The #1 Chemical You Need that's Not In Your Pool or Hot Tub.

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GET THE GOODS HERE:
Borate Test Strips: amzn.to/2XOORXg
Boric Acid 25 Lb: amzn.to/2JxLtMM
Borax 65 oz single: amzn.to/3o4g6IB
Borax 65 oz 3 pack: amzn.to/384CBaW
CMP Smart Scoop: amzn.to/3nW7V0i
Are Borates good for my pool? Should I add Boric Acid to my pool? Should I add Borax to my pool? These are just some of the questions that may have lead you here. The answer is yes. Borates (an umbrella term for different forms of Boron) are an underutilized super chemical that will not only improve your swimming pool experience but also improve the care of your pool.
Borates in pool water help keep bees and wasps away. Borates in pool water make the water softer. Borates in pool water buffer pH. Borates in pool water reduce the need for chlorine (but don’t replace chlorine)
What are the downsides to Borates in pool water? Borates are not absorbed through the skin and if ingested are passed through the body’s waste system. Borates in the recommended range of 30-50 ppm are completely safe for humans and animals.
Lower chlorine use with Borates. Use less chlorine with Borates. get softer pool water with borates. soft pool water. A chlorine substitute for pools borates are not
Reduce calcium scaling and staining with borates. Buffer pH with borates. Boric acid in pools. Borax in pools.
Resources:
ods.od.nih.gov...
www.inchem.org/...
www.poolspanew...
cpoclass.com/b...
aquamagazine.c...
Swimming Pool Science is a full service Pool, spa, and fountain repair and maintenance company located in Phoenix, Arizona 85018, 85016 . Locally we provide weekly pool maintenance both residential and commercial, pool repairs including Filter cleans, pump installs, filter installs, heater installs, automation system installs, variable speed pump installs and programming, acid washes, filter cleanings, sand changes, green pool turnarounds, and Pool 101 classes for homeowners. Nationally and internationally we provide phone consults, video chat consults, and pool 101 classes and Pool advice.
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29 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 107

@mikeconnor3602 3 месяца назад

I have a black Labrador that swims everyday. Is Borax a problem for him? He really doesn't swallow pool water from what I can see. The benefits look terrific. I lose a lot of water from evaporation and think this will help stabilize the chemicals.

@AquaticFacilityTraining 3 года назад

Josh! Shhhhh, 🤫 You're letting the industry secrets out-great video on the benefits and chemistry of borates. Nicely done!

@amiehegeman 3 года назад

Man! I love your channel! It always frustrated me that I don’t know the volume of my pool... it is a kidney bean diving pool... I am buying some borates test strips right now and will be nerding out on this calculation this weekend! Also I am in Scottsdale so if I wreck my pool, I know who to call!

@amiehegeman 3 года назад

Also, where do you buy Boric Acid? I don’t see it on Leslie’s site and Home Depot lists it as a Boric Acid insecticide... which although it has boric acid as the active ingredient, I don’t see where it has other ingredients.

@mikelemoine4267 3 года назад

@@amiehegeman Duda Diesel supply sells it in 5 gallon buckets. I know the name is funny but they sell all sorts of chemicals for biofuels and other purposes. The 5 gallon is way cheaper per pound and is basically a lifetime supply. A bonus is you can also use it for pest control around the house!

@drdrew3 Год назад

@@amiehegeman 20 Mule Team Borax at Target. Cheaper and easier to source than boric acid but it will substantially increase your pH for 3-5 days

@christ6370 2 года назад

Awesome video as always! One suggestion could you please add "Borates" to the title so it comes up on searches? Thanks again Josh!

@moves3297 3 года назад

Just so we're on the same page test strips are reagents and using liquid test reagents have variance in droplet size which can cause variance in the test strips have no variance it's the same every time all methods for testing are subjective to your own eyes but you are the one reading the reagent strip and the comparison strip so the color you see is the same on both sides it would be one thing if you were telling somebody else the color for the chlorine is green that would cause variance in the strip the myth that strips are less accurate due to color interpretation is a misnomer thank you for the cool video about Borax never seen anything about this before

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

Yup. Each reagent bottle nozzle is sized to give a specific drop. Squeeze out drops too fast or at an angle and it changes the drop size. Gotta be careful about that. Glad you enjoyed the video!

