Thinking of using cal-hypo to raise calcium in pool

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M

Melgrace1

0
Aug 5, 2015
5
Livingston, la
Hi, i am new to this. I have been reading and learning from this site for a little while now. My pool water is looking great. I used the last of my trichlor tabs today. I got in my test kit yall recomended and tested my ch, ta and cya last night. My water is about 70 deg. my readings were:
clorine 3ppm
ph 7.2
(used my non taylor one for those)
ch 0
cya 80-100 ( was hard to tell when the dot dissapeared. I may have to do that test over because i think i could still see the dot)
ta 180
i know my cya levels are high, but i just drained my pool last summer because my cya was over 200 and i had to repair my liner. I really dont want to have to do a partial drain to get my cya lower since i am on well water and have high iorn. Even though i have a softner and 1 sediment filter and 2 carbon filters, iorn still gets into the pool as evidence of brown water when i put bleach in it. I dont want to use anything with stablizer in it since i learned the had way that it makes my cya too high too fast. Since my cya is already high I am debating on using cal-hypo to chlorinate my pool because bleach would be more expensive with cya levels as high as mine are. I can get cal-hypo for $4 a lb at 68%. We go on trips alot and work so bleach is alittle inconvient sometimes. I was hoping i could use the cal-hypo until my calcium levels got normal. And then maybe get a chlorine injection pump. My water is really clear now and not giving me any problems so i dont want to cloud things up with cal-hypo. I thought i would check with the experts before deciding what to do next. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for having this forum!!!
 
Welcome to TFP!

It is very unlikely that your CH is 0. It is fine to use cal-hypo as long as you know what your CH is because it adds calcium. Your TA is very high and should be lowered. Did you wipe the dropper tip between drops? Hold the bottle vertically to form a full drop? TA that high will likely make your PH rise quickly. Here is how to Lower Total Alkalinity

Here is what the CYA dot should look like, https://www.taylortechnologies.com/ChemistryTopicsCM.ASP?ContentID=36
 
I think everyone missed that you have a vinyl pool. You do not need to,raise your CH as it is unnecessary in a vinyl pool.

Skip the CalHypo and work on the other issues identified.
 
Welcome! :wave:

I'm sure the low CH is due to the fact that you fill with softened water. The good news is, your liner doesn't care. It won't get etched the way a plaster pool will. You still have the risk of scale if you don;t manage the pH well, though.

Definitely repeat that CYA test. You need strong sunlight for it to be accurate. If you are as high as you think, you'll probably need to run it using the dilution method. See step 9, and read the notes in the post, too. There's no shame in pouring the solution back into the bottle and repeating the test a dozen times if that's what it takes to start getting consistent (+/- 5 or so) readings.

With Iron in the water, I can understand your reluctance to drain and refill. However, you will probably be happier in the long run if you reduce the CYA to a more reasonable number. The good news is, now that you're in control, you won't have that CYA buildup and this will be the last time you have to do it.

It's okay to chlorinate with Cal-hypo. Figure out your pool's volume and input that at the top of poolmath. Then go down to Effects of Adding Chemicals near the bottom. See what 16 ounces of Cal-hypo will do to the CH reading in a pool your size, then work backwards from that. You can figure out how much Cal-hypo you can add without taking CH above 300, and then just don't buy more than that. You measure it out day-to-day to chlorinate until you've used X amount of Cal-hypo and then you can switch to bleach. You might be able to go all season long - who knows?
 
thanks so much! I knew i wouldnt regret posting!! I will redo my cya because i did it at night using light from inside and i could still see the dot a little more than the link showed. I hope its not as high as i thought because i only used stabalized tablets for about 4 months and used bleach to open it back up this year. I was assuming my ch was 0 because it didn't even change color when i put the 1st reagent in. I will work on the ta. Im wondering if i did that test right too because my ph isnt very unstable. I will try them again when i get home tomorrow! Thanks again so very very much.
 
Marianparoo, i have floaties in my vision and i was tired and did the test for cya at night. The dot didnt disappear like the link one of the others posted. I wasnt for sure if the dot really disapeared or if i was still seeing it.. Kind of like when you stare at the sun and still see dots.. I didnt know if i was realy seeing the dot or not because i was looking too hard. Not sure if that makes since or not. My hubby always laughs at how my brain works:p
 
Your eyes can play tricks on you on that test. Try it again tomorrow outside and only if it's a sunny day (sun to your back). As you squirt the mixed solution into the skinny tube, look quickly at the dot, then look away, then back and away. Give your eyes a chance to relax and focus briefly on something else so you don't make yourself think you still see the dot. It takes some practice, but you can pour the solution back to the mixing bottle and do it over & over as much as you want to for practice.
 

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