I've been going back and forth about adding Borates to my pool for the last few weeks. So far in the 17 months I've had my pool, it has been pretty much storybook tale of ownership. No problems with algae, and the water has been clear enough to know I have Philips head screws holding down my drain covers (8ft depth). Still, I have something in me that keeps me wondering whether my water can be better. So, yesterday I took a trip to Walmart and found the 4.75lb boxes of 20 Mule Team for $3.79. Without a real plan, I purchased up the 13 boxes they had in stock. I then went to my local independent pool store and bought 7 gallons of muriatic acid (boy did they look at me funny). Once I got home, I started looking up the how-to posts on TFP and even watched a couple Youtube videos on adding Borax. With the new knowledge ingrained in my head, I decided I wanted to add Borax to my pool in the 35-40 ppm range. The only thing missing from this great plan was Lamotte Test strips. I did place an order for them, but I don't expect them to arrive from TFkits until Friday or Saturday.
So, am I crazy adding the Borates without having the test kit in hand. My plan was to add Borax to bring me from 0 to 35-40ppm, using the two step method. When I first filled my pool, the meter said I used 23,000 gallons to fill it, but when I used the calculator, it seems that inserting 20,000 gallons makes calculations more accurate. So, for adding Borax to my pool, I was planning on using 20,000 gallons as my base, and then adding muriatic acid accordingly. Once completed, I would adjust my PH level at two different stages, then test with the Borate strips once they arrive. What do you think?
Here's my current numbers:
Water temp 85
-PH 7.5, I usually adjust to 7.2 and dose at 7.5 (high CH)
-FC 5.5
-CC 0.0
-TC 5.5
-TA 60
-CYA 60 (adding to get me to 70)
-CH 490-500 (fill water started at 270)
-Salt 3800 with drop test (IC40 says 4050)
So, am I crazy adding the Borates without having the test kit in hand. My plan was to add Borax to bring me from 0 to 35-40ppm, using the two step method. When I first filled my pool, the meter said I used 23,000 gallons to fill it, but when I used the calculator, it seems that inserting 20,000 gallons makes calculations more accurate. So, for adding Borax to my pool, I was planning on using 20,000 gallons as my base, and then adding muriatic acid accordingly. Once completed, I would adjust my PH level at two different stages, then test with the Borate strips once they arrive. What do you think?
Here's my current numbers:
Water temp 85
-PH 7.5, I usually adjust to 7.2 and dose at 7.5 (high CH)
-FC 5.5
-CC 0.0
-TC 5.5
-TA 60
-CYA 60 (adding to get me to 70)
-CH 490-500 (fill water started at 270)
-Salt 3800 with drop test (IC40 says 4050)
Can't wait! This may warrant a FB picture post to show all our friends what a pool should look like...
