Boric acid in tablets

[MikeSTL]

I use the Costco Clorox Xtra Blue 3" tablets on and off (depending on if I need CYA or not). I know there is much misinformation on here about them containing copper. They do not (Safety Data Sheet). But, that's not what I'm asking about here.

I'm actually curious about the Boric acid component of them. I don't know much about Borates. I've never used them. So, I don't test for them. It looks like they do contain up to 1% of boric acid. So, I was wondering if this is of any consequence. Is this just a trivial amount of borates? Is this anything I should be concerned about. We do have dogs that are going to drink some pool water. And, I'm sure our cat thinks it's a big, giant water bowl when she is outside. So, that is one reason I have never considered using borates.

My initial take on it is that it amounts to basically a negligible amount. At 1%, an entire 40 lb container would probably have about 6 oz of boric acid. And, according to pool math, this is worth about 0.2 ppm. The TFP water chemistry seems to indicate that 30-50ppm would be a normal level. So, my initial assessment is that I can simply ignore the borate aspect of them. Would you agree with this assessment?

 

[jblizzle]

I would agree with your assessment. Wonder what they consider the point to be of adding that low level of boric acid is? Perhaps just marketing?

Thanks for posting the SDS, I was sure I had at one point confirmed myself that those tablets contained copper, although maybe it was a different variant.

EDIT: Although there is still 5% unaccounted for that could very well still be copper as the "special conditioners". I MUCH prefer to use the 99+% Trichlor tablets (like Chlorox Active99 or the Leslies brand).

 

[Donldson]

We are aware the SDS does not show copper. However, @YippeeSkippy contacted Clorox and received this email:

I just received an email response from the Clorox Customer Care line....I copied in in full:
Hello Madeline,

Thank you for contacting Clorox™ Pool & Spa®. All of our XtraBlue products do contain a small amount of copper. Our line “Active 99” does not contain any copper additives. This includes our Active 99 tablets and shock.

If you have any other questions or concerns feel free to contact us.

Thanks,

Clorox™ Pool & Spa®
1-800-SOS-POOL
Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm EST.
www.CloroxPool.com

Office: 678-502-xxxx (Direct)

 

[zea3]

Here is some information on safe borate levels for pets

Are Borates Safe to Use?

Since I've found different, though similar, sources of information and have been asked about this in multiple posts, I thought I would consolidate some information on the safety of using borates in a pool (or spa). It started with information in this report where the most reasonable number for...

www.troublefreepool.com