The background is that at age 66 I take care of the 1957 pool I swam in as a kid. Classic 1950's kidney shaped 9000 gallon thing.

My chemistry background is high school basic, but then also many years involved in hobby photochemistry, creating developers and things like that.

I have found Ben and this site a blessing! As I told my brother, " He's smart, he's cynical, he's an experimenter. He dislikes pool stores as chemical pushers."

So here are some comments, questions, and observations in no particular order:

1. Ben, you mentioned Chlorox Ultra as having "goop." I think you will find that said goop is sodium hydroxide. Lye. Incorporation of sodium hydroxide helps turn the water in laundry alkaline and then, hence, tends to help the detergents. Similar to "Washing Soda" or borax.

2. If one wants to increase pH, why not use lye/sodium hydroxide? While having little or no buffering value, it is free of downstream problems like anything with carbonates. In fact, sodium hypochlorite is made by running chlorine gas through sodium hydroxide solution. That's why liquid chlorine raises pH. Once upon a time Red Devil brand drain cleaner was straight sodium hydroxide. The old solid Drano was the same, and a few aluminum flakes to make many bubbles. Said products are almost impossible to fine now, sadly. But there are also hobbyist (photochemical) merchants. Major pH bang for the buck.

3. Why can't we buy granular sodium hypochlorite? Fifty years ago my father did, we had a drum in the garage. A cup or whatever as needed, no jugs, no hassle. EPA or shipping regs? Sure as heck beats water, jugs, etc.

4. This is the only site I've seen that points out the relationship between levels of cyanuric acid and measured free chlorine needed. Should be well known, obviously not. A "DOH!" moment for me. Thank you. On that topic, after draining and refilling - oh, I do love that well Dad put in - I found that chlorine disappeared at alarming rates, just as you say. From 3ppm or more to nothing in a few hours. Yes, the pool is in full Florida sunlight. A mere 3 pounds of stabilizer changed that.

5. Does anyone use a pH meter? This is something from my photochemistry days after decades of using color change strips. I think it cost about $20 on eBay. Although you do have to keep a pH 7.0 test solution and check against it, it's so easy to get pH almost instantly accurate to the one tenth.

6. I'm trying the borax thing and look forward to a minimally chlorinated pool. Since it's only me and the occasional egret, I'm not worried about health issues.

I look forward to a good pool summer!