Borax where can I find it?

[tuffy]

I have been researching pool upkeep and keep running into people suggesting borax for pools. Any idea where to find it around Pattaya?

[Ticketmaster]

I do not know where you can find it in large quantities, but you can get one pound (454 grams) bottles at your local chemical supply shop. You can find your local chemical supply shop by going to the local high school, with a Thai to speak for you, find the chemistry teacher and ask for the location of the local chemical supply shop.

Perhaps you can purchase a one pound bottle and contact the manufacturer listed on the label to see about large quantities.

[tuffy]

Thanks for reply, I am looking for around 50 pounds so hat would be pretty pricy by the pound I bet!

Edited January 13, 2014 by tuffy

[brianP]

I knew a guy who had a 20 mule team through Death Valley to bring you borax.

[kyrre]

Here you can ask.

http://www.healthfoodthailand.com/borax-powder-commercial-grade-1000-grams-p-279.html

[kamalabob2]

I believe that Tomster is on the right course. Years ago I found a Buriram Water Pump Shop that does a serious business in Swimming Pool Chemicals for the treatment of water in private swimming pools and village water treatment systems. Deep discount prices, not marked up swimming pool shop prices. Free delivery in Buriram province. I am of the belief that if you google the name of your province and the words swimming pool supplies or swimming pool chemicals you will see which local high volume water pump shops sell such items. Similar discounts to buying salt from the pool company or from the salt company outlet near Phi Mai. Certainly the chemical compound names are in English on the bags and barrels of the swimming pool supplies I order.

[tuffy]

Thanks for the info Tomster, I will have to check them out

[SantiSuk]

I believe that Tomster is on the right course. Years ago I found a Buriram Water Pump Shop that does a serious business in Swimming Pool Chemicals for the treatment of water in private swimming pools and village water treatment systems. Deep discount prices, not marked up swimming pool shop prices. Free delivery in Buriram province. I am of the belief that if you google the name of your province and the words swimming pool supplies or swimming pool chemicals you will see which local high volume water pump shops sell such items. Similar discounts to buying salt from the pool company or from the salt company outlet near Phi Mai. Certainly the chemical compound names are in English on the bags and barrels of the swimming pool supplies I order.

Googling for swimming pool chemicals in Ubon and Sisaket provinces only brings up the specialist pool shops where chemicals are typically the very expensive nicely packaged ones.

Thanks for the posting though Kamlabob - I pass through Buriram regularly otwt Bangkok, so I'll be calling them up to find out where they are (googling does get you to their website). Do they sell raw hydrochloric (muriatic) acid? My local Ubon Watsadu has stopped stocking it and I am gobsmacked by how expensive it is to drop your pH with the powder stuff. I can stand the inconvenience of transporting and handling this offensive chemical when it costs about one-tenth the price of powder for equivalent effect (based on the 260 baht I used to pay for 25kg HCL - I'm sure I'm going to have to pay a bit more than that from now on).

[yankee99]

I believe that Tomster is on the right course. Years ago I found a Buriram Water Pump Shop that does a serious business in Swimming Pool Chemicals for the treatment of water in private swimming pools and village water treatment systems. Deep discount prices, not marked up swimming pool shop prices. Free delivery in Buriram province. I am of the belief that if you google the name of your province and the words swimming pool supplies or swimming pool chemicals you will see which local high volume water pump shops sell such items. Similar discounts to buying salt from the pool company or from the salt company outlet near Phi Mai. Certainly the chemical compound names are in English on the bags and barrels of the swimming pool supplies I order.

Googling for swimming pool chemicals in Ubon and Sisaket provinces only brings up the specialist pool shops where chemicals are typically the very expensive nicely packaged ones.

