Boric Acid in Calgary

[BigNumbers]

Does anyone know where I can buy smallish quantities of boric acid in town? I need it for my pool to add some borate levels, as it is the go-to-additive for this in the US, where boric acid is available at home depot et al. However, I can't seem to find it here - Do any fellow pool owners in Calgary know where you can get consumer-sized amounts of boric acid in the retail channel?

#inbeforedexterorbreakingbadjokes

[DoubleF]

A search yielded that in Canada, most people find it in the pest control section, laundry or pharmacy? No idea if it's pure boric acid though. I also found a few recipes to make it as well.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...l2/boric_acid/

[BigNumbers]

Thanks, appreciate the help... but that's Borax, which is not boric acid (though it is mostly made of it). The issue is the other items in Broax raises the Ph in the pool a shizz-tonne, and the amount of borax you have to add is insane.

For a 10,000GAL pool you'd have to add 16.6KG OF BORAX! Then you have to add about 8 LITRES of acid to counteract the PH rise from the borax.


The benefit of using boric acid is that it's PH impact on the pool is limited, and the acid in the boric acid counteracts the Ph rise from the boric-part of boric acid, so it's essentially Ph neutral from a pool-Ph perspective.


The #### you learn with a pool... I'm never swimming in a public pool again.

[PsYcNeT]

This company sells it online:

http://www.gessweincanada.com/product-p/830-4569m.htm

[CroFlames]

I believe the largest Boric Acid mine in the world is in Green River Wyoming. Make a road trip

I wish I could help. Sorry though.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

This company sells it online:

http://www.gessweincanada.com/product-p/830-4569m.htm

Thanks for the suggestion and the find! My impatient self was hoping to find it locally so I could do the work on the pool this weekend, but I may have to order online... Thanks!

[Barnes]

Just make it. You just need 3 H's and 3 BO's

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

The #### you learn with a pool... I'm never swimming in a public pool again.

Can you elaborate? haha I am quite interested...

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

This company sells it online:

http://www.gessweincanada.com/product-p/830-4569m.htm

At a good price.
We paid about twice that much a couple years ago.

It's excellent in the pool, even well worth it with a salt system.
Pool sparkles like a jewel and water feels so nice too.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

At a good price.
We paid about twice that much a couple years ago.

It's excellent in the pool, even well worth it with a salt system.
Pool sparkles like a jewel and water feels so nice too.

Were you able to find any locally?

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by skudr248

Can you elaborate? haha I am quite interested...

Just that you learn how out of whack the balance of most pool's water chemistry is, and how much chlorine they put in, even though their pH is so effed up that the ability of the chlorine to do its job as a sanitizer (chlorine) at those pH's is severally neutered... Then you start reading about people getting legionnaires disease etc from pools....yikes.

Not crazy, just the more you read about balancing your pool's water, the more horror stories you hear about supposedly 'professionally maintained' pools...

[Street Pharmacist]

I sell it in my pharmacy though only in 100g tubs. It's used vaginally with empty capsules so I'm sure some pharmacies in canary have it. It's likely in the pharmacy though, but you should phone around

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

Were you able to find any locally?

Locally is Montreal, but yes.
I believe a pool supply place, but I'll check when the bio-chemist gets home - might help point you in the right direction.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

I sell it in my pharmacy though only in 100g tubs. It's used vaginally with empty capsules so I'm sure some pharmacies in canary have it. It's likely in the pharmacy though, but you should phone around

Thanks! If you don't mind, what do you charge for a 100g tube?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

Thanks! If you don't mind, what do you charge for a 100g tube?

I'm not at the store, so I'm not sure, but it's inexpensive. I think around $4 or so, but I could be wrong. Note I'm in Kamloops though, but I'm sure at least compounding pharmacies have it

[EldrickOnIce]

Ha I'm guessing you'll need around 10kg, so I'm pretty sure you don't want to buy it in 100g caps lol

[BigNumbers]

I am going to try it in the hottub first and see if I like the feel, so I could get several 100g and be okay for my tub-experiment.

[Ducay]

Depends on the amount you need for your pool. How many gallons is your pool? Pharmacy lot quantities might be acceptable for a portable hot tub, but you'd look like a perv buying vaginal meds by the caseload.

[jar_e]

Is this thread really just a giant humble brag about owning a hot tub and a pool?

[BigNumbers]

tub needs 400g of boric - but I called about 10 pharmacies nearby and found none. So I'll just have to do the old Borax and Muriatic acid mix-and-hopefully-not-die routine!