The Great Tetraborate Experiment!

[waterbear]

borates will add about 10 ppm increase in TA for each 30 ppm. I did not see that in my pool so far....I will retest TA once I get the pH stabilized. I do not know what effect they will have at high levels of TA. Chem geek might be better able to answer that. My main goal with this is to see if my pH remains more stable and if my need for acid decreases. It will really take a few months of monitoring this to determine if it was worth it.

[waterbear]

Finally got the pH down to 7.4. It took 3 quarts of acid to neuralize 2 boxes of borax. This is pretty much in line with the Proteam recommendation. I have turned on the spillover and will do more water testing late afternoon.

One thing I have noticed is that the water is so clear it actually seems to sparkle. I know this is just subjective but I really can't explain it any other way. Also, the feel of the water is 'silkier'. I suspect that this is because it is closer to the isoelectric point of the human body. I am starting with a salt water pool so to notice a subjective difference in feel is interesting. It actually leaves a 'soft' feeling on the skin when it drys. I guess this is the same effect of bathsalts which often contain borax.

[waterbear]

Retested the water:
FC 5 ppm (no change)
CC 0 ppm (no change)
pH 7.4
TA 120 ppm (before stabilizer correction) (no change)
TA 97 ppm (after stabilizer correction) (no change)
CH 220 ppm (no change)
CYA 70 ppm (no change)
Salt 3600 ppm (once again using the display on the Aqualogic. The pool temp has come down some but since the aqualogic acutally uses conductivity to determine the salt readout the addition of the tetraborates might have caused this 100 ppm increase. I will check a sample with the salt meter at work)
Borates about 50 ppm, perhaps slightly higher (measured with AquaCheck borate test strip) (The dilution seens to have worked!)

I am a bit surprised that I see no increase in TA but then again I started the process with the pH at 7.6 and it is now at 7.4 so that might account for it.

Now it's going to be just monitoring the pH and see if there is any difference in the speed and amount of pH rise over time and the amount of acid needed to correct it. I will keep you posted.

[waterbear]

restested today....all basically the same
FC 5.5 ppm
CC 0 ppm (no change)
pH 7.5
TA 120 ppm (before stabilizer correction) (no change)
TA 97 ppm (after stabilizer correction) (no change)
CH 220 ppm (no change)
CYA 70 ppm (no change)
Salt 3700 ppm (once again using the display on the Aqualogic.
Salt 3700 ppm (salt meter at work)
SAlt 3800 ( Taylor salt test kit)
It is interesting that my salt reading went up since adding the borax. Will have to ask Chem geek about this!
Borates about 50 ppm, Pretty much right on the money! (measured with AquaCheck borate test strip)
Also did a check for nitrates and nitrites....0 ppm for both
phosphates >1000 ppm....off the scale (probaby between 2000-3000 ppm based on dilution results (Hach phosphate test kit, colorimetric)
water is clear, has always been clear, never had algae, never had CC, never used an algaecide!
Since I have no nitrates ro nitrites, phosphates would be a limiting factor for my pool with algae growth... Guess I never had a problem because I keep on top of the chemsitry! Once again I thinik this proves tha chlorine is the best defense at keeping algae away!

Gonna do my daily pH and Cl checks and see how things go this week.

[nater]

Great Experiment Evan!

I've been running 30-50 ppm Borates this year, and agree with your assesment on the feel and look of the water.

What would you impose for an upper limit on Borates? Is there a point of dimminishing returns above 50 ppm? What about 100? (Man Logic at its best; if 50 ppm is good, then 100 ppm must be better)

[waterbear]

All the info I have been able to find on tetraborates seem to indicate that 30 ppm is where the algaesatic properties become effective and that after 50 ppm there seems to be not that much additional benefit. I don't know about any other implicatons of running a higher boron level.

[waterbear]

Weekly pool test....not much had changed
FC 5.0 ppm
CC 0 ppm (no change)
pH 7.5 (Usually up to about 7.6 after a week)
TA 120 ppm (before stabilizer correction) (no change)
TA 97 ppm (after stabilizer correction) (no change)
CH 220 ppm (no change)
CYA 70 ppm (no change)
Salt 3600 ppm (once again using the display on the Aqualogic.
Salt 3550 ( AquaChek White salt test strip)
Borates 50 ppm

Pool is clear, clean, and sparkling. Have company for the week. My Nephew, his wife, 1 grand niece and 2 grand nephews are coming in Sunday so the pool will be getting a lot of use. We will see what happens.