ready to add boric acid

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WxMan87

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Sep 11, 2015
5
Fort Worth/Texas
I've been reading the posts on this site for 2 years now. I've been fighting pH drift for 2.5 years, so I'm ready to add Borates. My pH does seem more stable when my TA is down to 60-64. I think part of the problem is it is always windy here in north Texas and that causes constant rippling on top of the water. The wind may be aerating the water, but I'm not sure because it is not making bubbles, just ripples. I've read the link on how to add the muriatic acid and Borax (got 20 Mule Team from Walmart), but I'm a little confused on fine tuning my chemical balance. It says TA should be 70-80, but should I bring mine down to 64 or so if that's where my pH is a little more stable? Also, should I be reading my pH when my FC is at the minimum for the day (just before adding more 10% bleach), or a couple hours after adding it and when my pH has bumped up? Or do I measure the pH when my FC is at its average level, say 6.5? I understand that LQ is pH neutral over the course of a day, but I want to try and balance everything right before adding the borax.

Also, I'm adding a monthly maintenance dose of Metal Magic because I have metals in the water. I don't know what metal, but i suspect some of the staining is metal related and my CH test turns purple instead of blue and has a floating end-point. In fact, adding 5 -6 drops of R-0012 hardness reagent before adding the calcium buffer and indicator does not stop the floating end-point. I added 50 percent distilled water and multiplied by 2 and that seemed to give good results. I'm going to deal with the metal issue in October after the swim season is over, so I'm mainly looking for advice on what pH number to use and best TA before adding borax. Latest numbers are below. The TA is usually in the 60s and the pH is usually 7.9 - 8.0, but i just did a partial pool drain after using a heavy dose of Metal Magic to try to eliminate some of the metals:

FC = 4.7 to 8.0 (low of the day and after adding LQ)
CYA = 52-55
TA = 80 (but will continue to lower to lower 60s?)
CH = 240
pH = 7.6 (will likely be 7.9 within a day)
Water temp = 85
 
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If you are looking to stabilize your pH you will generally find that a lower TA is helpful, and it's harder to lower once you have borates. So I would look for a TA in the 60's. If you are adding 50 ppm borates using 20 mule team, you better have a lot of acid on hand. You will be playing the game of add borax, rebalance pH with acid, repeat, repeat. Having done it both ways, it's a whole lot easier to do it with boric acid. By the time you factor in the cost of borax and acid it's also pretty much the same cost.
 
I would listen to your pool. Each pool is SO different. That is why we have a range on numbers. There are pools that need the TA to be here and are some that want it there. You pH will tell you where your TA and pH needs to be. I would run your TA where it is for a week and and track you PH each day. THEN move your TA up by 10 and do the same thing. I would go up two times THEN go down by 10 two times. See what your PH likes and go from there.

Testing pH-unless your FC is 10 or over you can test your PH when ever you want to. Over 10 it does not test correct.

Let us know what you see and find out.

Kim:kim:
 
Thanks for responding!

chiefwej: I already have all the acid and borax, but i can return it. Do I look for boric acid online or do most cities carry it in local stores?

kimkats: I've gone up and down so many times with the TA over the past 2 years that I lost count. The pH seems most stable when the TA is under 65. i usually test my pH when testing FC (when it's low and I want to know how much chlorine to add). I'll just keep doing it the same way, but it seems like there would be a difference in the amount of MA I would want to add to bring the pH to a certain level. If I test my pH 3-4 hours after adding chlorine in the evening, wouldn't my pH indicate i should add more acid because the chlorine kicked up the pH. If I test when my FC is low, then my pH should be at it's lowest and i wouldn't want to add acid. That's always confused me a bit.

Thanks to both of you for responding.
 
If you can stabilize the pH without borates, then why add them? The Chlorine level should have nothing to do with pH. How much acid it takes to move the pH is effected by the TA though, so that may be what you are seeing. Each pool seems to act a bit different, but I've found my pH is much more stable with a TA at around 60. And let the pH seek it's equilibrium. Don't try to force it to be 7.6, if it likes 7.8. As long as it stays below 8 that's fine.

If you do decide to borate, you can order boric acid from DudaDiesel online. It wont need any acid, since it's pretty well pH neutral. Use PoolMath to determine how much you will need. Order granular boric acid and you can just dump it in.
 
chiefwej said:
If you can stabilize the pH without borates, then why add them?...Each pool seems to act a bit different, but I've found my pH is much more stable with a TA at around 60. And let the pH seek it's equilibrium. Don't try to force it to be 7.6, if it likes 7.8. As long as it stays below 8 that's fine...

If you do decide to borate, you can order boric acid from DudaDiesel online...
Click to expand...

Chiefwej: I'm going to get my TA back down to the lower 60s and see what happens before adding borates. I think that's a good idea.
 

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My TA is 50 and my ph is stuck at 7.2 after I addd a little cya which dropped it .1. I ordered boric acid last night to see if it will maybe help with my metal staining. I don't know if it will help, but it can't hurt I suppose. My TA was 80 two years ago, and I used probably 2 gallons of Ma to control ph. Last year I used about a gallon. My TA dropped all the while to get me where I am now. Mine seems to be at perfect equilibrium between the TA and ph.
 
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