Borate Question

[denvertub]

My wife keeps "20 Mule Team Borax" in the laundry room. It is sodium tetraborate decahydrate. It doesn't state the percentage on the box. Is this an acceptable form of borate additive?

Thanks

[chem geek]

Absolutely, EXCEPT that it is not pH balanced. It is 100% pure. So if you are using it to raise the pH, that's fine, but if you are using it to add borates to a hot tub, then you'll also need to add acid as well. In a 350 gallon tub to get to 50 ppm Borates you would add 20 ounces volume and 10 fluid ounces of Muriatic Acid (31.45% Hydrochloric Acid) or 9 ounces volume of dry acid. To play it safe, you can mix these two in a bucket of spa water before adding the mixture to the spa (and you can check the pH to make sure it's not too far out of whack).

Richard

[denvertub]

Absolutely, EXCEPT that it is not pH balanced. It is 100% pure. So if you are using it to raise the pH, that's fine, but if you are using it to add borates to a hot tub, then you'll also need to add acid as well. In a 350 gallon tub to get to 50 ppm Borates you would add 20 ounces volume and 10 fluid ounces of Muriatic Acid (31.45% Hydrochloric Acid) or 9 ounces volume of dry acid. To play it safe, you can mix these two in a bucket of spa water before adding the mixture to the spa (and you can check the pH to make sure it's not too far out of whack).

Richard

Thanks Richard, so the next question is.... Assuming water is otherwise balanced, If I have an ozonator and already puch high pH values especially with the jets going, do I really want to use the borax as a buffer in the first place?

Thanks

[Nitro]

Thanks Richard, so the next question is.... Assuming water is otherwise balanced, If I have an ozonator and already puch high pH values especially with the jets going, do I really want to use the borax as a buffer in the first place?

YES, you do. Borates in your tub will slow down pH rise.

[tony]

I've been using using bleach as a chlorine source for over a year and and a half now. I do not use borates. I shock weekly with non buffered MPS. I test my water weekly. I rarely need to adjust my pH/TA until my water gets beyond four months old. My TA naturally stays around 80 which works perfectly for me. My spa gets used just about daily and when the teens are around, it gets heavy use (abuse), so lots of sanitation. I know there is a lot of talk about borates, but I wonder if everybody needs them. Maybe try without for a bit and if pH is bouncing around, then add.

[Nitro]

I've been using using bleach as a chlorine source for over a year and and a half now. I do not use borates. I shock weekly with non buffered MPS. I test my water weekly. I rarely need to adjust my pH/TA until my water gets beyond four months old. My TA naturally stays around 80 which works perfectly for me. My spa gets used just about daily and when the teens are around, it gets heavy use (abuse), so lots of sanitation. I know there is a lot of talk about borates, but I wonder if everybody needs them. Maybe try without for a bit and if pH is bouncing around, then add.

I think the reason your pH is stable, is because you're adding MPS once a week, which is slighty acidic. If I use MPS, my TA/pH slowly drops to where I need to add Baking Soda. My TA is lower at 60ppm though.

Also, borates are not only used to buffer pH. IMO (and others) borates make the water feel more silky, less skin pruning, less eye irratation etc. I highly recomend them even if you don't have pH drift issues.