@Paggy6668 3 года назад

I have to disagree regarding test strips. They do not give anywhere near the precision needed to dial in your pool parameters properly. Some of the tests like the CYA test have way too wide parameters like 0-50 and 60 to 100. Totally useless!!! The Taylor drop test kits with the FAS-DPD chlorine test (K2006) is the one to get. Almost every other kit uses the OTO test which is worthless other than to tell you if you have any chlorine in the pool or not.

@moves3297 3 года назад

@@Paggy6668 I don't even use stabilizer anymore stabilizer being an oxidization inhibitor it's not allowed in the commercial Spas anymore but I see no need to added to pools if you use tabs or salt systems

@Paggy6668 3 года назад

@@moves3297 In case you didn't know, tablets are half stabilizer and half chlorine so every time you use them you are increasing your stabilizer level, and unlike chlorine, it doesn't get used up. Once it's in the pool, the only way to lower or remove it is with a partial or full drain and refill. Any hard type of chlorine (except cal hypo) has stabilizer in it. Only liquid chlorine and salt water chlorine generators don't add anything else to the water like stabilizer or calcium hardness. Someone adding 3 tablets a week to their 10,000 gallon pool is adding 10ppm of stabilizer weekly. It doesn't take very long before that CYA is way too high, rendering the chlorine ineffective. That leads to cloudy water and then to a green pool if it's not caught in time. Using tablets is not a sustainable long term sanitation solution unless you live somewhere where you close your pool and drain a lot of water by backwashing to help dilute the CYA. Otherwise, you get told you have "chlorine lock" by the pool store which is a load of BS.

@drdrew3 Год назад

Droplet size will vary slightly but that averages out. Just keep the dropper perpendicular. Test strips just give a range or approximate level and they start to go bad from the first you open the container. That’s why who use test strips waste a lot of chemicals. I’ve done it both ways but would never go back to strips

@craigo.thompson8278 3 года назад

You covered the use of borates and borax for salt pools, but you did not make it clear if the formulas work just as well for inground pools that use standard chlorination. Please clarify.

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

They do great in traditionally pools! In fact, all the footage in the video is from pools that are tablet chlorinated and they are in sparkling shape during monsoon season right now. You’re good to go!

@stephenfriedman6958 Год назад

What about bromine pools.

@mapools777 3 года назад

I use borates on all my salt pools

@TinaAckley 3 года назад

Everybody knows that borax is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to maintaining a pool and making it look magazine perfect.

@drdrew3 2 года назад

Actually few people know about borates in pool chemistry - pretty much just you and me

@stevemorgan4702 Месяц назад

Lol. So true

@RDUBTutorial Месяц назад

That’s a lot to take in …help me out here …my swim spa holds 1600gallons/6056 litres. My chronic acid levels are apx 50 ppm. Ph 7.4ish and Alk 100ppm How much boxed borax would I add ?

@JuanSanchez-tk4vr 4 дня назад

Here in Florida we always have high ph on concrete pools. Will the borates keep ph lower?

@drumaganger 2 года назад

That's a lot of math just for adding in some Borate and it seems to just apply to a pool. I have a 470 gallon hot tub and use a natural additive called Spa Marvel. I love the stuff and keep my Ph between 7.2 - 8.2 (their recommendation). My problem is that my Cyanuric Acid is at 111ppm. This week, I'm replacing the water at the 9-month mark. What are you recommendations for Borate in 470 gallons of water?

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 2 года назад

JUST about to upload a video about using Bromine in a 470 gallon hot tub and guess what I put in????? 1 lb of Borax and 2 lbs of salt to help the water feel extra good. Just figure 1 lb of borax (about .75 for boric acid) for every 500 gallons of water. In our case we round up to 500 gallons. Hope this helps!

@maureenbonenfant5849 2 месяца назад

Does Boric acid, Borax friendly with all the other chemicals i already put in my pool, shock hypo chloride, muriatic acid, phosphate free, chlorine tabs, PH minus, calcium increaser???

@maureenbonenfant5849 2 месяца назад

Hello?

@maureenbonenfant5849 2 месяца назад

What chemicals do you you with this ɓorax???

@philgilmer18 Год назад

I went with borates primarily for pH buffering (mine tends to go high and I just put in a CG), but I wondered if I would get some apiary relief since I knew this stuff in sufficient concentration would put the hurt on them. Sure enough, the number of wasps hanging out with me at the pool has decreased to almost zero! Good to hear some substantiation here!!

