RiverbendPoolSupply.com - Todd's Blog - Episode 90

So last week I tested the pool for borates and it was down to like 30 PPM, which is a HUGE drop from the 50 - 60 that it has been. This generally means I either have a leak or I overfilled the pool.
I am pretty sure that I over filled it. So today I am going to add about 20 lbs. of Borates and half of a PoolRX booster to bring my mineral balances back in line.
The only way Borates exit the pool is through water loss and replacement. They do not evaporate or burn off. Mineral content is a great way to inspect your pool for leaks. Even with back washing and pool use you should expect to see a maximum fall off of about 15% of your borates each year. So if at the beginning of the season your borates are at 80 PPM but by the end they have dropped to 40 PPM then you are losing a lot of water somehow.
Lesson learned: if you do not have an auto-fill, be very careful when refilling your pool that you do not add too much water.
Despite losing all that water and mineral content the pool still looks great. Though once I added the borates back in I could tell a HUGE difference in clarity and sparkle.
Testing the pool I found:
Free Chlorine - .6 PPM
Total Chlorine - .6 PPM
This is plenty once I have my minerals back in line.
PH - 7.6
This is good as well.
Total Alkalinity - 70 PPM
This is fine.
Calcium Hardness - 300 PPM
This is great.
Cyanuric Acid - Less Than 20 PPM
Overfilling or having a leak will also cause your cyanuric acid to rapidly decrease. I will need to add some more but will wait until next season.
Since I added 20 lbs. of Borates I went ahead and also added a gallon of acid to help with alkalinity and PH control. Initially, Borates will add to the carbonate reading and increase the pool PH. Acid quickly fixes this.
See you all next week.