Finding cheap borax (cheap anything!) in Australia is not easy.
For starters, cheap Borax is not available here in supermarkets or hardware stores. We can get Borax... but the price for the same weight as a 76oz box of 20 Mule Team, in Australia is $18 per box!
HOWEVER I have found an ebay seller that is selling 25kg / 55lb bags of Borax for $40 (+ $35, $50 or $90 shipping for one, two and five bags respectively) which brings it back down to the only-double-the-US-price of $3 per kg(which is usually considered a bargain here!)
What he does state is "Bags marked 25kg but have lost moisture and now weigh 22-24kg"
I'd be really grateful if someone with knowledge of this stuff could tell me:
Firstly is it likely to be the same Borax which I would need for a pool? (Does it have varieties?)
And secondly does Borax have a shelf life? As it sounds like it is going to have been sitting around for a while.
I am certainly not at the stage of putting Borates in my pool yet (I need to get it balanced first)
But I was leaning towards "No" due to the $200 cost of enough Borax from the hardware stores!
This could reduce that cost dramatically and make me consider it, if it's a viable solution.
Many thanks for any help.
For starters, cheap Borax is not available here in supermarkets or hardware stores. We can get Borax... but the price for the same weight as a 76oz box of 20 Mule Team, in Australia is $18 per box!
HOWEVER I have found an ebay seller that is selling 25kg / 55lb bags of Borax for $40 (+ $35, $50 or $90 shipping for one, two and five bags respectively) which brings it back down to the only-double-the-US-price of $3 per kg(which is usually considered a bargain here!)
What he does state is "Bags marked 25kg but have lost moisture and now weigh 22-24kg"
I'd be really grateful if someone with knowledge of this stuff could tell me:
Firstly is it likely to be the same Borax which I would need for a pool? (Does it have varieties?)
And secondly does Borax have a shelf life? As it sounds like it is going to have been sitting around for a while.
I am certainly not at the stage of putting Borates in my pool yet (I need to get it balanced first)
But I was leaning towards "No" due to the $200 cost of enough Borax from the hardware stores!
This could reduce that cost dramatically and make me consider it, if it's a viable solution.
Many thanks for any help.