Is stabilizer necessary?

[JimK]

Thanks Dave. That information is helpful. So bottom line, I should stick with the CYA levels recommended by the manufacturer of my SWG?

Some info for reference.....

One reason this topic caught my attention is my personal experience over the past several years dealing with algae in my pool (my pool was installed in the spring of 2004 and it's the only pool I've ever owned). It seems despite keeping CYA in the 60-80 range, FC 5-7, and PH 7.5-7.6, the liner would keep getting slick (start of an algae breakout?) and I would have to shock and brush the pool frequently. Based on a recommendation a few years ago, I started using borax (maintained at 40-50) and polyquat 60 (I add a maintenance dose of 8 oz per week). Since doing this in combination of shocking every couple of weeks, I no longer have an issue with a slick liner. However, I do still get some visible algae in grooves and crevices (such as where the liner meets the steps and behind the trim around the pool light; possibly due to poor circulation in those areas?) which I'll brush out before my regular shock treatment.

I'm tempted to discontinue the polyquat 60 to see what happens. That would save me a couple hundred dollars a season, but I'm hesitate to mess with what's currently working well for me. Except for the addition of polyquat 60 and Jack's Magic Purple Stuff (since using this I have no more staining issues which I'm told is a side effect of the SWG), I pretty much follow the BBB method.

BTW, except for a few spring openings when I was using a mesh cover over the winter (I use a solid cover now), my pool have never been green (during the season it's always clear).