Are Borates necessary?

[joecoyle]

Hi,

Reading around the site and pool school, the TFP method seems to focus on the 3 Bs. Bleach I have, Baking Soda I have, Borax is another matter. I live in the UK and the European Union recently classified Borax as toxic. Therefore it is not on sale to the general public. Only to trade and professionals. So are borates necessary for me to follow the TFP method? Are they required for me to get the FC level to minimum 3, target 5 for my pool?

Thanks
Joe

 

[ping]

No, they are not required.

Personally, would only add borates to pools that have SWG's and need a bit of help to prevent scaling inside the cell if the water conditions lead to scaling inside the cell.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Also, BBB is often mentioned but it is a phrase that was coined years ago on a different forum. While what TFP teaches is very, very similar (and a derivative of the BBB method), it is more common on this site to refer to what we do as the Trouble Free Pool Care Method or TFPC for short. All pools need chlorine, so the first "B" (Bleach) is required BUT not all pool need either baking soda or borax. My pool absolutely needs no additional TA as my fill water provides more than enough and I only added borates to my pool for pH control and better scale resistance in my SWG.

Since TFP is all about teaching people the science and practice of pool care as well as teaching people to be their on water testing professionals, the term "BBB" doesn't really match up well with what is taught.

 

[pooldv]

Borax has two different uses with TFPC. One is to raise PH and the other is to help with PH rise and some other side benefits.

You have other means available to raise PH, if you ever need to raise it, I don't. More here, Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

And more here on adding 50 ppm borates to your pool for a variety of reasons. All are purely optional.
Borates - Why and How