BioGuard Optimizer | Pool Borate Conditioner

• 1 x BioGuard Optimizer, 20 lb container
• Full manufacturer label with dosing rates and application directions

Note on quantity: at 1.5 lbs per 1,000 gallons, a 20 lb container treats approximately 13,300 gallons. A 15,000-gallon pool needs about 22.5 lbs; a 20,000-gallon pool needs 30 lbs. Most in-ground pools will require two containers for the initial application.

Buffers and Helps Keep Water Balanced

Borates are a powerful pH buffer, absorbing the acidic and alkaline pressure that would otherwise show up as a correction you have to make every week.

Creates Soft, Soothing Water

The silky feel is the benefit swimmers notice first and the reason most borate users stay on it. Water feels noticeably gentler on skin and eyes.

Improves Water Clarity and Sparkle

Produces a visible brightness that's distinct from what a clarifier does — clarifiers remove particles, borates change how the water itself looks.

Helps Sanitizer Programs Work More Efficiently

Works with BioGuard's chlorinating, brominating, and biguanide programs, letting each run more efficiently in stable, buffered water.

Not Degraded by Sunlight

Unlike chlorine, borates aren't broken down by UV. The level persists through the brightest part of the season without replenishment.

pH Neutral in Pool Water

Establishing a borate level doesn't push pH around, so there's no cascade of balance corrections after application.

Long-Lasting

Not consumed by sanitizer or organic load. Losses come only from splash-out, backwashing, and dilution — which is why testing twice a year is enough.

Compatible With Biguanide Programs

Works with SoftSwim as well as chlorine and bromine, which is rare among pool additives and useful for biguanide owners with few options.

Optimizer establishes a borate residual in the pool. Most benefits appear at around 35 ppm, which is what the label dose is calculated to produce.

Borate chemistry is a buffer system, and a strong one. A buffer neutralizes both acids and bases, absorbing them before they can shift pH. Total alkalinity is the pool's primary buffer; borates add a second, independent buffering system on top of it. The result is water that resists pH change far more stubbornly than alkalinity alone provides.

That matters because a working pool is under constant pH pressure from several directions at once. Trichlor tablets and sticks are strongly acidic and pull pH down continuously. Calcium hypochlorite shock is strongly alkaline and pushes it up. Aeration from waterfalls, spillovers, and jetted returns drives carbon dioxide out of the water and raises pH — which is also why salt chlorine generators produce a persistent upward pH trend, since the cell aerates as it operates. A borate buffer absorbs all of it.

The softer water feel is a genuine physical effect rather than a marketing claim. Borates alter the surface characteristics of the water, and the difference is noticeable enough that most people can tell within one swim. It's the single most common reason borate users keep the level up.

The clarity and sparkle effect works differently from a clarifier. A clarifier gathers suspended particles so the filter can remove them. Borates don't remove anything — they change the optical character of the water itself, which produces a brightness in sunlight that particle removal alone doesn't.

Persistence is what makes borates a different kind of purchase. Chlorine is consumed by sunlight and organic load. Sequestrants are consumed as they bind metals. Algaecides are degraded by chlorine. Borates are consumed by none of it — they're chemically stable in pool water and unaffected by UV. The level only drops through physical water loss: splash-out, backwashing, and dilution from rain or a partial drain. That's why the program is one large initial application and then twice-yearly testing, rather than a weekly dose.

One scope note: Optimizer is not a sanitizer, and it doesn't replace chlorine, bromine, or biguanide. It also isn't an alkalinity or pH corrector — those values still need to be balanced properly before Optimizer goes in.

Pro Tip: Balance the water before you add Optimizer, and have your dealer test the sample first — BioGuard's directions call for this explicitly. Borates lock in the water's tendency to hold its pH, so whatever balance you have when you add them is what you'll be living with. Establish total alkalinity at 125–150 ppm and pH at 7.4–7.6 first, then add the borate. Getting it backwards means buffering water that's out of range, which makes the correction harder afterward rather than easier. Also backwash or clean the filter before applying — the label calls for that too, and a clean filter handles a large single addition much better.

Dosage Reference

• 1.5 lbs per 1,000 gallons of pool water
• Which equals 15 lbs per 10,000 gallons
• Target borate residual: approximately 35 ppm

Confirm the rate on your current product label before dosing, and calculate against your pool's actual measured volume.

Quantity by Pool Size

• 10,000 gallons: 15 lbs
• 13,300 gallons: 20 lbs — one full container
• 15,000 gallons: 22.5 lbs
• 20,000 gallons: 30 lbs
• 25,000 gallons: 37.5 lbs

Initial Start-Up

1. Before adding Optimizer, bring a sample of the pool water or fill water to your local professional dealer to have the water tested and balanced to proper levels.
2. Backwash or clean the filter before adding this product.
3. Add 1.5 lbs of Optimizer per 1,000 gallons of pool water — 15 lbs per 10,000 gallons.
4. Slowly add Optimizer into your pool skimmer with the pump and circulation system on.
5. Do not pour Optimizer into a skimmer if circulation is not evident in the skimmer.
6. Do not directly combine Optimizer with any other product.
7. Allow pool water to circulate for 4 to 8 hours after application.

