chlorine mixing Q's

[Watermom]

Yeah, you got it. plus Borax will only raise your pH and not mess with your alk. Soda ash will do both. So, if your alk is fine and your pH is low and you add soda ash, then you gotta go back to the store and buy something to lower your alk back down to where it already was and then that new addtion will cause your pH to drop so you gotta go back and buy some pH up and then.............. while the cash registers go 'cha-ching!'

[CarlD]

Caveat:

Watermom is, of course, correct that Borax will not mess with your T/A.

HOWEVER, you must understand that pH and T/A are linked and when pH goes up, T/A goes up, and when pH goes down, T/A goes down. The ONLY way to raise pH without raising T/A is by aeration--fountains, splashing kids, etc.

So, in this vein, if you use soda ash (Washing Soda) your pH will go up but so will your T/A. If you were to lower you pH to back where you started, your T/A would be higher than when you started.