PH Consistently 8+ in a Small Gunite Michigan Indoor Pool

[drdamour]

if you are using test strips, your testing may be more the issue than the strips.

I am not using strips i am using the liquid tests using phenol red, etc

#2 - Most algaecides consume chlorine and if your pool is truly indoors, you don't need them.

I've never heard that about me not needing it because of it being indoors. I had some greenish buildup on the steps of the pool and was told it was algae, and it seemed to go away when i used the algaecide.

Tell us what sort of pump / filter / pool surface / enclosure you have, along with what chemicals and maintenance routine you are using.

it's 3/4 HP Pump
the filter is cartridge is this one http://www.amerimerc.com/Pleatco-fil...0UM150tC=1.htm
For pool surface, i'm guessing you mean the walls? i've been told they're gunite, looks like white concrete like with any in ground pool. Is there someway i can tell?
for enclosure, i'm guessing you mean the room it's in? It's a room in my house, the indside walls are covered with t-111 siding. There's 2 doorwalls to the house and two doorwalls to the outside. There's two skylights.
I don't really have a maintenance routine because the ph keeps going so high. Once i get the ph balanced, i shock it with powder shock (i don't have name handly, i'll follow up) and put in a chlorene tablet in the dispenser thing. I test the levels every other day (generally in the morning) and after a week or two, the ph is back high, and i start the annoying cycle again.

Get a Taylor K2006 or 2006C testkit (Amazon links in my signature) and report results. If your pool is genuinely indoors (no UV) you can substitute a K2005 (use the link provided, and the search for "Taylor K2005", or go to lesliespools.com) and save $10 - $20 at the cost of less flexible and less accurate chlorine testing.

I ordered it, doesn't look much different from what i already have. Currently the chlorine level seems to be 0, the PH is currently 7.8, i just did an alkalinity test and it came back at 40 so i just added this morning 2 lbs of sodium bicarbonate, the package said this would double the count for my pool size (5k gallons). Reading through the intro/faqs here, apparently alkalinity could be a possible cause of my problems.

Tell us how you use the pool (average daily use, etc.)

We don't use it very often because of the balance problems. I'd say we use it every few days once it gets in balance, but after a week or two it gets out of balance and it seems to take a week to get the ph back.

Tell us when it was last drained and refilled.

In january of 2011