borax + dry acid

[giulietta1]

I know that usually one is advised NOT to mix concentrated chemicals together before adding to the pool. However, I remember reading (on this forum) about a product that contains both borax and dry acid. I believe it's Proteam Supreme or something in the Proteam line.

Would it be a bad idea to formulate this sort of thing myself, for adding borax to my spa? I believe I calculated about 13 oz of dry acid per lb of borax. . . I added them separately the last time around, but it would certainly be convenient to have the two products in one. The cautions about mixing chemicals are well drummed into my head, so I thought it would be prudent to ask first.

Thx,
Jules

 

[chem geek]

Jules,

Proteam Supreme is just Sodium Tetraborate Pentahydrate and has no dry acid in it. I believe you are referring to this link for the BioGuard Mineral Springs Renewal product which is salt, borax, and dry acid.

The general rule against mixing an acid and a base is that this combination often produces heat and this can cause splattering. In addition, acid is generally added to water because the heat of dilution from the acid can also cause splattering. These problems are clearly greater when mixing liquid chemicals, but even dry chemicals can be so unstable that mixing them is very bad. Cal-Hypo plus any acidic source including Trichlor is one such example.

Borax doesn't turn into a base until it is mixed with water -- the tetraborate comes apart and generates boric acid plus hydroxyl ions. So it is likely to be far safer than Cal-Hypo plus an acid, but I would recommend against it since we don't know the process that BioGuard used to manufacture this product. It might be done with dessication to ensure there is no excess moisture, for example.

Richard

 

[giulietta1]

Ok, I won't try it. Adding them separately really isn't a hassle, but it's fun to do a little experimenting sometimes (as long as it doesn't lead to an explosion!!)

 

[Guest]

Proteam's product is Gentle Spa. It's a mixture of sodium tetraborate (borax) and boric acid along with fragrence. it is supposed to be pH neutral.