Welp, I bit the bullet and dropped $10 for a vial of 25 test strips. I've added borax to the 40 or so ppm level before, but haven't had a way to see where I'm at now. I initially did it for the purported algaecidal properties, so now that I can maintain the ~40 ppm level, I'll be able to report back on if it really does help or not. I know that as the water gets warmer, I always end up fighting mustard, regardless of my Cl level. The only thing that seems to reliably knock it down is polyquat.

I figure I'll get them in a week or so, and then I'll keep tabs on how it goes. If I can avoid using polyquat, that'll be great. I'm not holding my breath though!

Michael