Pool chemistry has a clean hierarchy. Most owners get the top two wrong.
North Texas brings its own variables: oak pollen for six weeks, calcium-rich source water, sub-freezing nights every winter, and summers that crank chemistry usage. The advice below is calibrated for those realities, not a generic national pool blog.
What each does
- pH (7.2–7.8): how acidic/basic the water feels. Drives chlorine efficiency and skin comfort.
- Total Alkalinity (80–120 ppm): the buffer that resists pH change.
The fix order
- Get alkalinity in range first
- Then pH will stabilize predictably
- Skip step 1 and you'll chase pH every week
That's it. That's the whole hack.