Noticable benefits of borates

[Guest]

A couple of weeks ago, I did the full borate addition.. I think my borates are around 50PPM, but I have a very hard time reading the LaMotte Borate test kit. (though, it's much better than the aquachek one)..

At any rate, I've really noticed a difference in the way my skin feels after swimming. No dryness, or the immediate urge to take a shower. Thanks for all the suggestions and help in doing this. My pool has been so nice lately that I have relatively little reason to visit here much any more! Stains are still going to haunt me, but it's not nearly so bad right now.

Thanks!

 

[keri1973]

I'm so glad I added them too. I have not had to add acid to my pool since I did the borates and I was having to add it about every 4 days.

 

[AV8TOR]

Yes another very happy user with 50 ppm Borates in my pool. Love the sparkle and the feeling like mentioned.

 

[savdoc2]

Count me as happy too!

The additional benefit I have noticed is that the bugs all die.

 

[silcozot]

I have added a little Borax but no acid yet this year!! 86 degrees and sparkling

 

[CatherineFM]

I just added borates two days ago so it's early days yet, but the water looks amazing -- crystal clear and gleaming -- and the pool has been holding its pH and chlorine levels more evenly than it did before. I have been an enthusiastic BBB convert for awhile but have been frustrated for the past two summers by mustard algae that I have never been able to drive completely away. Right now it's gone, though, and I'm hoping the borates might help me keep it that way.

I can't tell about water feel yet because it is FREEZING here in upstate New York. I spent the Fourth of July wearing polar fleece! But splashing an arm around in that cold water, I do think it's silkier and softer than it was before. Now if only the sun would come out so it would get warm enough to swim for once . . .

 

[Guest]

I can't stress enough how much better it feels after getting out of the pool. I don't feel the urgent need to take a shower to wash the chlorine off. My skin feels as soft as it would had I not gone swimming at all - maybe even softer!

Now, if I could just be sure about reading those borate test strips!..Those are driving me crazy. The different shades of beige, brown and orange just are very hard to distinguish.

 

[miami_eric]

Me too! I borated the pool a few days ago and I've already noticed the pool holding chlorine longer and the dull haze that was keeping me from seeing my drain is gone, now everything in the bottom of the pool looks like it is right there and the thermometer looks like it is floating in air!

Wow, highly recommended.

 

[jefeyessica]

I have long hair, and the biggest difference for me, is that my hair doesn't get all dried out anymore.

 

[sks23cu]

We've been using some borax for many years because it helps us keep the pool clean easier; e.g., no ugly water line ring to scrub away.

This year we decided to borate the pool to 30 ppm when we opened it in May. Unfortunately we haven't been able to use the pool yet this year because of all the rain and cool weather we've been having.

In the past, whenever it rained, small to large frogs would migrate from the swamp and pond about 100 yards away and settle into our pool. We either fished them out before or after the chlorine killed them.

But this year, even with all the rain, we haven't had even one frog in the pool! (chipmunks, moles, and mice are another matter)

So is borax a frog repellent, too? Seems so!

Add that to its list of advantages.

 

[CatherineFM]

Finally! The sun came out and it was actually warm enough for a swim. I am thrilled to report that the water -- 5 days after adding borates -- looks and feels amazing. It is sparkling clear and the word for how it feels is exactly the one everyone uses: silky. There's none of that slight tight almost sore feeling on the skin after swimming, either -- just happy swim-freshened clean skin!! The last time my pool water looked and felt this nice was the first summer we owned it, when I spent a small fortune on stuff the pool store lady talked me into which I now realize must have been one of the Proteam borate products. We emptied the pool that winter (above-ground vinyl Sofpool) and I've been using BBB ever since -- but never tried borates until this year. The borax method is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than the stuff the pool store lady sold me! :lol:

Thanks so much to the generous folks here who invested their time, patience and knowledge to teach the rest of us how to do this.