got first pool for 6 yr old son

my question is about adjusting ph and alkalinity. i am using 6 way test strips as i thought they would simmplify the testing. my chlorine levels are fine. but it is hard to discern the colors on the ph and alkalinity. it looks like both the ph and alkalinity could be a little low. is that even possible? i thought if one was low the other would be high? if in fact both are low, could i add baking soda and borax at the same time to raise both? or do i need to adjust one before the other?

the pool is a cheapo intex easy set holding about 3000 gallons with a cartridge filter.

thanks much for clarifying & simplifying the process. i will follow your advice.

Actually, baking soda will not raise both. Baking soda raises alk. 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle at Walmart) raises pH. And, yes, it is fine to add Borax and baking soda one right after the other with no problem. Just add them slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running, breaking up any clumps.

Do yourself a favor and order a Taylor K2006 or 2006C through the test kit link in my signature below. It will make your pool maintenance much easier.

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

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Originally Posted by tom5412

i am using 6 way test strips as i thought they would simplify the testing.

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Unfortunately, the way test strips simplify testing is by being wrong a lot. We often refer to them as "guess-strips": simple, but often useless.

Buy a cheap local OTO / phenol red test kit (yellow / red drops). If you can find the HTH 6-way kit, get that. It's made by Taylor and includes the CYA test. At a minimum, test your pH and chlorine.

But . . . with a 3,000 gallon pool, the EASIEST way to handle things is to dump, refill and follow the "Super Simple" recipe:
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?17055

That will help you focus on the important stuff, and not get distracted by all the other things pool stores want you to 'fix'.