First time SLAMers passed OCLT! Could use some help with follow-on maintenance

[TBalcom]

Last night we finally passed the OCLT. (we probably did the night before but it was my first time doing it so I made sure we passed a 2nd night)
The numbers reflect that my kids played in the pool today and we had awesome sunshine all day on the pool - we're in the PNW so this is a big deal!
I just checked all my numbers and this is what I have:

FC: 19
CC: didn't really show up. Should it?
pH: 7.2 - took between 2-3 drops to make it 7.8
TA: 90 (is this too high?)
CH: it was 30-40 2 days ago, but we have a vinyl pool so I'm not worried about it.
CYA: It had been at 70 for 5 days and I ran out of reagents a week ago. Does this change often enough to keep testing it? How often does it need to be tested?
Salt: 3200-3400 (although everyone is complaining about how salty the pool tastes)

I do want to raise pH but I am confused on which additive to use. Pool math says : Add 14 oz by weight or 12 oz by volume of washing soda or soda ash
or add 27 oz by weight or 26 oz by volume of borax. And usually it says to add muriatic acid with the borax, but pool math says zero muriatic acid.

I was planning on turning on the SWG tomorrow. I need to read up on that to make sure everything is cool. I know salt is high enough, but want to make sure I have all the settings right.

Although we're still getting the hang of things, it feels good to be in control of our pools destiny. (not the pool store!) Thanks TFP community!

 

[Suziqzer]

Congrats on passing you OCLT! And welcome to the world of a trouble free pool!

You will find that your excess chlorine levels will diminish quickly on the warm sunshiny days. You shouldn't have any CC unless the chlorine is actively working on something... Non is a good thing.

I wouldn't worry about your ph. It will likely come up a little with splashing (aeration) and with your TA being a tad high. When your ph works it's way up and you add muriatic acid to bring it down, it will slowly begin to bring your Ta down as well. Check out Pool School for more details on how they work together.

An SWG is an awesome thing to have once you get it all figured out, how many hours to run, etc. You'll be so glad not to have to juggle chlorine bottles all season. Enjoy your pool!