i am new to owning a pool. i have an intex 15' above ground round pool (48" depth). ive been testing the chlorine and ph levels using a basic water tester that i bought at walmart. our chlorine was always low. the oto formula wouldnt even react at all, and remain clear. the ph at the time was 7.6. now that our chlorine level has evened out to 1.5, where the directions tell us it should be, the ph is 8.2 or higher. that is the highest / darkest color on our tester to compare to.
Im just curious - ive googled and it seems i cant find a straight answer as what to do now. all sites basically suggest that i have a better test kit. I want to know, is my ph level unsafe for us to swim? i have three kids ages 1-9 and I cant imagine that id be putting them at risk for harm. can anyone help me? i have no clue what im doing here. how do i fix the ph without lowering my chlorine? what effects will high ph have on us and our pool?