i bought a titrets alkilinity test kit for about $30 as recommended to me on this site. i got it in two days and it works great. $30 is way cheaper than buying lime if it is not needed. (i did need lime do to a reading of 10.) plus, the work to spead the lime by hand is significant. my son and i spread 8 tons yesterday using 5 gal bucks, a shovel, and a 40 gal tub we put into the center of our boat. lots of work. lots of tired sore muscles. my recommendation is to get a test kit and ensure you actually need to lime before you spend the $$'s and do all the hard work to spread it.
