We've had lots of great reports on the effect of borates on algae prevention and water clarity, but you don't actually need them. They make another line of defense against problems and can be the solution when nothing else seems to work to keep your pool's clarity stable. Also if you struggle with clarity and recurring algae, borates may well be your salvation.

But it's completely possible to have a clear, clean pool with crystal water that's stable.without borates and without going crazy. You just have to follow the B-B-B methods. I don't use the borate method because I'm able to keep my pool clear and stable without much work, and I'm happy enough with the feel of the water.

If you are new to the B-B-B method, you may want to keep it simple at first and see if you can keep it nicely without borates and without too much work. You can always raise the borate level to 50ppm whenver you want. Borate test strips are fairly readily available--"better" pool stores usually have them. Or you can get a drop test for them. There's also, I believe, a way you can jury-rig some other tests to give you a borate result. I think Evan is up on that, but he can tell you better than I can.

I guess I'm saying that borates at 50ppm are a fine thing but you shouldn't worry too much unless you are having problems.

Carl