Dang it! I should have check this thread yesterday while I was at home depot! They actually had ONE bottle of KEM-TECH phosphate remover, and it was DUSTY. I imagine it was just what I was looking for. They also had POOL-TIME brand but the packaging boasted about "water clarity" and I was like mmmmmhmmmm you've got something else in you... But, this bottle of KEM-TECH looked very good. It had the amount chart on the back, and did not boast that it contained other additives. I might swing back by there and see if they still have it. It was off on it's own away from all the flashy products. Oh and it was $12, I will check amazon for comparison.

Quote Originally Posted by PoolDoc View Post
1. I'd be glad to have the help, BUT I don't want anyone to do it for that reason. If you want to try it, I'll help and collect info. If not, that's fine too. It was only an offer. Once I have a few more "ducks lined up", I'll probably invite participation, but I'm not at that point yet.

2. Go ahead with borates: it's fairly easy, and fairly cheap for a 5,000 gallon pool (5 boxes of borax + 1 1/4 gallons of 31% muriatic acid). That would be a useful experiment, too. The best info I have at present is that borates help with winterization and green algae, but not so much with mustard algae.

3. The kits you need are ALL linked from the testkit page: http://pool9.net/tk/

4. Phosphate remover is problematic. Most of the phosphate removers available are highly diluted and over-priced. The Kem-Tek brand I've recommended on Amazon has morphed into the Clorox brand and is now EXTREMELY diluted. The only desirable product is the Orenda PR-10000, which is not widely available except in large commercial quantities. For now, you'll have to search for it yourself. But I'm looking at some other options.