Can you compare the same buffering ability of borates to TA? Really the question I'm asking is: How many ppm of borates = the same buffering power of 10 ppm of TA?
Borates to TA comparison
- Thread starter smackdab
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 24,399
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
TA encompasses both carbonate alkalinity as well as borate alkalinity (and cyanurate alkalinity). They are all species that buffer the pool water against changes in hydrogen ion concentration. They also have different pKa values and so their buffering strength is different at different pH values. Carbonate and cyanurate alkalinity tends to buffer against increases in hydrogen ion concentration (lowering of pH) while borates buffer against decreasing hydrogen ion concentration (rising pH).
Chem geek has posted about the buffering capacity of pool water in these two posts -
pH Buffer Capacity
TA--What is it really?
You can't think of it as borates being a "replacement" for carbonates, they are complementary to one another.
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