Please help - quick question - is soda ash OK?

[CarlD]

OK,

Since your pH is low and your T/A is high, get some Borax from the local supermarket (20 Mule Team Borax, in the green box. Buy 4 boxes for now).

Add one box. Check pH in 2 hours (T/A will go up a little). Keep adding a box at a time until your pH reaches 7.0 or higher. When pH hits 7.0, you are in the clear. Then get to work on raising your FC level to 12ppm to shock your water.

In the meantime you need to aerate your water to raise pH without raising T/A at all. Leave the pool uncovered and the filter on. If you can, angle the return jet up to surface. Or you can put in a screw-in fountain that replaces the return's outlet for about $20. Be sure pH is between 7.0 and 7.2 when you start this (6.9 is OK).

Now test your water with Ben's powder kit--it's far more accurate and revealing.

[haeffnkr]

This is crazy....
I just rechecked the alk and used the dropper a little slower ...
Then I used the OTO kit and

alk = 180

I just used the OTO kit - twice and now the chlorine and PH are over the scale on both.... over 10 and 8.2

I just put this stuff in the pool my pump is running on filter.