Borates, boric acid

[BobF]

Reading the sticky, I see that you should add borax and acid to bring the PH back inline. Reading another thread, I saw where one of the commercial products now includes boric acid so that the product is PH neutral. I have some boric acid that is sold here as a roach killer. The package says 99% othoboric acid and 1% inert ingredients. I wonder if this would be suitable to mix TMT and add to the pool?
I don't remember the cost of the product, but is sold in a 1lb container as a powder and you sprinkle around areas where insects would be present. I put some inside the walls when my house was being built. It does seem to help control the bugs.

 

[Guest]

no because you don't have the proper proportions for dosing to maintain a neutral pH with the borax. If you want to do it easily by the Supreme Plus. If you want to do it inexpensively use the TMT and acid.
Surpreme Plus uses sodium tetreaborate pentahydrate, not the sodium tetreaborate decahydrate found in TMT. Because this is a more 'concetrated' borate than TMT it probably means that less boric acid (wihch does not dissolve readily at all) is needed in the mix to obtain a pH neutral product.

Anyway, I would not use that particular boric acid product but a USP or better grade of boric acid if I DID know the proper mix.

 

[BobF]

Just as well.
I am sure if my wife saw me putting something labeled "roach poison" in the pool she would go nuts.

 

[Matt]

Lol. I can't say I'd ever be comfortable putting roach poison in my pool, no matter what it says on the label.

 

[chem geek]

It's all a matter of quantity and application. The concentration is very low and you aren't drinking the water. Even plain water will kill you of you swallow enough of it into your lungs (i.e. drown)!

 

[Guest]

Lol. I can't say I'd ever be comfortable putting roach poison in my pool, no matter what it says on the label.

Boric acid has many uses besides killing roaches. It is used as an eyewash, in contact lens solutions, as a pool additive (actually it is created in the pool when you add acid and borax together), just to name a few. Would you be comfortable putting road de icer in youpool? Well, calcium chloride that is used to increase calcium hardness is also used to melt ice and snow. How about dumping pounds and pounds of a leavening agent (something that makes dough rise) into your pool? People do this every day when they increase their TA. One of the biggest uses for baking soda is as a leavening agent in cooking!
Point is that most chemicals have multiple uses.

 

[Matt]

Oh I know, I was more commenting on the emotional, not rational, aspects of emptying a box of roach poison into your pool.