5 Boxes of Borax later.... PH STILL very low

[CarlD]

Well XXXX , I thought Borax wasn't supposed to increase the alkalinity much.

It doesn't. But T/A moves up and down with pH. As pH goes up, so does T/A.

I fought that vicious circle back when I used pucks.

PH low, raise ph. Find alk too high, add acid. PH low, raise ph. Find alk too high again. etc etc etc

Part if it was not understanding the mechanism. T/A rises and falls with pH. Soda Ash, however, increases T/A MORE than that rise-and-fall ratio. But Borax, which only increases pH, doesn't prevent the rise-and-fall.

Only aeration can raise pH without raising T/A.

Turning the jets up sounds easy enough, but won't that affect the way the pool gets circulated?

Not too much. You don't HAVE to turn up the jets--it just makes aeration go faster. So will a crowd of 10-12 year old boys turning your water into a maelstrom!

Edit: also, how can you aerate that way when you use a solar cover?

You can't. Sorry about that, but get your chemistry correct first, before trying to warm the pool.