"I switched to chlorine chemicals from the expense 'recommended' brands. I still found them to be expensive.  Then I found a website www.poolsolutions.com which saved me a bundle!  I switched to chlorine bleach and 20 mule team borax, items that can be picked up most anywhere. One gallon bleach will add 2ppm chlorine to 30,000 gallon pool; baking soda works as alkalinity increaser (both are 100% sodium bicarbonate, and 20 Mule Team(R) Borax works well as ph-Up.  The site offers lots of suggestions of how to care for pools to save time and money." ~ Norma

"The cheapest way to save on pool maintenance is to check all your chemical levels daily or twice daily in really hot weather ....once the pool goes green it takes alot more chemicals to get it back to swimming condition. And don't be 'penny wise and pound foolish' when it come to running the filter for the required amount daily. Uncirculated water grows bacteria/algae fast." ~ Dee

"Our local hardware store sells refillable chlorine bottles. You pay $4.00 for the container (2.5 gallons). When you bring it back, you just pick up another filled container for $4.25. This is about $1.70 a gallon, and it is a stronger grade than the retail stores. Also, make sure the PH is balanced before you add ANY chemicals. They won't do their job properly without a good PH, and you'll be dumping more in than you need." ~ Anonymous