Are These Numbers Ok/Safe?

[PoolDoc]

+ Burn Out 35 is lithium hypochlorite -- an overpriced and under-performing alternative to bleach. Use bleach.

+ Optimizer is just borax. It's a form of borax that is slightly higher in borates than 20 Mule Team borax, from Walmart, but it's MUCH more expensive. If you add enough borax to read a 50+ ppm level of borates, it does inhibit algae somewhat, and it does tend to improve the water's visual quality. Optimizer Plus is an even more expensive version, that mixes borax with boric acid, so it doesn't raise pH much.

+ However, by FAR the cheapest way to gain a 50+ ppm borate level is with 20 Mule Team borax plus muriatic acid from Lowes, Ace or Home Depot. And, once the borate ions in the water, they won't tell your friends and neighbors that they came out of a paper box from Walmart, instead of an expensive plastic container, with nice graphics, from BioGuard. So, if you want the fancy label, keep the Optimizer. If you just want the borates and the effects they have . . . visit Walmart.

+ In order to escape the pool store marketing machine, you have to learn to test your OWN water. Their entire testing was developed, and is designed to coerce you into buying more chemicals, most of which you don't even need. (Added calcium much? You never NEED to add it to a vinyl pool!) Read the test kit info page linked in my signature.

[tokmom]

+ Burn Out 35 is lithium hypochlorite -- an overpriced and under-performing alternative to bleach. Use bleach.

+ Optimizer is just borax. It's a form of borax that is slightly higher in borates than 20 Mule Team borax, from Walmart, but it's MUCH more expensive. If you add enough borax to read a 50+ ppm level of borates, it does inhibit algae somewhat, and it does tend to improve the water's visual quality. Optimizer Plus is an even more expensive version, that mixes borax with boric acid, so it doesn't raise pH much.

+ However, by FAR the cheapest way to gain a 50+ ppm borate level is with 20 Mule Team borax plus muriatic acid from Lowes, Ace or Home Depot. And, once the borate ions in the water, they won't tell your friends and neighbors that they came out of a paper box from Walmart, instead of an expensive plastic container, with nice graphics, from BioGuard. So, if you want the fancy label, keep the Optimizer. If you just want the borates and the effects they have . . . visit Walmart.

+ In order to escape the pool store marketing machine, you have to learn to test your OWN water. Their entire testing was developed, and is designed to coerce you into buying more chemicals, most of which you don't even need. (Added calcium much? You never NEED to add it to a vinyl pool!) Read the test kit info page linked in my signature.

Yes, we have been learning to test our own water. Our Taylor k2006 test kit should be here on Tue. We have been using the Walmart one for now until the other arrives.
I have no problem using plain old chemicals and am not out to impressive neighbors with fancy labels. That was never my intention. I'm not a fancy person. Tally in the fact we really have no neighbors to impress anyway...

What I meant was we paid money for these chemicals and I hate to just throw them in the garbage. I want to use them up (probably one months worth max) and go to plain old grocery store chemicals.
Nope, never added calcium and I read a few weeks ago (here of course!) that vinyl doesn't need calcium.

I'm all for saving money and having a safe and clean pool.

[Watermom]

I'm all for saving money and having a safe and clean pool.

Then, you have come to the right place because --- in a nutshell, that is what we are all about!

[tokmom]

Thanks Watermom. I have learned a lot over the last few weeks from reading the forum.
I have looked at all the links in the siggies, but again am still confused on the amounts of chemicals to add. I think that is my biggest problem.
I read about bleach literally bleaching the liner if too much is added. The best guess chlorine chart is helpful, but still a tad confusing. I know what I need to do but not sure how to get there!

Borax confuses me. What is it's intention. Does anything natural help with algea?

Thanks for all the help you guys give to us newbies. I'm sure it get's tiresome being asked the same old thing.

[Watermom]

Borax is used to raise pH.

What is the volume of your pool?

[tokmom]

Oops, I need to add that to my siggy. Sorry. It's roughly 16,100 gal

[Watermom]

I cannot help you with doses of the Bioguard products because I don't use them. My pool only gets fed with bleach, baking soda, borax and occasionally CYA. (Don't be afraid to use bleach. It is 6% sodium hypochlorite, pool store chlorine is the same thing but only a higher % at 12.5% (usually).

For reference, in your pool, each quart of 6% bleach will add approximately 1ppm of chlorine. Use that to help you figure out needed doses.

When your kit arrives, run a full set of numbers and post them.