How are my numbers?

[SandyDittmer]

I like to bring my ph up to the high end of normal (around 7.8) when I close because around here, the acid rain throughout the winter tends to lower the ph. Raising your alk a bit will also help keep your ph more stable.

Well, actually my pH usually remains stable at around 7.2 no matter what I do to it.

Should I add borax or baking soda? Would one raise both values?

Thanks.

[aylad]

Soda ash (washing soda) will raise both values. Baking soda raises TA, Borax raises pH. If you feel like your pH will stay at 7.2 over the winter, then leave it alone. However, if it gets below 7.0 it could damage your liner, so I would play it safe and raise the pH just a bit. If your pH stays pretty stable, I would probably just raise the pH a tad with Borax and not worry too much about the TA. (Just my $.02, which is worth exactly that! )

Janet

[CoffeeBean]

I noticed that you mentioned an aquadoor. We live in western PA and some winters are pretty harsh with lots of freezing. I tried the Aquadoor one year. Aside from the fact that it was blazingly hard to install with the water still up to the skimmer, the ice just smashed it to pieces over the winter. Hope you have better luck with it than I did.

CoffeeBean

[CarlD]

I usually get at least a foot-thick 40'x16' block of ice in my pool and have never had my Aquadoor damaged by it. I also disconnect my skimmer and put a Gizmo in it. I just closed today after 7 seasons and used the Aquadoor in each of them.

I'm in north Jersey about 25 miles due west of NYC.

I drain the water well below the skimmer, to at least 2" below the returns.

[CoffeeBean]

Perhaps that was my downfall. The store salesman said that the Aquadoor negated the need to drain the pool, thus saving bucks on having to fill it up again in the spring. My water was up around filter level when it froze.