@colomacountry 3 года назад

Can you tell me your take on Borax vs Arm and Hammer? You mentioned how Borax will make your pool glimmer, what about using Borax with Skill It? This pool stuff is not as easy as you pool guys make it out to be ;) 👍

@drdrew3 2 года назад

A&H is sodium bicarbonate (alkalinity) while Borax is a form of borate - completely different chemicals. Both function as a buffers that stabilize acid. They work independently of each other and are complementary. Borates don’t eliminate the need for bicarb, acid or chlorine although it decreases the usage of each of those - it’s strictly a supplement.

@shellyzaku4250 3 месяца назад

BRAVO!!! Seriously! The break down was so helpful! Just wash that knife before you put it back in the drawer, your wife will appreciate it! 😆

@Nolapoolguru 3 года назад

I will try in my mothers pool. If i can get the math down I will use in all of my accounts! new fan thanks love the channel so far!

@gjforeman 3 года назад

Do borates play nice with mineral units like the Nature2 mineral cartridge units? Very interesting video. We had a salt system on our pool but I hated it. Emptied the pool for a re-plaster job. Once that's done, maybe next month(?), we start out all new, fresh load of water, right into this new chlorine shortage. I've ordered a Nature2 cartridge, but looks like borate might be an option as well. Thanks again.

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

Yup, they should play nicely together.

@willowmoonlabradors Год назад

What if you add borax and then at some point you decide its just not working for you, can you go back to soda ash or ph up? And then continue on with the usual chemicals? Do you have to wait for borates to be zero? Thanks!

@arien3258 2 года назад

i have a new 11000k gal built pool almost three months now it intended to be a saltwater pool, they said i have to wait for a 100 days atleast before i add the salt, testing the water i just found out its high on bromine, hows that posible? i only shock it once with a powder form acid from pinch a penny, with bromine present they said i cannot add the salt?

@TheEnigmaticmuse Год назад

Can I use borax if I'm planning on using peroxide instead of chlorine?

@bludika 2 года назад

where can you buy this boric acid locally? i can find online but the shipping is very expensive, what kind of stores sell boric acid in large sizes?

@drdrew3 Год назад

Borax is available at Target in the household cleaners area.

@moe2377 3 года назад

Your videos are great and so helpful! I have a borate question for you... One of our dogs that likes to swim drinks a lot of water while he is swimming. He's a golden retriever who is about 1.5 years old. We have been trying to get him to keep his chin up and constantly try to keep him from drinking the water but he still gets a bunch in. He probably swims once a twice per week. Do you feel there would be any health concerns for him if we added the borates? The one gallon you reference in your video, is that if they drink it daily? I got a 20 pound tub of Bioguard Optimizer and don't see any warning regarding dogs but have seen people on forums saying it will poison dogs. Thanks!

@kizzle45shizzle 2 года назад

Maybe try some sort of float around the neck?

@moe2377 2 года назад

@@kizzle45shizzle thanks! He's doing a bit better this season but maybe a doggie life vest would be good.

@drdrew3 Год назад

There are conflicting opinion on the safety of dogs drinking borate pool water. Given that there are at least theoretical concerns and no proven safety I wouldn’t add borates (or else keep the dog out of the pool).

@caslamdq 2 года назад

What happens if the water has a pH=8.0 and the STD 800-900. Will the boric acid drop both the pH and the STD? My pool has 42OOO liters and is hard water.

@drdrew3 2 года назад

Borates are strong pH buffers so it will be much much harder to lower your pH once they are added. So get your pH down to 7.4 before you add boric acid - it’s slightly basic so it will land in proper range once added and mixed. Every chemical you add to the pool raises TDS. The only way to lower TDS is partial drain and refill (or reverse osmosis)

@L4M858 3 года назад

Hey!...... Thanks a ton for the good info! I have a salt water pool and will be adding boric acid soon. A side note, went to Leslies pool supply and they don't sell borates at all. If they did their sale of muriatic acid, algae control chemicals & chlorine would be way down, especially here in Arizona. Anyway, thanks! One suggestion though, lose the black socks you wear at the end of video......Lol

@mikedaflame8483 Год назад

Sounds just like phosphate remover

@willowmoonlabradors Год назад

Also, what about dogs that swim? Safe for dogs?

@denniston 2 года назад

Where do you buy your bulk boric acid?

