"borates" huh? And I'll bet they've got a really expensive package to sell you of them. Funny, borates CAN help control algae, but compared to what you've been paying for chemicals, it's going to cost you...chump change! Here's why: The best and cheapest way to add "borates" to your pool is with ordinary grocery store Borax. Yeah, "20 Mule Team" Borax.

There is one and only one "fancy" chemical you MUST get from a pool store or pool section and that's stabilizer, or "Conditioner", ie CYA, Cyanuric acid. Everything else? Grocery stores and hardware stores!

I'm amazed they made you dump your water twice. That's just nuts unless there was something HIGHLY unusual in the water.

Here's what we do (and by "we" I mean the moderators, Ben, and most of our long-time contributers).

We chlorinate with ordinary laundry bleach. When pool stores sell "Liquid Chlorine" it's either regular "ultra" bleach (6%) or double strength bleach (12.5%). Bleach you get at the supermarket or box store.

To lower our pH we use Muriatic Acid, available at hardware stores, like Home Depot and Lowes. If you can get a good price, there's a generic powder called "Dry Acid".

To raise our pH we use....BORAX! Sometimes we use another laundry product: Arm&Hammer Washing Soda (in the yellow box). It's the same stuff that the pool stores sell as soda ash or "pH Up!", only in my area A&H is .80/lb but at pool stores it costs $3/lb or more.

To increase our Total Alkalinity, we use either Baking Soda (again, Arm&Hammer, but the familiar orange box). Pool stores don't call it Sodium Bicarbonate, but there are other names for bicarb that sound fancy and cost a lot. A local pool store sells it for $3/lb, but at Costco that $3. bought 12 lbs! We also raise T/A with Washing Soda (see above).

If you have a vinyl pool, you NEVER need calcium...for anything.

This is why we call it the B-B-B system: The three arms of the triangle are Bleach, Borax and Baking Soda.

I can't help you with the equipment, but the rules for chemicals are always the same.

While you'll use more than most people (bigger pool) you'll still use less than you ever imagined--and your pool will be cleaner and you won't go so crazy!

Carl