Does Hydroquest 100 work for reducing CA levels

[dykes26]

I just read an article that states that Hydroquest 100 reduces CA. I am getting to the top of my CA safety zone 525 as of today and wanted to reduce it. I have hard water so the fill water is already at 270-300 (well water). Does it work and are there any cons.

 

[Guest]

Looks like the product has been discontinued from the information I am getting.

The "problem" that I see with products like this is that it cannot remove the CH, so where does it go? For your size pool, and for as high as your CH level is, you could have 1,000 pounds (maybe more) of calcium in the water . The filter couldn't handle that load if it were to go there, and it can't float into thin air, so I always wonder where these companies think this material goes.

If you find some and try it, let us know what happens

 

[JesseJames]

My CH is in the 400+ range. At what point is draining water the best option?

 

[Guest]

My CH is in the 400+ range. At what point is draining water the best option?

What type of pool do you have (plaster, vinyl, fibreglas, etc.)?

 

[JesseJames]

It is a 13,000 gallons plaster pool.

 

[mas985]

The highest that I have let the CH get before water replacement was 800 ppm. But even with that, I didn't really "have" to replace the water. If you can keep CSI below +0.5 with just TA and PH, then you should be ok. However, at some point it becomes difficult to maintain balance and you have to do something about the CH.

 

[Guest]

We've cleaned them (highly scaled) at 1,300 ppm CH, so you are not even close to that number yet, Jesse! NPC (National Plasterers Council) recommends 200-400 ppm for plaster pools.

As mas985 mentioned, they are maintainable over the 400 ppm recommended high end, to a point. The harder it gets, the better chance for scaling and build up, of course.

 

[JesseJames]

Okay and thanks for the info. I do get considerable evaporation, about one inch per week, during the summer months, so that might help.

 

[Guest]

Okay and thanks for the info. I do get considerable evaporation, about one inch per week, during the summer months, so that might help.

Evap will not remove CH, which is part of the problem. Think of the calcium as marbles; you have marbles in the pool now, and when you add more water you add more marbles. The marbles are heavier than what precipitates out and stay in the pool, and then you add more water (and marbles) until you have too many marbles! At some point you have to remove the marbles.

Calcium is difficult to deal with, both in terms of removal and what it does to the pool (waterline, spillways, equipment). Not all areas of the Country have hard water, but those of us that do have to deal with these problems. Keeping it in solution minimizes the visual impact, but at some point it has to go!

 

[JesseJames]

So, CH 400 is okay for now, if everything else (FC, PH, TA, CYA) is within range ?

 

[Guest]

Yes. It is on the high end of "acceptable" (per NPC), and is manageable. It is good that you are aware of it and paying attention to it, and I would (personally) not let it get over 500. It is just tougher to manage as it gets higher, and you have to be more on top of your water chemistry to avoid build up at the higher levels.

 

[JesseJames]

Okay. I got that and thanks for the marble lesson.

 

[JasonLion]

Hydroquest 100 is a sequestrant. Sequestrants do not lower the CH level. What they do is reduce the chances of calcium scaling even at high CH levels. The CH remains in the water, while the sequestrant slowly breaks down and needs to be replaced.