On Friday, May 2, 2014 6:49:08 PM UTC-4, sms wrote:
The pool store I go to is always pushing "PoolProof"

http://nisuscorp.com/pool-spa/products/poolproof which is basically

borate dissolved in a liquid. I was reading

http://www.poolspanews.com/efflorescence/borate-chemistry.aspx and it

seems to confirm the benefits of borate.



Of course anything sold for a pool has an enormous mark-up but borate

can be purchased at Walmart as 20 Mule Team Borax. I would need about 30

boxes (76 ounces each, $4) and about eight gallons of acid (about $5

each) to bring the Borate level up to 50ppm and the ph back down. To use

PoolProof would cost me about $300 if no acid was necessary (supposedly

PoolProof liquid is ph neutral) while pure borate powder raises the ph).



The benefits of a 50 ppm borate level are supposed to be a more stable

ph, less algae problems, and the ability to run the pool pump for fewer

hours. That last one could really make it pay for itself. Two hours less

a day of the pump running would probably save me $75 per month.



Either you must have a very big pump or your electric rates
must be sky high, or both. A 1hp pump is about 1.5KW. Here in NJ we
have some of the highest electric rates and it costs about 25c an
hour to run. Two hours a day, would be ~$15 a month.

If it's costing that much to run the pump, have you considered
switching the motor to one that is dual speed? Running it at
half speed for twice as long can cut the electric usage in half.
I'm in the process of doing that right now.






Anyone used PoolProof or other form of borate in their pool? I bought

all the borax that my local Walmart had in stock (eight boxes) and am

going to try it.