Total and Adjusted Alkalinity - Should I be adding Baking Soda?

I have been using my K2006 test kit and adjusting my own water for about 2 months now and so far so good :)

Occasionally I will take a sample to the pool store as they do a "perfect water club" winner each month...and well I guess its a little gratification to know I acheived that on my own without their products :)

So I performed my own test and then took the sample yesterday. My reading was 90 for Alk. Theirs was 90 for Total Alk but only 55 for Adjusted Total Alk. So....since my test read 90 I thought I was fine (maybe add a little baking soda to get it around 120 where I usually keep it).

The full reading was:

CYA: 100
FC 2.3
PH 7.8
Total Alk 90
Adjusted Alk 55
CH 89

I know I need to get chlorine a little higher. Apparently my CYA keeps increasing and I'm guessing from these 3" tablets I am using.

If I get these PoolBrand ones from Sam's that are 99% active ingredient will that stop increasing the CYA so much?

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/poolbra....ip?navAction=

I feel like I'm so close to getting this method on my own, thank you for all the help thus far!!

Please don't be offended when I say this .......... The fact that your numbers could qualify you as a "perfect water club member" are yet another example of how little some pool stores really understand pool chemistry.

Your chlorine is way too low. Your CYA may not actually be 100. Since 100 is the highest value that the test can differentiate, a reading of 100 means 100 or higher. It could be 150, 200 or who knows!

The minimum your chlorine should be is 8. Never lower. Take a look at this chart that shows the relationship between CYA and chlorine that you should become familiar with:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

It is definitely the trichlor tabs you are using and the ones that you linked are still full of CYA and will continue to have your CYA rise.

How many pucks do you have left? Are they wrapped or not?

By the way, your alk is fine where it is.

(I feel like I 'burst your bubble.' If so, I'm sorry........)

Ha no no, I assure you no offense taken :) I'm here to learn and can take any criticism! Those numbers definitely didn't qualify when I went today...I was just saying typically my numbers do and I liked the gratification of getting my name on the wall when they do.

The tablets are not wrapped and unfortunately I have a lot left (the super skimmer 50 gallon tub for $249 - huuuuuuge mistake that I posted about when I originally came to the forum) so I was hoping to at least use them up.

The main reason I prefer the tablets is because my husband and I both work out of town a few days a week so we are not here to add bleach everyday and don't want to have to rely on neighbors or family to feel obligated to do it since its our pool. So I did like the convenience of the automated chlorinator. Just can't seem to find any tablets that will literally only add Chlorine and not other things.