Looking to add Borates

[bagd98rt]

Quick question!!!

I'm looking to add borates and I've read the article in pool school so my question is the pool store I go to sells blue whale muratic acid 21 Baum MA 33% Hydrocloric Acid 67% other ingredients so since I'm not to familiar with these MA's just yet... Can someone let me know the difference between what pool school is asking and what I have avaliable? Is it exactly what I need or is it stronger or weaker my calculations tell me to add 10 boxes or borax to 3 gallons of MA give or take... and is adding borates worth the extra work!!!

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Sorry I read a bunch of different posts and sticky's on this site that brought me to the conclusion that it might be a good idea to do it... can people with borate let me know of your experience and if you are glad you did it or do you regret doing it...

 

[jblizzle]

They are completely optional ... so the extra work is up to you.

Is your TA already down? What is your pH creep like?

That MA is stronger (33%) than the 31% option in PoolMath.

 

[bagd98rt]

Well I don't mind the extra work... I haven't started lowering my TA I'm at about 130 to 140 max my pH sits around 7.4 to 7.8 haven't really seen it go higher than that... But I do wanna add a fountain and run it for leisure because the wife loves the sound of running water... and that leads to another question if I want a running fountain and that leads to the pH raising then how do you control that? So with my MA being stronger how does that affect how much I need to add?

 

[jblizzle]

You would need less MA.

If your pH is not climbing even with your TA that high, then I would work to lower the TA and see if the pH is stable. The extra buffering is the main advantage of the borates (although I think it helps with some of the scaling in the SWG cell too).

 

[jstephens1]

check out using boric acid, if you go that direction you don't have to worry about adjusting PH. it costs a little more but real simple

DudaDiesel - Biodiesel, Chemical & Solar Supplies, Alternative Energy Store is where i got mine

 

[bagd98rt]

Is there a chart that shows how much boric acid is needed? Cause that is a good option also!!!

 

[bagd98rt]

Never mind I found my answer in pool math

 

[jstephens1]

i needed 65 lb, so i ordered a 55lb pail and a 10ib bag. showed up with 2 days out of GA or LA

 

[pooldv]

PoolMath will calculate the amount of boric acid. Adding borates will slow pH rise which also makes it harder to lower TA following this process, Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity

Also, more here, Borates - Why and How

 

[jstephens1]

yes, there is a pinned post about making sure your TA is in check before starting, suggest you go read it



Borates - Why and How