Couple of questions (burning eyes and Borax allergy)

[TarheelFan]

Allergist was not aware of any Borax or borate allergies. Does not mean that there are not any, but she saw no reason to be concerned from an allergic reaction point of view. It certainly could still be the case that his skin is sensitive to it, so we plan to proceed slowly and with caution with Borax.

With regards to my pool, just wanted to ask a few more things, then I think I am good to go.

Got my Taylor 2006C kit and got my first full readings. Here is where my pool currently is:

FC - 3.0 (tested with the 25 ml, so accurate within .2)
CC - 0.0
pH - 7.4
TA - 120
CYA <30.....The dot was barely visible with the tube filled to the 30 mark, but it was visible. Considering I have used 5 Trichlor pucks this season and about a dozen more last year and the dot was almost gone, I estimate the pool is about 20 CYA. If that is an incorrect assumption or there is some way to test it more accurately, please advise.
CH - 70 .... This is low but for an AGP is not an issue, right?

Other than the questions above, my other questions are:

1) with regards to TA. It seems like 120 is on the high side of OK. Should I try to lower it, or just leave it alone for now?

2) Should I try to get CYA to 30 - 40 now, wait to see what my Chlorine usage is and then evaluate later, or just leave it be? I would like to have it at a measurable level so that I can plan accordingly, but my pool only gets about 5 - 6 hours of direct sun per day and I live in NC, so I think my environment mitigates some of my CYA need.

[PoolDoc]

1. Just hold your pH in the 7.2 - 7.4 range. Your TA will drop over time. Don't worry about trying to drop it.
2. If you have trichlor tabs, continue to use them. If you run your pump 24/7, you can put them in the skimmer. They will keep your pH down, and slowly add CYA.
3. Low CH is not an issue.
4. Low CYA + low-ish pH + sunlight is a more active combination -- in terms of breaking down any irritating pool contaminants -- than otherwise. Till you are not experiencing more eye irritation than you would in a tub of fresh water, it might be better to run that way.
5. In the "it might help, but it WILL cost money" category are Natural Chemistry's enzyme products. The two you might want to consider are "Pool Perfect" and "Pool First Aid" -- both are available at Amazon:

Natural Chemistry Pool Perfect Concentrate Pool Water Cleaner --- Natural Chemistry 03122 Pool First Aid, 2-Liter

<--------------------------------->

These MIGHT help . . . or they might have no effect, other than costing you money. Waterbear and Chem_Geek have seen some positive results in mystery situations, using these products; I've never tried them. There are some limitations on their use: the water temp has to be over 70 degrees, and the chlorine level needs to be below 5 ppm. If you want to try them, feel free to do so . . . and if you do, please tell me if you see any positive effect. If you get them, wait till all your chemical levels have stabilized BEFORE adding the enzymes. Try the pool 'on' for eye irritation, THEN add enzymes, THEN wait 2 - 3 days, and try again. Otherwise, it will be hard to distinguish any effect those products have, from other things that may be going on.

But BE CAREFUL! There are some Natural Chemistry blends, particularly with phosphorous removers that you should avoid -- they will tend to cloud your pool. Feel free to buy them locally, but use the Amazon links and descriptions to make SURE you are getting the right products. (Amazon also sells a bunch of the 'wrong' products, so use those links, if you buy from Amazon.)

[TarheelFan]

Thanks once again.

I do not want to add anything unnecessary, so I am just going to stay the course for a week or two, keep an eye on my levels and see where I stand. My pool installer gave me a bucket of trichlor pucks and a bucket of cal hypo shock, so I will probably mix those in from time to time.

[PoolDoc]

My pool installer gave me a bucket of trichlor pucks and a bucket of cal hypo shock, so I will probably mix those in from time to time.

Don't mix them together, PLEASE! Those two don't react well together, at ALL! When you get ready to use those, ask me how. You'll end up clouding your pool and raising your calcium levels too high, if you follow the instructions on the label.

[TarheelFan]

Ahh...I can see how that might read that way.... Oops!!! Yeah, I saw that video while lurking over the past week. I have no intention of mixing them.

When I have used them in the past, I don't add them at the same time (add trichlor via puck in floater, add cal-hypo via pre-dissolve and broadcast) and really hope to not even use the cal hypo anytime soon (since from what I have read from the BBB method, shocking is not really necessary). I just meant I will use them from time to time in addition to my regular regiment of Bleach since the negatives to them (increase CYA and CH) are not as dangerous for me given my current low levels of both.