Mineral Springs Renewal

Hi All - I have a question about the Mineral Springs Renewal "weekly maintenance" chemicals that they sell you at the pool stores....

I read on a few forums that you can save money by substituting what is in this product to balance out the pool, vs paying $16 a bag to put this stuff in each week.

So basically according to what i've read, this stuff contains...

Specifically, weight %
Inorganic Salt 40-65
Boron Salt 10-15
Inorganic Acid 25-35
Aluminum Salt 0.5-5

The first one is just plain salt, so that's easy to find pool salt, but what I am confused about is the Boron (Borax?) and Acid. If this stuff is supposed to keep the pH in a salt pool down, why does it have both Borax and Dry Acid?

Wouldn't you just add acid?

Thanks.

Edit by moderator: New members have their posts go through a moderation queue before appearing on the forum. That is why your first post didn't show up immediately when you posted it. I deleted your second duplicate post.

I'm sure the chemists will chime in here, but I'm guessing that the Borax in this product is not for pH control--rather, it is to add the borates to the water. A borate level of around 50 ppm has been known to inhibit algae growth and give the water a crisper look and feel. However, since it also raises pH, the acid is added to counter that pH rise. You can buy a lot of Borax and acid for less than $16.....
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Janet