Am I ready to add Boric Acid?

[SixOwls]

Hello. I want to try Boric Acid this year. I have powder. The pool is crystal clear. Wanted to see if I have everything balanced properly or if I should adjust anything (especially pH or TA first)? Thanks!

 

[Mdragger88]

Looks great
Note that the boric acid will reduce the ph a little - use poolmath effects of adding to get an idea of what to expect.
You mentioned powder… granular is preferred over fine powder as the powder just likes to sit on the water and not mix well.
I have used it but it’s a pain with a large amount. I was eventually able to use a fine mesh skimmer and get it dissolved. Did it in small batches in a 5 gal bucket of water first.
Got a pic of what you bought?

 

[SixOwls]

Thanks! Here is a picture of what I got.

 

[mknauss]

Be ware that the powder can be problematic to mix easily and is very easy to be caught by the wind when adding.
Add in very small batches.

 

[Newdude]

What are you trying to solve with Borates ? With similar TA and a vinyl pool, I haven't needed to add acid since your last post in 2023. (June 2023 actually, a month later, but still)

 

[JamesW]

That's a 5 lb bag.

You would need about 14 bags.

How many bags did you get?

 

[JamesW]

You need about 69 lbs to get to 50 ppm.

Granular Boric Acid, 55 lb Bag [boricbags] | DudaDiesel Biodiesel Supplies

 

[ajw22]

I get Granular Boric Acid, 55 lb Granular Form / White Crystals in the Heavy Duty 6-Gal Pail with Tear-Strip Resealable Lid.

Granular Boric Acid, 55 lb [boric55] | DudaDiesel Biodiesel Supplies

 

[SixOwls]

Thanks everyone! I was going to add about 68 lbs as per pool math. I got the powder type after I saw someone say the granular was hard to get to dissolve but I now understand that the powder type has its own challenges. I will just have to go slow and careful as was mentioned. I wanted to try Boric Acid to reduce adding of muriatic acid, to reduce chlorine usage (increased life of salt cell maybe?), for the slight algaecide benefit (which I tend to have some challenges with algae growth at times) and the water benefits noted in article (water sparkle, feels softer, silky).

 

[ajw22]

I wanted to try Boric Acid to reduce adding of muriatic acid,

It does not. Makes no difference.

to reduce chlorine usage (increased life of salt cell maybe?),

It does not. Makes no difference.

for the slight algaecide benefit (which I tend to have some challenges with algae growth at times)

If you have a problem with algae then you are not maintaining the proper FC/CYA levels. Much more effective to do that than add borates.

and the water benefits noted in article (water sparkle, feels softer, silky).

Highly subjective.

 

[Newdude]

No borates, no algae, no acid added in 23 months, feels great, plenty of sparkle. Just sayin.





You're doing it wrong and borates isn't going to help.

 

[SixOwls]

Hi guys. This was the article that sold me on using boric acid which does seem to be an older article but has the claims been debunked by the TFP community now? So you want to add borates to your pool--Why and How

 

[Newdude]

Oh, we know where you got it. Lol. One user's experience back in 2008 and the theory of it all.

To my knowledge, there's no predictive model out there, only individual anecdotes

Many many anecdotes later, it didn't pan out as expected.

It does usually reduce the frequency of acid doses, but doubles the dose amount. So twice as much, half as often. Besides that, there isn't much help.

 

[ajw22]

Hi guys. This was the article that sold me on using boric acid which does seem to be an older article but has the claims been debunked by the TFP community now? So you want to add borates to your pool--Why and How

It is not an article in Pool School or the Wiki. It is a long old thread and we have learned much about borates since then.

 

[Mdragger88]

It won’t hurt anything to add it but it just may or may not have any noticeable benefits for you.
Ymmv-
I stopped replenishing it a few years ago and have noticed zero difference.
I don’t get build up on my salt cell anyway so there’s no difference for me there.
Chlorine is my algaecide so i’m good there.
My ph literally never changes so no difference either way.
I do use it in my hot tub sometimes as thats a more ph volatile environment than my pool but its not much different without it.
As someone who has made the mistake of purchasing a large quantity of powdered because of cost in the past I highly suggest you seek out a 5 gal bucket to mix it in small batches. I used a big paint stick to stir.
Then i had the best luck pouring that mix through a skimmer net like a sieve to help with the clumping.
It took a while & was quite messy.
You don’t want to inhale the dust.
The granular version is literally pour, brush, walk away.

 

[PoolStored]

Hi guys. This was the article that sold me on using boric acid which does seem to be an older article but has the claims been debunked by the TFP community now? So you want to add borates to your pool--Why and How

Ha Ha. I asked the same question 4 years ago.

8 day odyssey...Borate Ready?

I think this qualifies for the deep end? 8 days ago I realized I was "pool stored." 4 day slam, think I could have done it in two, check and re-FC'd every 2 hours. Didn't think to check the ladder! That fixed it. Found a source for 10% bleach and 31.45% MA. Tore out the puck chlorinator...

www.troublefreepool.com

As a dedicated borates user, the only benefits I see from its use is that it reduces the tendency to scale in the SWG by limiting the pH rise in the cell, an limiting pH rise over the winter, which can protect from spring calcium scale.
I second, third or fourth recommend the use of the granular. It dissolves quickly. The powder can be very problematic.
You also need to have a way to measure borates if you are going to continue the use. There is a "roll your own" drop test for borates here:

Borates in pool - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Once you go borates, they are in the pool. The only way to remove them is with water replacement.

 

[SixOwls]

Thanks everyone. Seems like I may not see the benefits that I was hoping for. Any suggestions of what I can do with about 90 lbs of powered boric acid? It is well past being able to return it. Appreciate you all.

 

[Newdude]

Any suggestions of what I can do with about 90 lbs of powered boric acid? It is well past being able to return it.

Oh. You're a borates user now.


We're just trying to set reasonable expectations. If you do better than that, then GREAT.

You can also try to sell it on FB marketplace and such.

 

[Mdragger88]

Thanks everyone. Seems like I may not see the benefits that I was hoping for. Any suggestions of what I can do with about 90 lbs of powered boric acid? It is well past being able to return it. Appreciate you all.

It won’t hurt- it just isn’t magical lol.
& You already own it . As NewDude said, we just wanted to manage your expectations & of course warn you before you just attempted to broadcast it or dump it in like granular - cuz I freaked out, my beautiful pool looked bad there for a minute.
It just floated- everywhere…
The 5 gal bucket method worked but it took some time.
Its my understanding that some farmers use it for pest management (with pigs & chickens) so that may be a way to get rid of it if you decide against using it. If you know any farmers.

 

[JamesW]

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