Novice needs help with the bleachcalc

[aquarium]

The BleachCalc is set to do multiple types of calculations depending on which variable you supply. Usually you enter figures in some of the white fields and the answers are shown in the grey. For example, if you want to know how much 6% bleach to add to 568 gallons to raise it 3ppm, you enter those three variables and hit calculate to get the answer of 4 ounces.

Be sure to first go to MoreCalcs>Settings and set it to Imperial to get US gallons.

As to the desired readings, you need a combination of this post and this one to get a quick explanation.

[winterlady]

Thanks for the quick reply! We have added the bleach and the borax but now we have a very very high Ph when using the test kit. According to everything I have found on the web regarding the Ph balance in order to lower it from these high readings we need to add something else now called muriatic acid. I'm not so sure this type of pool was such a good idea for us but we'll try to figure out what we need to do next.
Thanks again!

[Poconos]

Muriatic acid is Hydrochloric acid and is available at most hardware stores and home improvement places. Be very careful handling this stuff. Wear eye protection and gloves. Always add acid to water and not water to acid otherwise you can get a violent boil. The other key thing in pool care is to go slow and easy...patience. Add a little of something, circulate for a few hours, then test. Do this until you have 'calibrated' your pool and you know from experience and measurements exactly what and how much of something to add for the results you want. It will take some time but you'll get the hang of it. Enjoy your pool.
Al