About to try borates, but…

[AK-]

I read quite some interesting stories about how great a pool with borates feel, so decided to give a try. I’m going with Boric Acid for ease of use.

Pool is quite new, but seems I got a good handle on chemicals. My CYA is intentionally low due to necessity of using trichlor in near future.

My latest test results are:
FC: 4
CYA: 20
PH: 7.5
TA: 100
CH: 150

My TA is a bit higher than recommended, should I try to adjust it (acid + aeration) before or after adding borates? From what I read sounds adding acid after adding borates will make TA adjustments easier as it will cut the PH reduction from acid.

How long after adding Boric Acid for pool to be safe to swim (assuming PH is over 7.2)?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

All I can tell you that I know is to do all your adjustments before the borates. Once you add them changing your pH/TA will be much harder.
Avoid borates if your dogs tend to drink the pool water.

Borates in pool - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Maddie

 

[AK-]

All I can tell you that I know is to do all your adjustments before the borates. Once you add them changing your pH/TA will be much harder.
Avoid borates if your dogs tend to drink the pool water.

Borates in pool - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Maddie

I have no pets, so no issue there.

I fully read that article, but I also read here on TFP a post (sorry couldn’t find the link) explaining that to lower PH with borates you need double the Acid, but borates would not affect the reduction on TA that much, hence the assumption I’m trying to check that lowering TA after borates (as long as I don’t need to lower PH too) would be easier…

 

[JamesW]

I fully read that article, but I also read here on TFP a post (sorry couldn’t find the link) explaining that to lower PH with borates you need double the Acid, but borates would not affect the reduction on TA that much, hence the assumption I’m trying to check that lowering TA after borates (as long as I don’t need to lower PH too) would be easier…

In my opinion, it is a little bit easier.

 

[DeanP66]

With where your numbers are currently, your CSI assuming a water temperature of ~70 degrees is around -0.27, and once you add 50ppm of borates, it will go to -0.30, so you probably don't have to lower your TA. You could if you like, but then you probably want to run your pH a tad higher so your CSI isn't too corrosive. You don't want to go much further than -0.30 if you can help it.

Plug in your numbers on pool math and see where they balance out the best. Your low CH allows you to run your pH and TA a little higher. My CH is at 475 and I have to try and keep pH and TA a little lower to keep the CSI from being to high (over 0).

 

[AK-]

With where your numbers are currently, your CSI assuming a water temperature of ~70 degrees is around -0.27, and once you add 50ppm of borates, it will go to -0.30, so you probably don't have to lower your TA. You could if you like, but then you probably want to run your pH a tad higher so your CSI isn't too corrosive. You don't want to go much further than -0.30 if you can help it.

Plug in your numbers on pool math and see where they balance out the best. Your low CH allows you to run your pH and TA a little higher. My CH is at 475 and I have to try and keep pH and TA a little lower to keep the CSI from being to high (over 0).

Well.. I’m using Cal-Hypo to gradually increase my CH… the manufacturer recommendation for my heat pump is 200-400 while my tap water is 95.

 

[AK-]

Also my water temp is 88F. Anything colder and I can manage to get my kids in the water. Hopefully during the heat of summer I’ll be able to lower it a bit.

 

[DeanP66]

88F in NJ? You must have the heater running. I'd suggest keeping your CH on the lower end of their recommendation because it will rise over time with evaporation and top ups. A TA of 60 or 70 will work though, you are right. Double check your TA from your fill line. Mine is TA 330 which tends to drive my pool's TA up steadily.

 

[AK-]

88F in NJ? You must have the heater running. I'd suggest keeping your CH on the lower end of their recommendation because it will rise over time with evaporation and top ups. A TA of 60 or 70 will work though, you are right. Double check your TA from your fill line. Mine is TA 330 which tends to drive my pool's TA up steadily.

Yes, I have a heater running. Also the solar cover is pretty efficient (was getting about 2F net gain per day with solar cover alone), I just wish it wasn’t such a pain to cover/uncover the pool).

 

[DeanP66]

Do you have a reel? I made a DIY roller with mas85's suggestions. Much easier.

 

[AK-]

Do you have a reel? I made a DIY roller with mas85's suggestions. Much easier.

I don’t have one. The commercial reels I saw wouldn’t fit in my setup.

My pool couple inches lower than my pre-existing deck and was assembled on an area I had to raise with an extremely sturdy retaining wall. Unfortunately the premium area on my rally big backyard is exactly where my septic field is, so I had to squeeze the pool between it and the deck. So in one if the “straight” sides of my oval pool is the deck and the other is a pretty big drop….

 

[DeanP66]

This is similar to the Solar Roller concept. I cut the cover in half and installed ABS pipes on each side fastened to the cover underneath. Then you just roll it and pull it out of the water, letting the water drain for 20 to 30 seconds. It works great and makes it a 1 person job.

To put it back on, you just unroll a foot or two on each side on the pool deck, slide the entire thing in the pool and then unroll it. I even made a handle out of PVC, but you could get by without one using just your hands to roll it.

 

[BassPlayingDude]

One thing I realized that nobody else seems to consider is that by adding the borates you are rendering tens of thousands of gallons of dire emergency,SHTF scenario potential drinking water unpotable.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Tru'dat. Skippy tends to be in survivalist mode (too many camping trips with the army maybe?) so in the back of his mind he knows he has that water there for when the floor drops out of the world. We have too many dogs in our life that drink and swim in there to use borates if we wanted to.

 

[BassPlayingDude]

If there is one thing we all should have learned from a stupid virus, a badly steered freighter, a pipeline ransomware hijacking, a freak Texas freeze and a Louisiana chemical factory fire, it should be that the modern world is a LOT more fragile than most people think it is.

 

[JamesW]

it should be that the modern world is a LOT more fragile than most people think it is.

It's predicted that if Starbucks went down, about half the US population would be dead in under a week.

 

[AK-]

Yes, society is much more fragile than most people realize. BUT…

Being realistic, anything that truly could happen that would knockdown power long enough to interrupt my (and most other people) water supply will also affect my ability to keep my pool water if not contaminate it altogether.