Metal Free or Not

[waterbear]

You have not wasted the borax. Many people add borax to 50 ppm because of it's agaestatic and pH stabilizing properties. If your TA is 0 PPM you need to RETURN THE ALKALINITY INCREASER TO THE POOL STORE and but the same amount of baking soda and add that. Here is a hint Total alkalinity increaser is baking soda. Read the package, It will say either sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate, both are just other names for ordinary baking soda!

[Firecat]

So is there anything else I need to adjust before adding the Alkalinity Up or Baking Soda? Or is that the place to start?

[PoolDoc]

Probably, you need a test kit.

The chance that your alkalinity is "0" after 24 lbs of borax is small; the chance that your dealer's testing is seriously wrong is large. You already have accumulated quite a bit of evidence suggesting that your dealer does not test water reliably. If you keep trying to treat your pool based on test values that are quite likely bogus, you'll end up doing a lot to help your dealer's bottom line, but little to help your pool.

Add more borax, till your pH is 7.2 on a cheap drops based testkit, but order a Taylor K2006 or equivalent. Lamotte's kit is fine, but much more expensive. Just be sure to get an FAS-DPD complete kit -- there's an Amazon link in my signature. It's showing "US General" as the seller right now. That's probably OK, but "Amato Ind" does ship the correct kit. Most likely, they'll be back on Amazon by Monday or Tuesday.

[Firecat]

I had a test kit from before and was using it but it was old so I bought a new one yesterday, it says Leslies, the pool store name, but inside is says it is a Taylor, it is just for chlorine and ph though. Maybe I should try a different store to test for the other levels or maybe I should buy a more involved test kit. I am unemployed right now so every dollar saved is in my best interest.

Should I add baking soda or just keep with the Borax for now? I will try to return the Alkalinity Up but I just returned the PH increaser and he said he would do it just the one time because of OSHA regs. I will tell him they have not been giving me good advice from the start and I wish to take my business elsewhere.

The TA test is the little electric meter that has a small cup on it?

Thanks.

[waterbear]

Probably, you need a test kit.

I would say you DEFINITELY need a test kit. Get yourself a Taylor K-2006 and start testing your own water.

[Firecat]

I ordered the good test kit from amazon so from here on out I will be in charge of what is going in my pool, with your help of course

I added up what I have put into my pool in the past week or so and it is 16lbs of Baking Soda and 32 lbs of Borax and the PH has not increased.

I am still waiting on the new test kit but the new one from the store shows no change in PH.

I plan to add more borax today.

Anything I am overlooking or do I need to do more reading (research), I thought I had it figured out but this seems like alot of chemicals with no change.

[PoolDoc]

Again, it's not likely that your pH hasn't changed. What is possible is that your pH is so low that your existing test kit can't measure the change.

Do this:

#1 - Do a pH test again. Presumably, it will turn yellow, which with phenol red is 6.5 or LOWER. Add a tiny pinch of borax to the test chamber. The water should turn purple or at least red. That verifies that everything is working.
#2 - Add around 23 more pounds of borax - 5 boxes of 20 Mule Team borax -- which may or may not raise your pH enough, but will put you firmly in the 'good zone' for borates.
#3 - Retest. If your pH is STILL not high enough, buy some Arm and Hammer WASHING soda (not baking soda). Here, locally, it's right next to the borax in Walmart. Add 2 boxes at a time, wait 2 hours, and retest. Drop back to 1/2 box at the first sign of pH change.

(Follow Waterbear's advice on the Metal Free)

[Firecat]

Tomorrow I will go out and try to hunt down some Borax, 2 Meijers and 1 Walmart are out by me.

I did pick up some washing soda though, can I just use that instead of the Borax? Or is there a reason to use the Borax?

I did get my water test kit today and tried it out, looks like your recommendation for the amount of Borax is about spot on.

Just need to get the PH up to stop the chlorine from burning out at a rediculous rate.