Thanks for the posting though Kamlabob - I pass through Buriram regularly otwt Bangkok, so I'll be calling them up to find out where they are (googling does get you to their website). Do they sell raw hydrochloric (muriatic) acid? My local Ubon Watsadu has stopped stocking it and I am gobsmacked by how expensive it is to drop your pH with the powder stuff. I can stand the inconvenience of transporting and handling this offensive chemical when it costs about one-tenth the price of powder for equivalent effect (based on the 260 baht I used to pay for 25kg HCL - I'm sure I'm going to have to pay a bit more than that from now on).

Its only 35-40 baht a quart bottle in every mom n pop hardware store. Once your pH is in line I wouldn't think much is needed for maintenance. I use a bottle about every 2 months.

[JesseFrank]

I believe that Tomster is on the right course. Years ago I found a Buriram Water Pump Shop that does a serious business in Swimming Pool Chemicals for the treatment of water in private swimming pools and village water treatment systems. Deep discount prices, not marked up swimming pool shop prices. Free delivery in Buriram province. I am of the belief that if you google the name of your province and the words swimming pool supplies or swimming pool chemicals you will see which local high volume water pump shops sell such items. Similar discounts to buying salt from the pool company or from the salt company outlet near Phi Mai. Certainly the chemical compound names are in English on the bags and barrels of the swimming pool supplies I order.

Googling for swimming pool chemicals in Ubon and Sisaket provinces only brings up the specialist pool shops where chemicals are typically the very expensive nicely packaged ones.

Thanks for the posting though Kamlabob - I pass through Buriram regularly otwt Bangkok, so I'll be calling them up to find out where they are (googling does get you to their website). Do they sell raw hydrochloric (muriatic) acid? My local Ubon Watsadu has stopped stocking it and I am gobsmacked by how expensive it is to drop your pH with the powder stuff. I can stand the inconvenience of transporting and handling this offensive chemical when it costs about one-tenth the price of powder for equivalent effect (based on the 260 baht I used to pay for 25kg HCL - I'm sure I'm going to have to pay a bit more than that from now on).

260 Bht for 25kg HCL at Watsadu ? Must have been the 10% Baume or even further diluted.

[SantiSuk]

Nope - standard 30% HCL. I'll post a picture of the carboy label if you don't believe me. (see - still thin skinned )

And on reflection I think it's more like 20 times cheaper than powdered dry acid at that price. 5 litres of muriatic would drop pH in my 90 cu.m pool from 7.5 to 7.2. The powder I have recently bought (two different sources - online Thailand and from a local swimming pool shop) took 10kg (cost about 1,000 baht to do that - it was about 60% of the efficacy that the label stated). I was appalled at the relative cost.

Source of the muriatic was Do Home Ubon Watsadu - last supplied Aug-13. Had been buying at that price for 3 years but they confirmed last week they had stopped stocking it. Few pools in Ubon - the HCL would have been used for cleaning by builders I suspect. I have seen that swimming pool shops tend to sell the carboys at 650 to 800'ish. Still way cheaper than powder but of course they are making their big mark-up over bulk industrial prices. Don't blame them - retail storage and staffing low volume shops - have to make a buck and it is horrible stuff to move around - tends to leak a bit! Prior to finding the Ubon source, I once nearly gassed the entire family on the way back from Pats, having gone over a pothole in Buriram that seemed to damage the sealing properties on the stopper of one carboy. Had to dump 25 kg for safety's sake

[SantiSuk]

Its only 35-40 baht a quart bottle in every mom n pop hardware store. Once your pH is in line I wouldn't think much is needed for maintenance. I use a bottle about every 2 months.

Point of clarification yankee. Are you talking borax, raw HCL/muriatic or cleaner like Vixol that contains HCL? Happy to give anything convenient a go if it works without side effects, but need the Thai word (I know HCL is groht glueua and my Thai is ok, but staff in shops and builders merchants always look blank! We probably need a picture of the bottle if its proprietary).

