New Thread with my results of first test

[PoolDoc]

All in Walmart detergent / household cleaning section:

8% Bleach => www.walmart.com/ip/13023480
Borax => www.walmart.com/ip/11027366
(Current box is mostly white, not green!)
Washing soda => http://www.walmart.com/ip/19407690 (= soda ash = pH Up)
Baking soda => www.walmart.com/ip/17043412
(12# bag = sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid carbonate, Alkalinity Increaser; some stores now have a large box of store brand baking soda, that may be cheaper.)

All in Walmart recreation section:

HTH-6-Way-Test-Kit => www.walmart.com/ip/17043668
(re-branded Taylor kit -- includes CYA test. Not available at all stores.)
cheap-o OTO kit => http://www.walmart.com/ip/24791469
(actual label may vary -- but they are all cheapo kits made by Chinese companies.)
HTH OTO kit => http://www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-3-Way-Test-Kit/17043605
(Same as Taylor K1000, without the box. Not available at all stores)

Lowes:

muriatic acid => http://www.lowes.com/pd_450723-1327-332_4294610251__

[Tom.B]

I have a 4# bucket of what Leslie's gave me when I asked for stabilizer (even though it doesn't say it... I think it says conditioner... I am at the office right now... I will look later and report). I will add it tonight.

More to your point. No, it doesn't drop to 0, but I don't check it before I put it in every other night either.

How much bleach do you keep in your stock at home? And how much of the other stuff?

[Watermom]

Probably best to check the chlorine and pH each day especially until you get your CYA to where you want and you kind of learn how your pool is going to behave.

In regards to your question about what I keep on hand at home ------ I typically keep 2 or 3 boxes of Borax and baking soda. I use Walmart 8.25% bleach and probably buy around 8 jugs at a time and store it in a cool utility room in my basement. That lasts me a couple of weeks, maybe a little longer. I live 5 minutes from a Walmart so no reason to store up large quantities. My pH tends to fall rather than rise so never need muriatic acid.

[Tom.B]

So you're saying that I need to raise my CYA level? To what?

[Watermom]

Usually around 50ppm is good for most pools.

[Tom.B]

The CYA I have is Leslie's conditioner/enhancer and claims a 30ppm increase per 2.5 lbs. per 10,000 gallons. So I will add all four pounds and see where I am in 48 hours.

[PoolDoc]

CYA dissolves SLOWLY. If you add CYA via the skimmer, and backwash or clean before you've run the pump 72 hours . . . you may lose the majority of what you've added.