Do borate products (Supreme, Optimzier, etc.)work as claimed?

[sailork]

I've looked at Evan and Richard's discussion regarding the dosage of borax and HCl per 1000 gallons. If they've got their numbers right it would mean a 22,000 gallon pool would require 17 boxes of borax and 5 gallons of muriatic acid. That sounds about right compared to the ProTeam Supreme dosage instructions. But that's more than $100 worth of chemicals. Cheaper than Proteam Supreme but I think I'll hold off for a bit and see if the Waterbear is still seeing good results after a week.

So, Evan, I've been waiting with bated breath. Does your pool still hold chlorine better than it did before you added Borax? Is the pool still sparklier and less eye-stingy? Can we call this technique "ProBear Supreme?"

[waterbear]

I've looked at Evan and Richard's discussion regarding the dosage of borax and HCl per 1000 gallons. If they've got their numbers right it would mean a 22,000 gallon pool would require 17 boxes of borax and 5 gallons of muriatic acid. That sounds about right compared to the ProTeam Supreme dosage instructions. But that's more than $100 worth of chemicals. Cheaper than Proteam Supreme but I think I'll hold off for a bit and see if the Waterbear is still seeing good results after a week.

So, Evan, I've been waiting with bated breath. Does your pool still hold chlorine better than it did before you added Borax?
Seems to be
Is the pool still sparklier and less eye-stingy?
Yes, the water seems clearer (I can notice it at night with the lights on) and it doesn't seem to irritate. They only way I can describe it is 'sliky'
Can we call this technique "ProBear Supreme?"

LOL....you need to give Richard some credit also...how about "Probear SuGeek"?

[waterbear]

After 6 weeks of 50 ppm borates in my pool I can say that I am satisfied that it does live up to 4 of the 5 claim made for it based on my experience with it!

1) more stable pH--after 6 weeks my pH seemed to be holding steady at 7.6-7.7 and I put in 6 oz. of acid to drop it back to 7.5 today. Before the borates I would put in 24 oz of acid every 3 weeks to drop the pH after climbing to 7.8 or 8.0.

2) Algaestatic properties--still unable to determine. Never had algae since the SWG went online and my phosphates are between 2000-3000 ppb. From what I have read and researched this would appear to be true, however.

3) reduced chlorine usage--seems to be a yes. Have lowered my SWG output to 4% today! After a week at 5% my FC was still 7 ppm. Before the experiment I was running it at about 8%-10% to maintain about 5 ppm FC. Other factors could be at play here but I have not been able to determine them.

4) silkier feeling water--less skin and eye irritation--although subjective this one appears to be a yes. The water does feel silky and is, IMHO less irritating than before!

5) clearer, 'sparkling' water--another subjective one but I would have to say yes. I have to vacumn less often and I don't have to change skimmer socks weekly. They are good for 2 weeks now.
The water is definitely clearer looking when the lights are on at night. Perhaps this is tied in with the lower chlorine demand and the algaestatic properties. I am thinking that if algae doesn't start to grow then less chlorine is used. Perhaps algae is always trying to grow in a pool and the chlorine is killing it and the stuff I was vacumning and collecting in the skimmer sock was dead algae. Would appreciate any feedback on this theory.

Would I recommend putting borates in the water to 50 ppm? From my experience so far it would be a resounding yes!
Would I recommend a product like Supreme or Optimizer? No. You can achieve the same results with plain old borax, which is what I did! The cost is considerably less.