Borate Treatment- Above Ground Pool

[LalaRose]

Hi, I've only had a small above ground pool one season.The thought of borate treatments appeals to me, especially after last season's adjusting levels and dealing with water clarity. Who doesn't want water that sparkles?
I've been reading multiple threads and I can't get a definite answer on my specific questions. I would like to add Boric acid (duda or bulk apothecary) granules for simplicity.
1. Can you do Borate treatment for above ground vinyl pools?
2. Where do I figure out how much to use for my pool? All the threads say to use the calculator. But, where?? I have the app and cannot figure this out! (probably user error but i only use it to log test results). I have a 3700 gallon above ground coleman pool and have never treated with borates.
Thanks to anyone who wants to point me in the right direction, much appreciated!

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

You can do borates in a AGP but I think it is unnecessary. Follow TFP methods and keep your pool TFP clear and it will sparkle plenty...

How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Only Please).

How clear should my water be? A very common question. Here is mine on a calm morning where I could finally vacuum. Yes I know, I'm still manually vacuuming. It took me 7 years to finally get an SWG, I'm working on a robot. :) So now let's see your water clarity.

www.troublefreepool.com

Borates in pool - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mgtfp]

You might have to activate "Track Borates" to get the calculations offered. I certainly have boric acid available in my PoolMath, in both, the main overview and in the "Effects of Adding".

 

[Donldson]

Who doesn't want water that sparkles?

My water sparkles without using borates. Borates aren't magic, they enhance (to what degree is subjective) the already well balanced water of a TFPC managed pool. If your water doesn't already always sparkle then you've got some much more important things to take care of first. Attempting to use borates to mask real problems can actually make those problems more difficult to get under control.

We're not the pool store where whatever chemical we need to move is the one that's going to make everything perfect in your water. We want to help you get everything perfect and then if you want to try enhancing that perfection you can. Step 1 is making sure you are getting accurate numbers to attain that perfection. Are you testing your own water?

 

[mgtfp]

Donldson is making a few good points there.

I have Borates in my pool to protect my SWG cell from scaling, and they do a great job for that.

But my water looks and feels just like it did before - like water. Thanks to TFP crystal clear water - but it was sparkling clear before I added Borates.

Make sure you get a good grasp on your water's chemistry with all the help you can get here. Then you can decide if borates will really add more benefits. Borates are the last item on the list.

And welcome to forum!