
- Scaled from bulk £19.50 / 25 kg sack
- Indicative markup
- 15.4×
- Snapshot maths, not a live shop price
The Marketing Claim & The Catch
A 1 kg tub pack of Clearwater Total Alkalinity TA Plus typically retails around £11.99 in pool & spa. That is a UK shelf-price snapshot for the maths on this page — not a live shop quote or a manufacturer RRP. Listings, sizes and deals move. The marketing line is that you are buying a finished lifestyle product, not a weighed chemical.
On the pack: Stops pH bounce and erratic swings; Protects hot tub and pool equipment from corrosion; and Essential baseline buffer.
The catch: Standard baking soda sold at a 1,200% retail markup under spa branding.
- “Stops pH bounce and erratic swings”
- “Protects hot tub and pool equipment from corrosion”
- “Essential baseline buffer”
Proprietary Blend & Dosage Breakdown
The labelled active is Sodium bicarbonate at 100%. Everything else in the pack is none (pure salt).
Even when the pack is sold as “pure” or ready-to-use, the dose that actually does the work is Sodium bicarbonate. The rest is how they get it into a bottle you will pick up.
Branded working strength is whatever comes out of the bottle. The bulk alternative is 100% Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate, mixed to 18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm.
- Labelled active
- Sodium bicarbonate
- 100%
- Carrier
- None (pure salt)
- Retail pack
- 1 kg tub · £11.99
The Active Chemical Alternative (Dupe Stack)
The dupe stack is Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate at 100% bulk. Indexed as CAS 144-55-8, formula NaHCO3. Buy it as 25 kg sack for around £19.50 from Amazon UK.
Working strength: 18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm. Indicative cost £0.78 per diluted litre — 93% below a typical branded pack on a per-litre basis, before you reuse leftover bulk.
Follow the mixing method and the supplier SDS. Wear the listed PPE. Do not mix incompatible oxidisers, acids or ammonia.
- Test water with standard test strips to establish baseline TA (ideal range: 80–120 ppm).
- Dissolve the required weight of sodium bicarbonate in a clean bucket of warm spa water.
- Pour slowly around the perimeter with the circulation pumps running.
Dilution recipe
1,000 L pool / spa volume
Working strength 18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm. Educational estimate from the listed ratio — check the SDS before you mix.
Chemical
18 grams
Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate
Water
1,000 litres
Carrier / diluent
0% concentrate · 100% water by working volume (solids are dissolved into the water share).
Required PPE
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Side-by-Side Price & Potency Comparison
Head-to-head comparison
| Measure | Retail brandedClearwater | Raw active dupeDupeStack |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Total Alkalinity TA PlusAmazon UK search — listing, not a confirmed seller | Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate |
| Pack / unit | 1 kg tub · £11.99 | 25 kg sack · £19.50 |
| Active | Sodium bicarbonate at 100%Carrier: None (pure salt) | 100% bulkNaHCO3 |
| CAS number | Not disclosed on pack | 144-55-8 |
| Working strength | Ready-to-use pack | Dilute 18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm |
| Cost per litre | £11.99 / pack | £0.78 / L mixed from bulk |
| Headline saving | Baseline | 93% cheaper |
| COSHH / PPE | Follow the branded SDS | Gloves. Chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile or neoprene)Eye protection. Indirect-vent splash goggles — not ordinary spectacles |
Active ingredient and cheaper alternative — FAQ
What is the active ingredient in Clearwater?
Clearwater Total Alkalinity TA Plus is labelled as Sodium bicarbonate at 100%. The carrier is None (pure salt). Pack size: 1 kg tub. The bulk equivalent we index is Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate (CAS 144-55-8).
Is Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate safe on the intended surface?
Used at the listed working strength (18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm), the dupe is the same chemistry as the branded pack for pool and spa water once dosed from a test kit. That is not a blanket all-clear: read the supplier SDS, wear the listed PPE, keep acids away from hypochlorite, and follow UK HSE/COSHH rules. Wellness teardowns are supplements, not medicines.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Clearwater Total Alkalinity TA Plus?
Yes. The bulk equivalent is Food / technical grade sodium bicarbonate (CAS 144-55-8). Indicative saving 93% per working litre versus a pack that typically retails around £11.99. Working strength: 18 g per 1,000 L raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm. Live shop prices move.
How do you mix the Total Alkalinity TA Plus dupe stack?
Test water with standard test strips to establish baseline TA (ideal range: 80–120 ppm). Dissolve the required weight of sodium bicarbonate in a clean bucket of warm spa water. Pour slowly around the perimeter with the circulation pumps running.
DupeStack provides chemical concentration data and educational mixing guides only. Wellness pages compare food supplements, not medicines or prescribed treatments. Always review the supplier Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and comply with UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and COSHH regulations when handling concentrated substances. Mixing and storage are at your own risk. Some links are affiliate advertisements (Amazon Associates, eBay Partner Network, and Awin when those programmes are live). Commissions do not change listed concentrations or calculator output.
Related guides
Pool guide
Pool and spa basics: pH, chlorine and cyanuric acid without the brand kit
What Clearwater-style pH Plus, pH Minus, chlorine and CYA actually are — soda ash, dry acid, TCCA and stabiliser — with links to DupeStack teardowns.
Pool guide
Pool shock, bromine, floc and algaecide — not the same tub
Cal-hypo shock, dichlor granules, MPS oxidiser, BCDMH bromine, alum floc, copper algicide and thiosulphate reducer are different salts. Match the job before you buy a spa-shop tub.
Pool guide
Phosphate remover and polyquat — not a shock, and not copper
Lanthanum chloride drops phosphate. A polymeric quat is a copper-free algicide. Neither replaces trichlor, dichlor or cal-hypo, and neither is alum floc.
More teardowns
Pool & spa
Clearwater pH Plus Spa / Pool Balancer
Clearwater
- Retail pack
- £11.501 kg bottle
- Raw active
- Dense soda ash (sodium carbonate 99%)497-19-8
pH Plus is dense soda ash — 99% sodium carbonate, CAS 497-19-8. Pool-shop packaging turns a £2.70/kg commodity into an £11.50/kg ritual.
Pool & spa
Clearwater pH Minus
Clearwater
- Retail pack
- £9.991.5 kg
- Raw active
- Sodium bisulphate (dry acid)7681-38-1
pH Minus is dry acid — sodium bisulphate. Pool retail is a small tub; chemical suppliers sell it in 5 kg lots for a third of the per-kilo price.
Pool & spa
Clearwater Multifunction Chlorine Tablets
Clearwater
- Retail pack
- £42.005 kg
- Raw active
- TCCA 90% chlorine tablets (200 g)87-90-1
The tablet is 90% TCCA — the same stabilised chlorine used in bulk 200 g pucks. ‘Multifunction’ is a pinch of clarifier and a lot of packaging. Buy TCCA, dose from an SDS, and keep cyanuric acid in range.
£28.49Save 93% / L
Indicative DIY stack