Borax not available -- Pacific NW only?

[seeclearly]

I have been trying to buy 20 Mule Team for the last few months but no one has it. Two separate stores said there is an issue with the supplier having sold it all to someone else, so they can't get any. I didn't make a trip to Walmart as the closest one is 30 miles away -- they would have the buying power to do it I am sure.

Is anyone else having this problem? Is there any other way to buy borax other than the over priced pool store type?

Have had a pretty good summer with my pool and have to face reality about closing it for the winter soon. Maybe I don't need to worry about borates until next June.

 

[Stuamurr]

If your closing soon I wouldn't bother, then you can acquire sufficient quantities for next year during the autumn/winter at Wallmart or I have noticed it listed on eBay also.

Regards
Stuart

 

[Swampwoman]

If your goal in searching for borax is to raise your level o 50 ppm for the extra water comfort/sparkle/stability, you may wish to order it online at http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=Boric+acid
If you order the "boric acid" you will also not ave to add muriatic acid when you do the treatment. With free shipping it's the best deal going (when you add up the cost of the borax plus the acid.)

That's where I got my refill from after spending a wad on the proteam supreme plus.

 

[seeclearly]

Thanks!

 

[seeclearly]

Well, we're having a sudden heat wave so it is time to open, about a month ahead of schedule.

I forgot all about ordering this boric acid and am going to do it now. I am guessing powdered over granular for quicker dissolving?

Is there a link to a chart that says how much to put on to raise the level with a certain water volume?

My pH is at 6.8, borates at 15.


Bigger problems to fix, including an electrical issue and chlorine that is too high.

Thanks!

 

[chem geek]

The powdered can float on the surface of the water (due to surface tension) so some of it does not dissolve so well, though I suppose you could force it down into the water. I use granular and it dissolves reasonably well with just some brushing to help it along.

The Pool Calculator can be used to calculate dosing.

 

[seeclearly]

Thanks for the very quick response!
I had forgotten about the pool calculator and was just getting to it.

For some reason we aren't getting electricity at the pool and my regular electrician has a full time job now. I'm working on that. In the meanwhile, to keep the pool from getting mossy we made a sort of spa floater for the pool. (old puck bucket drilled with many holes like a bait bucket, put in 10 pucks and three old chlorine bottles filled with air, then put bucket lid on). That was about two months ago. Just took it out. The pucks are 98% dissolved.

Here are the new readings: FC 16 (used the 25ml/.2 method for greater accuracy at high levels), CC 1, TC 17, pH 6.8, TA 40, CYA 45 (we get natural water changes here all winter!), borates 15.
We didn't put anything but BBB in the pool last year.

We took the pool cover off. With a few hot days the chlorine should dissipate, right? We are having record breaking heat.

I put all this with the pool volume into the pool calculator, but it didn't respond. I'm using a tablet so maybe it doesn't work with that. No app for Windows phone, either.

The water is lightly greenish but clear, has some brown dust around the edges, and no crud on the waterline. It is full, as up until yesterday we were having torrential rain!
I guess that's too big of a question for this old thread, but here is the related part:
Since my pH is 6.8, should I use borax without the acid for a net raise in pH? That's assuming I can get it - haven't checked since last fall.

My #1 thing to do is get the pump running, I know!

 

[chem geek]

Since your TA is low, you can use pH Up (sodium carbonate) which is the same as Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (careful: NOT the laundry detergent) as that will raise both the pH and the TA. If you want to raise the pH and not the TA as much, then yes you can use 20 Mule Team Borax.

 

[seeclearly]

I found a&h washing soda at the first old-school hardware store I went to, and got two 55 Oz boxes for $10 (and a cool weeding tool - they have neat stuff in there). Over the past 4 days I've been watching the chlorine drop and the pH and TA go up.

Currently FC 5, TC 5, pH 7.2, TA 70. Borates are still low at 15-30. Is there an actual test for borates besides the strip test? I am not very confident about my readings.


An electrician is coming out Monday to suss out the electrical difficulty. Hopefully it won't require a new trench and a new line....

Thanks for your help!

 

[chem geek]

There is a drop-based borates test here, but you only need to be in the ballpark for borates so usually between test strips and calculated dosing they are good enough.