Applying a Large Dose

On a larger pool, the total quantity is substantial. Adding it in stages rather than all at once gives the water time to disperse each portion and keeps the skimmer and filter from being overwhelmed. Allow circulation between additions, and follow any staging guidance on your current label.

Routine Maintenance

1. Test your pool water on a regular basis for pH and sanitizer residual, and adjust as necessary.
2. Twice a year, bring a pool water sample to your BioGuard dealer for testing of your Optimizer level and pool water balance.
3. If the water level is significantly reduced, or the pool is drained and refilled, have the water retested.
4. If your dealer determines that additional Optimizer is required, add the amount indicated, following the Initial Start-Up instructions for proper application.

What Depletes the Level

• Splash-out from swimmers and water features
• Backwashing the filter
• Dilution from heavy rain
• Partial drain and refill

Notably absent from that list: sunlight, sanitizer, and organic load. Borates aren't consumed by any of them, which is why the maintenance schedule is measured in half-years rather than weeks.

Storage and Handling

• Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from moisture
• Keep the container tightly closed and clearly labeled
• Store separately from sanitizers, acids, and oxidizers
• Keep out of reach of children and pets
• Avoid breathing dust during application
• Read and follow all label precautions, first aid, and disposal directions before use

Pro Tip: If you run a salt chlorine generator, borates are worth serious consideration. Salt cells aerate the water as they produce chlorine, and aeration drives carbon dioxide out, which pushes pH steadily upward — it's the defining maintenance annoyance of salt pools, and it means adding acid every few weeks all season. A borate buffer resists that climb far more effectively than alkalinity alone. Salt pool owners are consistently the most enthusiastic borate users for exactly this reason, and the reduction in acid purchases offsets a meaningful share of the initial cost over a couple of seasons.

• Brand: BioGuard
• Product Type: Borate water conditioner and pH buffer
• Form: Granular
• Net Weight: 20 lb
• Manufacturer Part Number: 23772BIO
• Dosage: 1.5 lbs per 1,000 gallons — 15 lbs per 10,000 gallons
• Target Borate Residual: Approximately 35 ppm
• Coverage per Container: Approximately 13,300 gallons
• Effect on pH: pH neutral in pool water
• UV Stability: Not degraded by sunlight
• Depletion: Only through splash-out, backwashing, and dilution
• Application Method: Add slowly into the skimmer with the pump and circulation system on
• Circulation After Application: 4–8 hours
• Required Before Use: Dealer water test and balance; backwash or clean the filter
• Maintenance Testing: Twice a year by a BioGuard dealer, plus after any significant water loss or refill
• Sanitizer Compatibility: Chlorinating, brominating, and biguanide programs
• Suitable Surfaces: Plaster, gunite, vinyl liner, fiberglass, painted
• Do Not: Combine directly with any other product, or add to a skimmer without visible circulation
• Not A Substitute For: Sanitizer, alkalinity increaser, pH adjuster, or testing
• Shipping Classification: DOT-regulated — ground shipping only

Sanitizer Programs

• Chlorine pools — fully compatible
• Bromine pools — fully compatible
• Biguanide pools including SoftSwim — fully compatible, which is unusual and valuable for biguanide owners
• Salt chlorine generator pools — compatible and particularly worthwhile, since salt cells drive a persistent upward pH trend that borates resist
• Mineral system pools — compatible

Pool Types and Surfaces

• In-ground and above-ground pools
• Plaster, gunite, vinyl liner, fiberglass, and painted surfaces
• Sand, cartridge, and DE filtration

Where Optimizer Fits Alongside Your Other Balancers

• An alkalinity increaser raises total alkalinity into range. Use it first.
• A pH increaser or reducer moves pH to target. Use it second.
• A calcium hardness increaser protects surfaces and equipment. Use it third.
• Optimizer adds an independent borate buffer on top of balanced water, plus the soft-water feel and sparkle. It's a one-time establishment rather than a weekly product.
• A weekly pH and alkalinity buffer also resists swings, but is dosed weekly and consumed. Optimizer persists.

Not to Be Confused With Optimizer Plus

BioGuard previously sold Optimizer Plus, a sodium tetraborate product with a pH around 9.3 that raised pool pH sharply on application and required a pH reducer alongside it. Current Optimizer is pH neutral in pool water and does not require that correction. If you're working from older directions or an older dealer sheet, confirm which product they describe before dosing.

What It Does Not Do

• Not a sanitizer. Provides no disinfection and maintains no sanitizer residual.
• Not an alkalinity or pH corrector. Balance those values before applying.
• Not a clarifier. It brightens water optically rather than removing particles.
• Not a substitute for testing. Continue routine pH and sanitizer testing.

Important Handling Cautions

• Do not directly combine Optimizer with any other product.
• Do not pour Optimizer into a skimmer if circulation is not evident in the skimmer.
• Have the water tested and balanced by a dealer before the initial application.
• Backwash or clean the filter before adding.