Ready to fight scale

[sflake]

So I did a drain/refill to lower cya. I shocked the pool and am now ready to start the scale battle
current readings:
fc 24
cc 0
ph 7.0
ta 80
ch 100
cya 50

What do I do now?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Catch us up on what all you've done so far.
Have you passed the OCLT?
What type scale are we talking about?
Will it fizz if you put mild acid on it?

 

[Richard320]

Are you sure the shock process is complete? Did you pass the overnight loss test?

If so, let FC come down so the pH reading will be accurate. If FC is above 10 it might be wrong. My own experience is that by keeping the pH low so that the CSI is kept between -.3 and -.6 the scale will ever so slowly dissolve. I've been working on mine for a long time. Brushing with a steel brush seems to speed it up. There is a short how-to article in Pool School, too.

 

[sflake]

I have not done the overnight test. I thought since cc was 0 I was done. I will complete it.
I also did not see if it would fizz. Not sure what kind of scale it is but the it is massive. It is the ENTIRE surface of the pool covering everything under water. I will do those 2 things and report back.

 

[sflake]

Richard-what do you think about using a steel brush on fiberglass? not that the finish is good now what with all the scale

 

[BoDarville]

sflake:

Assuming you are referring to calcium scale. Assuming you have satisfactorily completed the shock process, I would let FC come down to normal levels (4-8 ppm for CYA =50). In addition, your pH of 7 is a bit low. Once the FC level gets below 10 ppm, I would retest pH and get it up to the 7.2 - 7.4 range. Your TA appears to be fine-just keep an eye on the pH. If the pH quickly swings back below 7.2 then I would increase TA, but let it be for now.

Your current numbers (as well as my recommendations on pH) will result in an environment that is hostile to scale and any existing scale will gradually dissolve. The key word is gradually...as in the pace of a speeding glacier. When I moved in to our current house, the pool had a calcium ring at the water line. That calcium ring is now gone due to proper water management using the BBB method, however it took over a year for that to happen. There is still a faint ring in the spa at the water line and it is still fading after 3 years.

BTW, here is a great post from one of our Expert members on his battle with scale:
Richard320's Progress on scale

 

[Richard320]

Richard-what do you think about using a steel brush on fiberglass? not that the finish is good now what with all the scale

Oops, missed that. Probably not a good idea.

 

[sflake]

I just read the directions for Jack's Magic. the water parameters are:
fc 1-3
ph 7.0-7.4
ta 80 or below
ch 200-400
cya below 70
Tds below 1200

Anyone have success with Jack?
I thought TDS was nothing to worry about? How to find out my levels?
Do you think I should increase my calcium?

 

[duraleigh]

Sorry. I don't think there are any "magic bullets" for the scale removal. Following the advice of BoDarville and Richard320 is by far your best path.

Do not increase your calcium. As the scale slowly dissolve the calcium will increase on it's own in your testing.

 

[sflake]

Thats what I was thinking, thanks...wish me luck

 

[duraleigh]

Some luck, but mostly perseverance and knowledge. :lol: Richard 320 is a great testimonial to that.

 

[BoDarville]

I thought TDS was nothing to worry about?

It isn't...TDS is meaningless by itself. Keep testing the individual parameters (FC, CC, pH, CYA, TA, CH) the way you have been doing.

 

[Jerry in AZ]

Richard - does the original thread with your experience still exist? Can you point me toward it? Got a 404 error with the link in this comment. Thanks.

 

[chem geek]

Many, many links got broken with the original move to the new server (not the more recent downtime problems). They should get repaired via some sort of automatic process, but until that happens here is how I have been working around it. Hover your cursor over the link and see the URL for it which for the link for "My own experience" in Richard's post it is "http://www.troublefreepool.com/progress-on-scale-t38568.html". Do a Google search on TFP with the words for that thread so "progress on scale". You will then find this link which works and I believe is what Richard was linking to originally.

 

[Richard320]

Richard - does the original thread with your experience still exist? Can you point me toward it? Got a 404 error with the link in this comment. Thanks.

Progress on scale