Water softener, salt vs borates

[yardoasis]

Today went swimming with some friends along with a BBQ - it was great! Pool was sparkling and so clean, thanks to adopting TFP methods and that SLAM I've recently completed. Thank YOU, TFPF, for just being here!!!

Now my next question... when I got out of the pool my skin became pretty dry. Not a major complaint, more like a nuisance, and was wondering if there's something I could do to soften the water so my skin feels better when I leave the pool?

I've heard of adding salt, but my pool is not a SWG and I'm worried about corrosion of the plumbing system over time. I've also heard of Borax, and I actually have some on hand (along with baking soda and bleach to round up the BBB). But I'm a little skeptical that Borates would help the water feel, and hesitant to add more chemicals in a pool that I've already gotten sparkling over the weekend...

What are the pro and cons of each?

 

[Richard320]

While you wait for answers from someone with firsthand experience (I have none with either) try using the search box for Salt Feel. There are pages and pages of threads discussing it.

 

[JasonLion]

Both salt and borates help improve the water "feel". The effects are slightly different and cumulative, that is to say that salt plus borates are better than either one alone.

Keep in mind that water "feel" is subjective. Different people react differently. I use both salt and borates, and I definitely notice a difference, and many of my guests clamor to find out what my "secret" is because of how wonderful the water feels, but some of my friends didn't notice the change at all.

Adding salt for feel you want to raise the level to about 2,000 ppm. This should not have any impact on your equipment, though there is a remote chance it could affect some kinds of natural stonework.

When adding borates, you want a level between 30 and 50 ppm. One box of borax won't do anything for the water feel.

 

[Patrick_B]

I've thought about Borating, but it takes so much, I don't want to spend the cash on it. I tried it in my little pool, and think there was a difference, but just not sure enough about it to be convinced. If I ever do borate, it will likely be for pH stability rather than feel.

Salt is going to be more damaging to Rockwork as Jason says. Unless you have metallic piping, it should not be a concern at all.

 

[yardoasis]

Yeah, since I have a 12k gallon pool, it will take 5-6 boxes of borax to bring it up to 30 ppm. That's another expense, and I'm not 100% sure I really need it. Salt is probably much cheaper, and I'll need 5 40 lb bags of it... maybe less since I may already have some salt in the pool.

Is 2000 ppm a maximum safe number in terms of corrosion of the flagstone? If so, I'll need to test for salts. Most of my piping is strong plastic or non-metallic.

 

[tucsontico]

Just added boric acid to my SWG pool this week. My personal opinion is the water does have a "softer" feel to it and appears to be less drying on my skin. I bought my granular boric acid from dudadiesel.com. I needed 48 lbs for my 19,600 gal pool so I bought their 55 lb package–with shipping it cost $110. Due to not needing to add MA, the cost was better for me. Good Luck!

 

[yardoasis]

Thanks, I may consider boric acid instead of both borax and MA. I'll compare costs and such. When you added boric acid, did the pH move much or stay about the same? Did it also affect TA?

 

[tucsontico]

One of the side effects of the borates is pH buffering on the high end. The borates should slow the rate of pH rise in my SWG pool. I'll let you know my test results in a couple of weeks with the borates in the pool. Adding the boric did not budge my pH off 7.6. Also, there is no apparent change to my TA. I am quite happy with the results of using TFP chemistry recommendations–including the optional borate addition.

 

[Buckeyemom]

We always add solar salt ($4/bag at Lowe's) to our pool. It makes the pool feel great and your skin doesn't feel dry when you get out. Do it!

 

[jmagoulas]

How many bags of the solar salt per 10k gallons? Also how do you add the salt and do you have to replenish over the season?

 

[tucsontico]

How many bags of the solar salt per 10k gallons? Also how do you add the salt and do you have to replenish over the season?

Check out the Pool School article: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/138-water-balance-for-swg-saltwater-chlorine-generator. Also do a search on the forums for "salt addition." I've never used "solar salt" but if you use "pool salt," simply adding it to the deep end while circulating the water and brushing a bit will dissolve the salt quite quickly.

If you are adding salt "just for feel" then you'll probably want to raise the salt to 2000 ppm. Use the Pool Calculator to determine the correct amount for your pool size. Good Luck!

 

[mariane]

For a few years now, we've been adding both solar salt (which is cheaper than pool salt) and borates and like the feel of the water. Can't remember what it felt like before we started. ) The borates also seem to help with algae control.