@drdrew3 Год назад

Boric acid from Duda Diesel. Borax from Target

@bradtodd3639 3 года назад

How will ozone gas injection affect borates and their level? Is using this test reliable for borate levels-"Seachem ReefStatus magnesium-carbonate-borate alkalinity" tester? In fact, another question if you will, about ozone. Will ozone oxidize chlorine residuals in pool water? Do ozone and (small residuals of) chlorine effectively work against one another when both used in a pool? I'm surprised I didn't see any comments about killing even more of the bees! Makes sense - boric acid is a great insecticide! The bee colonies have been devastated (Colony Collapse Disorder) by neonicotinoids incorporated into, among others, Monsanto's GMO corn; and their glyphosate. We used to have lots of bees around to pollinate our vegetable gardens, and they've disappeared around here in the last 10 years!

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

Yeah, around our house we don’t use any pesticides whatsoever, let the dandelions grow a bit and keep plenty of flowers around. We love Mother Nature! In terms of Ozone, it is a great oxidizer but it’s not a sanitizer so you do need some chlorine in the mix to keep it working as Ozone alone just won’t do it. No issues that I’ve seen in my research with Borates & Ozone not playing well together.

@danayerby3658 Год назад

have a swimspa 1100 gals, bromine. and i cant seem to keep it at right levels. can the borax help me with that? and will it harm any of the jets or seals. it also has an ionizer system. help?

@drdrew3 Год назад

Borate is a buffer that will help to stabilize pH. Won’t help with fluctuating bromine levels in spa

@paulvolcker8956 2 года назад

No worries about the boric acid damaging the plaster? And, thus, no need to apply through the skimmer?

@drdrew3 2 года назад

Most of it dissolves before it reaches the bottom. Even though it’s an “acid” it’s a very weak one so not corrosive. You are adding 40-50 lb borax to an average size pool so do it over 3-4 days and mostly in deep end. If you brush pool after a few minutes after adding it any undissolved powder quickly disappears. It’s laundry detergent so it’s safe with plaster, vinyl and even delicate fabrics!

@pamwebb6606 2 года назад

We had a lot of rain causing a lot of water loss. My above ground pool has turned green. Can I add Borates before slamming the pool?

@drdrew3 Год назад

Get your pool clear and your chemistry balanced BEFORE adding borate. The SLAM is the quick solution for a green pool and the borates are a long term preventative supplement

@dylan833-k2i 2 года назад

I use a chemical called Natures pure enegizer. The main ingredient in it is Sodium tetraborate pentahydrate. Do you think this is essentially the same thing as boric acid or borax?

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 2 года назад

Yeah, it’s just another way to deliver Boron to the water.

@matthewowen1360 Год назад

Were do you buy the three elephant from?

@Herofmine 3 года назад

Hi, I just filled my pool with fresh water, should I just add this or need to check water chemical levels first?

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

I you can count on your Borate levels being 0 but it’s always good to test everything else so you can make sure you get everything else adjusted properly.

@MichaelHyde 3 года назад

New pool owner, and I really benefit from your videos, thank you!

@sandiegojoey1 3 года назад

How long does the borate last? I just looked and a bag of Boric Acid is $50 for 25lbs, that's pretty expensive unless it lasts a long time.

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

You have to physically remove water from the pool to lower it so it will go down over time but it’s going to take a while.

@drdrew3 2 года назад

Think of it as a one time expense because like CYA it doesn’t leave the water. Every year you just as a very small amount to account for splash out, backwash, etc. The amount of money you save on chlorine, alkalinity and acid over the years more than justifies the initial cost. Plus the water looks better, feels better and no more algae.

@googleuser569 3 года назад

What if I don't have a salt pool, will borates still be recommended to use?

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

Yup. We have them in a ton of non salt pools

@gonedeep43 3 года назад

Couldn't find the boric acid on Amazon? Any other known sources?

@drdrew3 2 года назад

Amazon and Home Depot have Borax for $5 per 4 lb box. Boric acid is more expensive and much harder to find - Walmart and Duda Diesel sell it online

@wyckedfunk5541 2 года назад

Duda diesel.. bought a 45lb bucket shipped free and arrived in 3 days

@tyler976 3 года назад

Josh's Fireside Chats

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

I’ll get an actual fire going next time.

@tyler976 3 года назад

@@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS I would love that 😂

@nicbrown76 3 года назад

Hi Josh love the videos I have a hot tub (UK based) which we love, if I empty clean and refill from my tap (mains drinking water not well etc.) the pH is perfect 7.5 but I have very very low TA, if I increase the TA using TA increased the pH rises, do you have any advice? Which one is better to focus on? Thanks Nic

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

Hey Nic! Greetings from wild and crazy America. I’m guessing you’re using sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) to raise your TA? Keep in mind it will raise pH less than it raises the TA therefore you can bring the pH back down by adding more acid. That’ll bring your pH down and lower the TA just a bit. One important thing to remember about hot tubs is that when you’re using it, that in an of itself brings the pH down so it’s better to just let the pH ride a bit high so it comes down closer to neutral when you’re using it. You’re best to focus on pH over alkalinity in a hot tub as when you’re not using it, it’s covered and so there aren’t many outside things that will affect it when it’s not in use.

