Quote Originally Posted by halds
I am a little confused about how to use borax.

Should it be used solely as a pH increaser (in the place of sodium carbonate). Or is there an advantage of having a certain optimal level of barox in the water. e.g. adding x amount to establish a certain level and then adjusting the pH back with muratic acid.

Is there a way (or a need) to test the amount of sodium tetraborate in the water?

In the pool tips, it was recommended to add 1/2 box of borax /10,000 gal starting up..... how big is the box????
In reverse order:

As far as I know, borax is retailed in only one size, a 4# 12oz green box found in the laundry section of many stores.

You can test for borates in pool water, with test strips. There is also a kit. But, the main reason to test, is to try to maintain the borate levels recommended by the "Proteam" program. I've never been convinced that there was much to that, so I've never bothered with testing.

You are welcome to use borax, from the green box, or the much more expensive Proteam containers, however you like. However, the only value I *know* that it has, is as a non-carbonate pH increaser.

Ben
"PoolDoc"