HELP......constant calcium buidup on cup strainer

[sicric]

Please don't post the same topic in multiple places. Bama


here are my specs...
pentair clean and clear plus cartridge filter 420
polaris autoclear plus salt system
polariscaretaker infloor system
polaris leaftrapper system
calcium/hardness= approx. 500
cya= 75
ta=180
ph=7.8
fc=8
tc=10
pool is 13,440 gallons
pump\filter runtime is 6 hours per night
cell run time is 5 1/2 hours per night
my problem is every night I get a buildup of calcium flakes on the caretaker cup strainer (which is basically a small filter like screen which prevent any large objects getting into the popup gears,etc.)....and once it is covered completely (every night) the pressure in the caretaker and filter system go way up to a point that the popups stop cycling. Without doing a drain and fill (Im in AZ and it is too hot for that now) what can I do......everything has been cleaned way more than I usually have done recently.Pool is 5 years old....has had 1 drain and refill 2 years ago. I called calsaway and they were not much help.....were afraid to guarantee results. Is it possible the buildup is in my lines and I just have to "wait" it out. I put Scalefree in it about 2 weeks ago. I do not have much scale in pool itself. HELP!!!!!! the odd part is this...........I bypassed the salt cell (took it out an put in straight tube)...and there was almost no buildup on cup strainer. To clean this little filter is a real drag everyday...I used to do it about once a month.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: HELP.....calcium problem or not

With a CH of 500 and a pH of 7.8 and a TA of 180. The jury says it's calcium scaling. You can keep your pH as close to 7.2 as practical with muriatic acid, and by doing so your TA will come down. That will help you scaling. You will have to be diligent about the pH to prevent the scaling from returning.

 

[sicric]

HELP.......Calcium buildup in caretaker system

here are my specs...
pentair clean and clear plus cartridge filter 420
polaris autoclear plus salt system
polariscaretaker infloor system
polaris leaftrapper system
calcium/hardness= approx. 500
cya= 75
ta=180
ph=7.8
fc=8
tc=10
pool is 13,440 gallons
pump\filter runtime is 6 hours per night
cell run time is 5 1/2 hours per night
my problem is every night I get a buildup of calcium flakes on the caretaker cup strainer (which is basically a small filter like screen which prevent any large objects getting into the popup gears,etc.)....and once it is covered completely (every night) the pressure in the caretaker and filter system go way up to a point that the popups stop cycling. Without doing a drain and fill (Im in AZ and it is too hot for that now) what can I do......everything has been cleaned way more than I usually have done recently.Pool is 5 years old....has had 1 drain and refill 2 years ago. I called calsaway and they were not much help.....were afraid to guarantee results. Is it possible the buildup is in my lines and I just have to "wait" it out. I put Scalefree in it about 2 weeks ago. I do not have much scale in pool itself. HELP!!!!!! the odd part is this...........I bypassed the salt cell (took it out an put in straight tube)...and there was almost no buildup on cup strainer. To clean this little filter is a real drag everyday...I used to do it about once a month.

 

[JasonLion]

Re: HELP.......Calcium buildup in caretaker system

Your PH, TA, and CH levels are all higher then normal. That causes calcium to deposit in your SWG. The SWG automatically reverses polarity, which causes the calcium to lift off the plates and continue down the pipe, in to the caretaker system.

If you bring down some combination of PH, TA, and CH levels enough this process will stop, or at least slow down dramatically. Start by lowering your PH to 7.2 right away, and then start on the lower TA process as described in Pool School. Lowering CH may or may not be worth doing right away, but you can certainly bring PH and TA down, and that will probably be enough to solve the immediate problem.