Borates, Dangers Lurking in Hotel Pools, and Heat Stroke

Picture this: It's Thursday morning, you're on your third pool of the day, and you're already dreading the pH test results. You balanced this customer's pool on Monday, but somehow the chemistry has done another backflip into the "why-is-it-so-high" zone. Sound familiar? What if we told you there's a way to make your pools behave like grown-ups, reduce callbacks, and actually take a day off without worrying about algae emergencies? Enter borates – the pool industry's best-kept secret that's about to become your new best friend.

The Borate Breakthrough: Your Pool Chemistry Game Changer

Despite what you might think, borates aren't some fancy new trend or boardroom gimmick designed to squeeze extra dollars from your wallet. As Andrea explains in the latest Talking Pools Podcast episode:

Borates are not new. They're not the latest TikTok trend or some startup chemical company trying to sound smarter than they are. Borates have been around for decades in industrial chemistry, and the pool world has finally gotten its act together and started paying attention.

— Andrea, Talking Pools Podcast

You'll typically encounter borates in three main forms: boric acid (the most pH-neutral option), sodium tetraborate pentahydrate (often labeled as optimizer plus), and good old borax – yes, the same 20 Mule Team stuff from the laundry aisle. These compounds add boron to pool water in a way that transforms your weekly chemical balancing nightmare into a set-it-and-forget-it dream.

Why Borates Are the Multitasking Heroes of Pool Maintenance

Think of borates as the Swiss Army knife of pool chemistry. They don't just do one job – they excel at multiple tasks that directly impact your bottom line and sanity. Here's what borates bring to the table:

pH Stability: This is the headline feature. Unlike total alkalinity, borates act as backup singers, providing harmony and smoothing the edges when bather loads, weather, or that mysterious "dollar store chemical" your customer added threatens to throw everything off balance.

Algae Prevention: While borates aren't algaecides, they create an environment where algae struggles to thrive. If you've got that one customer whose pool always wants to go green, borates can save your weekends.

Enhanced Water Quality: The visual difference is remarkable. Pools treated with borates at 50 ppm sparkle like diamonds on sunny days, with noticeably softer water that reduces eye irritation and feels smoother on the skin.

Reduced Chemical Demand: Stable pH means your sanitizers work more efficiently, and you'll use less chlorine to achieve better results. Your equipment lasts longer too, thanks to reduced corrosion from pH swings.

These compounds add boron to the water in a way that helps you stabilize chemistry, fight off algae, and make the water feel silkier than your grandpa's vintage smoking jacket.

— Andrea, Talking Pools Podcast

Getting the Dosage Right: The Math That Matters

The sweet spot for most pools is 30-50 ppm of borates, with 50 ppm being ideal for maximum buffering effect. Going over 70 ppm is just wasteful. Here are the dosing calculations you need:

For 10,000 gallons to achieve 50 ppm:

• Boric acid: 15 pounds
• Sodium tetraborate pentahydrate: 21 pounds
• Borax (20 Mule Team): 24 pounds

However, there's a crucial caveat: sodium tetraborate and borax will raise your pH significantly, requiring muriatic acid to bring it back down. As Andrea emphasizes:

You're not just tossing borax in and walking away. It's not pH neutral. Use it, but understand what you're doing.

— Andrea, Talking Pools Podcast

The beauty of borates is their longevity. Once added, they don't degrade or get consumed. They only leave through water loss – backwashing, splashing, draining, or dilution. This means you might only need to top off every six months, making them incredibly cost-effective.

Debunking the Dog Danger Myth

One of the most persistent myths about borates involves pet safety. Let's put this to rest with facts: borates at recommended pool levels are not dangerous to dogs, cats, or humans. The toxic dose for dogs is around 200-300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. To reach that level from a pool treated at 50 ppm, your average dog would need to drink approximately 10 gallons of water in one sitting.

As the podcast points out, if your dog is drinking that much pool water, the chlorine would cause problems long before the borates do. While pool water shouldn't be anyone's primary hydration source, borates pose minimal risk to pets, children, and adults at proper pool levels.

The Dark Side: When Pool Maintenance Goes Wrong

The episode also covers a sobering reminder of why proper pool maintenance isn't just about convenience – it's about safety. The story of a 23-year-old tourist who contracted MRSA after swimming in a hotel pool with zero chlorine serves as a stark warning.

The woman suffered life-changing injuries requiring multiple surgeries, IV antibiotics, and potentially faces amputation – all from a pool that inspection records showed had no chlorine or bromine and dangerous bacteria levels exceeding 200 CFU per milliliter.

So that is a reason for you to make sure that your commercial pools are getting tested every day. And don't skip out on your logs because for someone to get MRSA, that is crazy.

— Andrea, Talking Pools Podcast

This tragic case reinforces why proper chemical maintenance and documentation isn't just regulatory compliance – it's about protecting people's health and your professional liability.

Heat Stroke: The Silent Threat to Pool Professionals

While the transcript cuts off during the heat stroke discussion, this topic deserves attention as we head into peak swimming season. Pool professionals spend countless hours in direct sunlight, often in humid environments around heated pools, making heat-related illnesses a serious occupational hazard.

Prevention strategies include scheduling the most strenuous work during cooler morning hours, staying hydrated throughout the day, taking regular breaks in shade, and recognizing early warning signs like excessive fatigue, headaches, or nausea.

The Bottom Line: Why Borates Make Business Sense

Borates represent a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive pool maintenance. Instead of constantly chasing pH swings and fighting algae blooms, you create stable water chemistry that behaves predictably.

Because time is money. Because you're tired of rebalancing the same pool every damn week. Because you're over customers asking why the water feels off. Because you'd rather not get an algae call at 9pm on a Saturday when you just cracked a beer.

— Andrea, Talking Pools Podcast

The math is simple: fewer service calls, reduced chemical costs, happier customers, and more predictable schedules. While borates require an initial investment and proper implementation, they pay dividends in reduced maintenance headaches and improved customer satisfaction.

For pool professionals tired of babysitting chemistry instead of growing their business, borates offer a path to smarter, more efficient pool care. They're not magic, but they're the closest thing to it – transforming problematic pools into well-behaved, crystal-clear showcases that practically maintain themselves.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction - Missing Co-host and Episode Overview
• 03:15 What Are Borates and Why They Matter
• 08:30 Benefits of Borates in Pool Maintenance
• 15:45 Proper Dosing and Application Methods
• 22:10 Debunking Dog Safety Myths
• 28:20 Hotel Pool MRSA Case Study
• 35:40 Heat Stroke Prevention for Pool Pros