Alternate for Borax

[jereece]

I am trying to raise pH in my 19,000 gal AG pool using 20 Mule Team Borax but I have searched Walmart and local grocery stores. I can't find Borax anywhere. Is there an alternative cheap home chemical that I can use to raise the pH or am I stuck going to the pool store and buying pH up? Any suggestions from the seasoned pool guys?

Thanks,
Jim

[Watermom]

I went to 20 Mule Team Borax's website and found the following store locator that might help you:

You can find a variety of 20 Mule Team Borax products at these major retailers and your local supermarkets.
Wal-Mart Target Kroger Dollar General Family Dollar
ShopRite Walgreens Meijer Publix Kmart
CVS Food Lion Rite-Aid Supervalu Winn Dixie
Wegmans Stop & Shop Giant Eagle HEB Safeway
Nash Finch Jewel Hy-Vee

I also saw an ad online that ACE Hardware sells it. Hope you have one of these type of stores near you where you can find some Borax!

By the way -- in case some other posters are following this thread, PH Up is not the same thing as Borax. PH Up will raise both your ph AND your alk while Borax will only raise your ph. That is why, in most cases, it is preferable to PH Up.

EDIT: I cut and pasted the info and it made it too close. I tried to edit this and move the names of the stores further apart so you could read it easier, but as soon as I re-posted it, they moved back together. Sorry about that! Hope you can still read it, though.

[jereece]

Thanks. I'll look at the dollar store tomorrow.

Also, you said that in most cases it's preferable to use pH UP because it raises alkalinity. My alkalinity is very low (probably 30) and I never check or adjust it. Since I have a liner pool alkalinity does noting for me. Actually I prefer the low alkalinity because my pH is more stable. If anyone wants more info on my experience with alkalinity and pH, check out this thread from a few years ago - http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=7870

[chem geek]

I understand you want to use Borax for raising pH without raising the TA as much. For those who do want to use a pH Up equivalent that raises both pH and TA, one can use Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda instead (careful: this isn't the laundry detergent).

An alternative to Borax in terms of rising pH with not much rise in TA is to use lye / caustic soda / sodium hydroxide. The problem is that I don't think you can find this in regular stores though you can certainly get it online from many soap-making sites and it *might* be available in a hardware store. One pound of pH Up / Soda Ash / Washing Soda / Sodium Carbonate is roughly the same as two pounds (33 ounces weight, actually) of 20 Mule Team Borax and is roughly the same as 6.2 ounces weight of Caustic Soda / Lye / Sodium Hydroxide.

If you use lye, I would pre-dissolve it in a bucket of water first. You don't want it settling to the bottom of the pool and I think they come in pellets and not powdered.

As for your low TA helping to stabilize your pH, you are the poster-child for this effect and I thank you for your participation in your "experiment" to help figure it all out.

Richard

[Watermom]

jereece --- I think you misunderstood me. I said that in most cases it is preferable to use Borax instead of Ph Up. Most people only want to adjust the PH and not mess with the alk. So, if that is the case, then we recommend Borax.

[CarlD]

jereece, Chem_Geek is right: you only waste money buying pH Up! or other pool store versions of. It is chemically the same stuff as A&H Washing Soda (in the YELLOW box, in the laundry section). But A&H is lots cheaper!

If you need to raise T/A and pH, it's a great way to do it.