[JesseFrank]

Nope - standard 30% HCL. I'll post a picture of the carboy label if you don't believe me. (see - still thin skinned )

And on reflection I think it's more like 20 times cheaper than powdered dry acid at that price. 5 litres of muriatic would drop pH in my 90 cu.m pool from 7.5 to 7.2. The powder I have recently bought (two different sources - online Thailand and from a local swimming pool shop) took 10kg (cost about 1,000 baht to do that - it was about 60% of the efficacy that the label stated). I was appalled at the relative cost.

Source of the muriatic was Do Home Ubon Watsadu - last supplied Aug-13. Had been buying at that price for 3 years but they confirmed last week they had stopped stocking it. Few pools in Ubon - the HCL would have been used for cleaning by builders I suspect. I have seen that swimming pool shops tend to sell the carboys at 650 to 800'ish. Still way cheaper than powder but of course they are making their big mark-up over bulk industrial prices. Don't blame them - retail storage and staffing low volume shops - have to make a buck and it is horrible stuff to move around - tends to leak a bit! Prior to finding the Ubon source, I once nearly gassed the entire family on the way back from Pats, having gone over a pothole in Buriram that seemed to damage the sealing properties on the stopper of one carboy. Had to dump 25 kg for safety's sake

No offense intended but I think you have you are clearly confused. First of all 31% HCL is 20° Baume, the standard one is 35% 22° Baume. To lower the pH level in a 90 m³ with 0.3 you would need 1 liter of the HCL, not 5 liters as that would lower your pH with 1.7.

Also the cheapest I have ever found HCL is 500 Bht per 25 Kg and that is if you provide a empty container. Most of the pool shops will charge 1000 Bht up.

By the way, the other day I went to the shop where you claimed you purchased your pool salt, and they didn't even know it existed. Refined salt as much as I wanted, but they never heard about pool salt.

Edited March 18, 2014 by JesseFrank

[yankee99]

@santsuk

Muriatic acid

[SantiSuk]

No offence taken, but no alpha male is gonna let it rest at being 'confused'. I certainly make mistakes, unless I double check everything:

1. Yes - you are right; it is 35% +/- 0.5% acid that I was buying - just looked at the label (or to be precise the only carboy of 10 empties that had a readable label).
2. Maybe someone was watering this Watsadu's acid down then beyond the label. My dosing and test reading records clearly show that it took about 5 litres to move 0.3. Maybe I can't measure my pool right and it's twice the size
3. You'll just have to trust me it cost 259 baht. I keep records of stuff I buy for the pool and garden. I have several entries showing @ 255 then the final purchase @ 259. I found one receipt (I'm so anal I keep receipts for larger capital item purchases), but it has faded
4. Swimming Pools Thailand Online charges 690 baht for each 25kg (min purchase 2) but plus delivery. Had a memory that Pool Doctors was about 850 but I see it is (now?) 950. That's why I quoted those prices for 'shops', which was a slightly loose phrase.

My underlying contention remains - that wet acid is one hell of a lot cheaper than dry acid powder in Thailand, but happy to hear to the contrary if people disagree.

Oh and very sorry if I gave you duff info and a wild goose chase JesseFrank. It was a few years ago now and I was buying stuff hither and thither at the time. Maybe it was generic salt I bought there.

[kamalabob2]

SantiSuk: The current price in Buriram at Ruangsangthai Hardware for Hydrochloric Acid 30% of Acid.

in a pail sized 16 Lite / 20 kg (weight) is 260 baht. A large shipment will arrive on Saturday at this Buriram water pump specialist. I believe that maps will show the location if you do a google search for Buriram Builders Merchants.

[SantiSuk]

SantiSuk: The current price in Buriram at Ruangsangthai Hardware for Hydrochloric Acid 30% of Acid.

in a pail sized 16 Lite / 20 kg (weight) is 260 baht. A large shipment will arrive on Saturday at this Buriram water pump specialist. I believe that maps will show the location if you do a google search for Buriram Builders Merchants.

Thx. Found a map on their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/BuriramSepticTank

I'll be calling by weekend after next.

Edited March 19, 2014 by SantiSuk