Borates Experience

[BigDave]

Thanks for the personalized schooling. Sorry about the FDA slip, I'm in New Jersey and Pharma is everywhere. Thanks for demonstrating how the EPA came to thier acceptable / unacceptable levels, good to know it was based on the published research. It's too bad you had to run it all backwards to find the basis for thier conclusions. It would have helped me understand had the report described the units and assumptions that went into the ADD. Perhaps that's all stuff that 'everybody knows' in the report's audience.

Thanks also for describing / providing the scientific basis for the poolcare method followed here; the work you all (Ben, Mods, regular contributors) do here is invaluable.

[Climb on soapbox]
We all lead our daily lives according to our belief systems. As it comes to poolcare I believe that the methods and advice I find here are safe, accurate, and based on empirical science (Chem Geek spoon fed me the science behind Borate safety). Too many people have poolcare belief systems built on less sturdy foudations: "I believe the poolstore will tell me what to do to take care of my pool -> The poolstore believes that selling me phosphate remover will fill the cash drawer.

Thanks again for the work done here. It's good to know that greed and superstition and the subsequent opinions and consensus don't rule everything.

[HofstraJet]

I am planning to add ProTeam Supreme Plus to my 20,000 gal pool (I just don't have the time or the patience to collect 20 Mule Team boxes and get the acid, etc.). My question is dosage: the threads I read all approximate 2#/1000 gal and that's what the package recommends, but then this chart (http://www.proteampoolcare.com/image...oseChart_1.pdf) says to get to 50 ppm, I need 67#. It looks like the 2#/1000 gal just gets me to 30 ppm. Is that accurate? Want to make sure I order the right amount.

Oh, and the LaMotte test strips are $11 on amazon delivered. Cheaper than the lumber store I saw linked in other threads.

Thanks!

[CarlD]

BigDave is right: NJ is the heart of Pharma in the US so there are probably more chemists per 100,000 than anywhere else. I'm on the other side of the pharma biz--statistical programming so I don't know jack about chemistry--my last exposure was HS chem in 1972!

HJ: Remember: You can always add MORE. And you'll need Muriatic Acid to bring the pH back down. As with all things other than chlorine: Add SLOWLY and be patient.

"I think I'll try it next summer - almost time to drain, dry, fold, and store.

3200 Gallon Big Blue Bag of water in the backyard."

Love that! My first pool was an Intex 15'x3' donut and we used it for 3 years! Nothing like sitting in a floating lounge chair with a glass of iced tea, listening to an afternoon ball game. 15' or 40', doesn't matter!

Carl

[waterbear]

My question is dosage: the threads I read all approximate 2#/1000 gal and that's what the package recommends, but then this chart (http://www.proteampoolcare.com/image...oseChart_1.pdf) says to get to 50 ppm, I need 67#. It looks like the 2#/1000 gal just gets me to 30 ppm. Is that accurate? Want to make sure I order the right amount.


Thanks!

Pr0team has been recommending 2 lbs per 1000 gal on the container since the days of Supreme (which needed the acid added). It gets you to about 30 ppm. 30 to 50 ppm is considered the optimal range. If you have a backwashing filter then shoot for 50 ppm since the level will drop with each backwash. If you have a cart your levels will not drop as fast (but 50 ppm is still fine to shoot for if you don't mind the expense. The 30 ppm recommended on the label is more of a marketing thing than anything else to make the product appear less expensive than it really it and 50 ppm is better.

[BigDave]

I hadn't goten back to this thread in a while. You guys are great! Thanks!
Statistical programming?? SAS I presume. In a previous life (studying psychology) I spent too...oo...oo...ooo much time with SPSS. It's always magic when the analysis gives you what you want but a nightmare making it do so.

[BigDave]

By the way, for us, the big blue bag of water is going away, we're buying (hopefully tomorrow) a small "real" AG - just 12x24 but more water than we had and doesn't need a variance and planning board approval. We'll be lucky to be swimming by August - I am looking forward to it.