Your pool can be perfectly chlorinated and still feel like it’s fighting you every week, especially when pH keeps climbing for no obvious reason. We dig into one of the most useful “stability tools” in pool chemistry: borates. Along with industry expert Bob Lowry, we explain what it really means to add borates, why many pros treat them as a one-time addition, and how they help slow pH rise in pools with saltwater chlorine generators, spillovers, waterfalls, and other sources of aeration.

We also get practical about products and dosing. Boric acid tends to be the simplest path because it dissolves easily and causes minimal changes to pH and total alkalinity. We compare that with sodium tetraborate options like borax, which can spike pH and alkalinity and force a muriatic acid correction. You’ll hear why “once it’s in the water it acts the same,” but the setup work can be very different depending on what you buy. 

Safety and compliance questions come up a lot, so we address borate ppm targets head-on: 35 vs 50 ppm, why recommendations shifted, and how to think about toxicity using simple parts-per-million math. 

If you want steadier water, fewer pH surprises, and another layer of algae resistance to support good chlorine habits, this conversation will sharpen how you use borates on a service route. 

• our field test of borates with low chlorine and what happened over three weeks
• borates as a one-time addition with infrequent testing
• how borates buffer pH rise in aerated pools and saltwater chlorine generator pools
• borates as an algostat and why they do not kill algae
• choosing boric acid for easier dosing and fewer pH and alkalinity adjustments
• what happens when you use borax style products and why muriatic acid is needed
• whether 35 ppm or 50 ppm makes a meaningful difference and why some brands picked 35
• the toxicity question, ppm math, and why borates do not bioaccumulate
• residential vs commercial considerations and why rules vary by state and health code
• why many distributors do not stock borate products and

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