@nicbrown76 3 года назад

@@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPSsodium bicarbonate to increase TA. It’s great to know I should increase TA then use the pH reducer to decrease the pH. Will focus on pH from now on. Thanks for your speedy reply and keep the interesting videos coming 😃

@googleuser569 3 года назад

What does buffer your PH mean?

@drdrew3 2 года назад

Buffers STABILIZE the pH. This makes it easier to keep it in the target range. By introducing borate as a second buffer you add less acid and alkalinity over time - less maintenance and less cost

@thanakornnarisirikul9261 3 года назад

Smart

@googleuser569 3 года назад

What about mosquito 🦟?

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

If you have mosquito larvae & mosquitos in and around your pool, you have much bigger problems.

@jeremyhancock321 3 года назад

How much do you charge your customer for borates?

@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS 3 года назад

A weekly service customer, we’d just charge for the Chems plus a bit on top to get the levels dialed in. A 1 time customer would be a $100 service call + chems

@jeremyhancock321 3 года назад

@@SwimmingPoolAZ-SPS I charge $6 per pound but recently I found a better (cheaper) source of boric acid was wondering if I am over charging.

@747freightdogdanny Год назад

I am about to pull my hair out! I finally got my green pool sparkling again after opening it up. I only had to vacuum up the dead algae from the bottom to waste. Having done so, I turned the pump back on and added two gallons of shock and then 4 boxes of Borax. I intended to take a water sample the next morning along with using the borate test strips to see where the balance was. I was shocked to wake up the next morning to a green pool. WTF?!?!?

@guitarforpraise 4 месяца назад

Check your Cyan level.

@SeanFitz-vo4fm Месяц назад

Probably a better practice would have been to shock it, then wait several days to add other chemicals/borax.

@coppertone379 Год назад

Baking soda does the same thing

@stevemorgan4702 Месяц назад

Nope. Totally different chemical

@sharonleon4346 3 года назад

Is this safe to use in an above ground vinyl pool? Thanks

@mikebowe3294 3 года назад

Yes Sharon it is!

@bradyoung1052 3 года назад

Can you not just use a tds meter to measure the ppm.

@rockerbob949 3 года назад

DOWNSIDE - COST!! It does work but it’s cost prohibitive for a “one poler”! Talking about this with customers is when the “glazed” look happens.

@L4M858 3 года назад

Cost, really? Muriatic acid for what you'd need is about 20 bucks at most . The boric acid, about 50 bucks for a 50 lb bag. Or around 19 bucks at Walmart for a 5 lb bag. Its cheap especially since you wont be buying nearly as much muriatic acid, chlorine. etc............ So my advice to you, get a grip. By the way, I'm guessing you live in Ca.....

@rockerbob949 3 года назад

@@L4M858 LOL. I’m pinching pennies with this chlorine shortage. SCP (our supply house in California) ran out of liquid chlorine twice last week. No tri/di chlor, no tabs! So unless the customer pays for it, which they should anyway, there is no way that’s making the budget this year! Trust me I have a fierce grip!

@drdrew3 2 года назад

One poler makes profit adding borate by charging customer for a one time charge for materials and labor. Then the pool is easier (and cheaper) to maintain for years to come. It can be a tough sell but if you explain it better the glazed look turns into a smile. The alternative is to keep raising your fees as chlorine prices continue climb and lose customers when you do that too often. It’s a new world that calls for new methods - reducing chlorine use is essential to maintaining income and customer base

@justinkashtock333 3 года назад

OK, I'd only need abooooooout (does the math) 4,327 pounds of Boric Acid.... ehhh.... no.

@L4M858 3 года назад

4,327 lbs? Apparently you can't do simple math. You'd need about 34 lbs for a 15,000 gal. pool. You must live in CA?

@justinhaupt7436 3 года назад

@@L4M858 HA!

@kobaaung 3 года назад

Your pool is 300,000 gallons?! Two basketball fields ?

@ginnys534 4 месяца назад

Question ....is borate granules ok? Will that make amt different? And is BORAX PENTAHYDRATE the same as plain borax,and is it substitutabke? I appreciate your help and vudeos!!