Question about borax - have a vinyl liner pool under a massive amount of trees

[nyvram]

Pool is about 1/2 in the shade by 3 pm and full sun by about 10am in the morning.

Would i be a caondidate to use borates to keep my pool sparkling? I am just completing my first SLAM and I cannot believe how good the pool looks already.

Absolutely blown away.

I never want it to turn green again, but am concerned with the amount of debris (particularly as Aug/Sept approaches) falling into the pool.

Is there a rule of thumb as to whether its worth taking this additional step based on the type of pool?

 

[domct203]

That's a great question. I too am under trees, and constantly remove debris (my 5YO calls it 'tree-bris").

My pool remains clear, but I'm curious if there is anything special I should do. I'm already pulling leaves out of the skimmer!

Dom

 

[Patrick_B]

It's a personal choice and entirely optional either way. As debris entry goes, there is no advantage or disadvantage to Borates. It would behoove you to post a full set of numbers before you add them however. And I'll add, that I am not against them at all, but I do suggest getting a tight grip on your knowledge, testing, and caring for your pool before adding more to the equation.

 

[pooldv]

Have you read this? Borates - Why and How

I am a big fan of borates. It makes the water feel nice, cuts down on bugs which means a lot because we are in the woods, I get some PH relief, but I still have to add acid at least weekly depending on how much the wife wants the waterfall running. Mine was down to 20 this spring due to all the rain. Water was less sparkly and more bugs. Bumped it back to 50 and it was almost instantly better.

You should have your PH and TA understood and under control first. Tell us where you are and how it has been recently.

I also have dozens of trees and they are dropping leaves like crazy because it is so dry. I went fro spring pollen and stuff to leaves falling. My skimmer baskets are full twice a day. Pump never left the 24x7 spring run cycle to keep leaves in the skimmers and off the bottom.