Hi everyone : I was talking to my dad today and he said when I was a kid and had an above ground pool he only used bleach and baking soda and never used borax. Our 15' pool was always sparkling clear. I wonder how he kept the PH in check then? Hmmm. Maybe bleach or baking soda naturally has some PH in it to begin with? I don't know. Just wondering if anyone else only uses bleach and baking soda only. Thanks! Jeannie
Is Borax really necessary?
- Thread starter Jeannie
- Start date
No. I never use baking soda or borax. My water has high TA, so the pH is always moving up.
I can understand using only bleach or using bleach and some acid, but to use bleach and baking soda is a bit unusual since it implies that the TA is getting lowered over time and that only happens from acid addition. The only other possibility is from dilution of the water with fill water that is lower in TA than the pool water, but that is less common than evaporation and refill that adds whatever is in the fill water, including TA and CH, to the pool.
So it may have been that your dad's water just had a natural inclination for the PH to be very stable - could have come from the fill water, etc.
It's important to note that the only "ingredient" that everyone must add to the pool is chlorine. Chlorine gets consumed and must be replenished. The other "B"s are used to adjust fairly stable parameters and, depending on the condition of your water, you might possibly never have to add anything but chlorine (Bleach).
You must test to find that out but it is feasible (but not likely) that you never add anything else.
You must test to find that out but it is feasible (but not likely) that you never add anything else.