1. Membership updated.

2. The "Alkalinity first" slogan was created by Arm and Hammer, as far as I can tell, for the purpose of marketing excess amounts of sodium bicarb. It's occasionally right, but generally a bad idea.

3. Always use borax to raise your pH, if your alkalinity is already high. You could also use caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) but it's dangerous and usually expensive in the forms available to consumers.

4. The full explanation of managing alkalinity is here: http://pool9.net/alk-step

5. PoolSolutions (me) has been recommending sodium bicarb or baking soda for alkalinity for nearly 20 years, but the only reason I recommended Arm and Hammer brand was that that was what was available. *Any* consumer brand of sodium bicarbonate, or sodium carbonate (washing soda) is fine . . . provided you use them correctly. See #3 above.

6. Welcome!