Deb,

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
I don't really understanding why you're wanting to lower the chlorine--with a CYA of 40, your Cl level needs to stay between 3-6 ppm anyway, and never drop below 3. And as long as you're using the smart sticks, your CYA is going to increase, which will require you to keep higher and higher minimum Cl levels in the pool anyway. A Cl of 8 isn't too high to swim, but if you do want to drop it down to the 3-6 range, leaving it uncovered on one sunny day will take care of it.

And the Balance Pack they want you to add to increase your TA is sodium bicarb--the EXACT same thing as Arm Hammer baking soda, but at 4x the price. Save yourself some money and get it at the grocery store instead. Don't get pool stored!!

Janet