I live in central Ohio. We opened our pool one week ago, and, thanks to the knowledge I've gained on this forum, our pool is sparkling clear already. Here are my test numbers from this morning:

10,000 gallon vinyl in-ground, sand filter pool, heater (not on yet)
CL - 5
ph - 7.6
Alk - 110
CYA - 40

Here in Ohio it's not even above 70 yet and the nights are in the 40's , so I'm just waiting on Mother Nature to quit being pissed at us here in the Buckeye state. So my question is should I add Borax and play around with the pool chemistry while waiting out this weather, or just sit back and keep testing and let the pool continue to look great? I should also mention that I use a skimmer sock, and added 1/2 cup DE throught the skimmer last night, all tricks I learned here and use religiously - you people are great.

We also added 80 lbs water softner salt last year, which made the pool feel great, should we need to add it again this year? How can I test for salt?

Thanks again for this forum. I've convinced several people to switch to the BBB method, but there are some unbelievers still paying $300 for startup chemicals. So far, I've spent $16 - and still have 6 96ox. bottles of bleach left. My pool is so much more enjoyable and easy!