Quote Originally Posted by JimK View Post
After a steep learning curve, I settled on a routine that has worked for me for the past several seasons. It pretty much includes the following:

FC at 5 (as mentioned, controlled using an Aquarite SWCG)
TA 80-100 (I use bicarb to raise when it gets low)

If you drop the TA down to 70 or even 60 you will have a slower pH rise since there will be less outgassing of CO2, the primary cause of pH rise in most pools (excluding curing plaster).

PH 7.5-7.8 (I add muriatic acid once it hits 7.8; PH has never been too low, so I've never had to add anything to raise it)

Wait for the pH to climb above 7.8. If you are testing it regularly you will see when this happens before it goes too high. Borate tends to stabilize the pH at 7.7 to 7.8 for an extended period of time compared to pools without borate.

Borates 40-50
CYA 70-80

In terms of regular maintenance, besides testing and adjusting the above as needed, each week I add a maintenance dose (8oz) of Polyquat 60 and a maintenance dose of Jack's Magic Purple Stuff (12oz; I use to have problems with staining before using this. I was told the staining was a side effect of the SWCG. Since using it, I've not had any staining problems.). I shock every 2 weeks (or after a big storm) using calcium hypochlorite (68%). Also, I run the automatic vacuum frequently to keep the pool clean (every couple days on average).

I'm not sure if I'm overdoing things and wasting money by using both Poly60 and borates. I started using them at about the same time (I was fed up with the liner frequently getting slick with aglae so decided to hit it with both guns!) so I'm not sure if just using one would give me the same algae control.

I would appreciate your input on my routine and if you have any suggestions that may save me time and money.

Thanks again.
I would use sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine or bleach) instead of the cal hypo. I assume you are not testing your CH because it is a vinyl pool. This is NOT a good idea with a SWCG since scaling of the cell is a real worry. Just because you don't NEED calcium added if it is low does not mean you do not need to know what the level is so you can avoid possibly scaling conditions.