Quote Originally Posted by Wilco View Post
Thanks all, and hello fellow tucsonian. I wish I had a spa spillway, I just have a 4x6" overflow vent from the spa to the pool, which I overaccounted for initially, and ignored the potential variation in the water chemistry balance difference that could occur between the two.
The water feature is just an independent 2 spouts that bleed off the pump, so running them lowers the efficiency, but it looks pretty.
I'll think about the borates and follow the trend for now. Good info on the aeration effect, thanks.
I definitely see how the cooler nights are reducing cl demand. Between the August heat and the probable algae bloom that was living under my radar, the bleach use was insane. Kids swimsuits faded noticeably.
Yup, I'm over on the east side of town.

Just completed my first full year with the pool. I had a nascent algae bloom back in May that almost exploded on me but I caught it in time. Having learned about the BBB method before the full summer heat kicked in is what saved me. I had to dump ~ 30% of my water due to a high CYA level (150ppm) but as soon as I did that and cleaned out all the algae with a 3-day SHaPE process (Shock, Hold and Patiently Evaluate....I like silly acronyms!), my pool water was clear all summer long while my neighbors fought algae blooms left and right.

Adding the borates is definitely an optional procedure to consider. Honestly, I waited because I wanted to understand the "life-cycle" of my pool water better before adding another variable to the mix. It's surprisingly easy to do (I used boric acid instead of the Borax/Muriatic Acid method) but there are few conditions you have to follow to get it right.

Enjoy the pool!!