Baking soda is your best friend here.

Yes, you can adjust total alkalinity (TA) in a saltwater pool pretty easily, and it’s important because stable alkalinity keeps your pH from bouncing around.

Use a reliable drop-test kit — not strips. Strips are fine for a quick check, but for accuracy you want the Taylor K-2006 or something similar. Fill the vial, add the reagent, count the drops until it changes color. That’s your ppm.

Target range for a saltwater pool: 80–120 ppm. If you’re low, add sodium bicarbonate (plain baking soda) — about 1.5 pounds per 10,000 gallons to raise TA by 10 ppm. Dissolve it in a bucket of pool water first, then pour around the edge. If you’re high, use muriatic acid (or sodium bisulfate) to lower it. But go slow — acid drops pH too, so you’ll need to aerate afterwards.

Don’t chase numbers. Small adjustments, wait 24 hours, retest. And never adjust alkalinity and pH at the same time — fix alkalinity first, then let pH settle.

Your pool’s salt system doesn’t change the chemistry much, so don’t overthink it. You’re just managing water.