Am I balanced enough to add Boric Acid?

[modog]

Just got my Boric Acid shipment from DudDiesel! Superquick! Here are my numbers. I was advised to keep it at this level to prevent a scaling issue. Are these numbers safe for long term? Should I raise my TA or PH any?

FC = 5
CC = 0
PH = 7.3
TA = 50
Calcium = 410
CYA = 35
Borates = 0

The PoolCalculator says to add 67 pounds of Boric Acid. I will add half first. When can I get an accurate test after adding the first half?

Thanks.

Mo

 

[257WbyMag]

I would rather see the TA at 60, but that's just me. If your pH and TA are where you want them to be and have been doing good for you at those levels, then yes, go ahead and add your boric acid.

 

[modog]

How long should I wait before I can test the first half of the boric acid? Then when can I add the second half? Once I reach 50ppm. I will add baking soda to raise it up to 60. Is my CYA too low? I am in Texas and my pool faces west so it gets alot of sun. Your help is much appreciated.

Mo

 

[modog]

Also, are borates safe for a pregnant woman? I just found out my wife is pregnant again! Also responses to my previous questions would help me as I am doing this right now.

 

[modog]

You all must hate me! I thought of another question. How long after adding the boric acid does my pool pump need to run?

 

[JasonLion]

Borates in the swimming pool at the recommended 30 to 50 level are just fine for humans and a very mild risk for pets.

You should run the pool pump for at least an hour after adding any pool chemicals.

Just go ahead and add all of the boric acid. The test isn't precise enough to tell you how much more you would need, so you might as well go by your original calculations. Fortunately, you don't need to get the borate level exactly right.

 

[modog]

Thanks for the response. I understand if you want to steer clear of the pregnant question. Is there any info out there I can find about borates and pregnant humans? I would really appeciate the help!

 

[JasonLion]

I haven't seen anything that suggests greater risk to pregnant women. The main EPA concern seems to be for children between the ages of 7 and 10. Even for the most at risk group, the suggested upper limit appears to be 360 ppm, while we don't recommend ever exceeding 80 ppm.

 

[modog]

Thanks! I am adding the Boric Acid now. It says 67 pounds for 28K pool. I have 75 pounds which will get me to 55 ppm. I figure a bit more wouldn't be a bad start with the heavy summer swim season. Thanks for all your help. I am fully BBB now!

 

[chem geek]

Remember that the health risk with borates in the water is drinking the water every day for months. Your liver removes boron from food and water sources every day so the issue is just to not overwhelm this natural process. If you aren't taking gulps of water while in the pool on a regular basis, then you should be fine. The reason children are more at risk is that the same gulp of water is the same size as an adult, but their body weight is less and the body's ability to remove substances in the liver and concentration of substances elsewhere in the body that could cause problems is roughly related to a person's body weight.

 

[modog]

Thank you for your help!