Is boric acid/borax a health concern??

[JimK]

Hi Ben.

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you mean by this:

“...Boric acid is -- functionally -- a more concentrated form of borax, but is never (to the best of my knowledge) used in pools....”

but I thought using boric acid was an easier way to add borates to a pool since it doesn’t require the addition of acid (MA) like borax?

I’ve been using boric acid for years in my pool (30-50ppm). I could have sworn I learned about it here.

[PoolDoc]

Guess I should edit that to "is rarely directly used in pools. . . "

My understanding is that if you add equivalent -- with respect to boron content --amounts of borax and boric acid to your pool, and then adjust to the same pH, you will end up with virtually identical borate ions in the water.

And, I probably have mentioned the possibility of using boric acid. ChemGeek might well have done so, too.

I just didn't recall anyone reporting having done so. But then, I haven't read every thread here, and I don't even remember all of those I have read.

[JimK]

Thanks for the clarification.

Good to see you back.