Low pH, Hardness, Alk, where do I start?

[ChrissyInOregon]

CYA 35 (finally dissolved all the stabilizer yesterday)
Hardness 40
Alk 40
pH 6.8 or under (was around 7.0 yesterday)
Chlorine: Been using bleach but have the SWCG hooked up. Just haven't turned it on yet. Today's afternoon reading is in the 3-6ppm range.
These were all measured with liquid tests, not the strips.

I have borax and baking soda. Pool is approx 5061 gallons. What should I worry about first?

[Watermom]

Low pH is a priority but actually, you can work on both of those at the same time. Add a couple of cups of Borax slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running. Then, add some baking soda. (It's ok to do so right after the Borax.) For every pound of baking soda you add, it should raise the alk by about 15ppm. Aim for 80-100ppm. You might want to add the baking soda in a couple of doses instead of trying to get there in one big dose. A couple hours after adding, retest and add more Borax if needed. You need to get it above 7.0 asap.

Don't worry about low CH. It is only a problem in a vinyl pool if it is high.

[ChrissyInOregon]

I don't have a skimmer on the pool. Can I just dump it in, or should I put it in a sock, like the CYA?

[ChrissyInOregon]

I just read that you shouldn't use Borax if there is copper in your pool. Will this harm my SWCG?

[PoolDoc]

Borax will have no effect on your SWCG.

Borax is not an issue with copper; rather it's high pH that makes copper more likely to stain. Copper is likely to stain, even at lower pH, but it's MORE likely at a high pH.

[Pappy]

Borax shouldn't hurt you SWCG. Lots of the folks here have SWCGs and use borax. A copper ionizer is built in to your SWCG. Where did you read not to put borax in a pool with copper, and what was the reason. I suspect the fear is that as the pH goes up the copper will start dropping out of the water and begin staining.

[ChrissyInOregon]

This is the thread where I read about borax/copper:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...stant-to-Algae

[Pappy]

Thanks, staining is the issue raised in that thread.

[PoolDoc]

I think that says borates help, not hurt.

Borates are also a pH buffer in a range that's especially beneficial to SWCG (Salt Water Chlorine Generator) users.

[ChrissyInOregon]

I added the 2 cups of borax and 1lb of baking soda. Today my readings are:

Hardness 60 (+20 from yesterday)
Alk 40 (same as yesterday)
pH 7.2 (up from 6.8 yesterday)
Chlorine Still 3-6ppm, even though I did not add any chlorine yesterday. The pool is in direct sun.

Should I give the pool the same dose of borax and baking soda as yesterday?

What about the chlorine? This is testing with the OTO test. I don't have the other type.