High Ca and TA in feed water

[simon.allnutt]

Hallo everybody,

This is my first post since I have just built my pool in France. 41m3 = 11000 gals. Starite 3/4 hp threephase pump, 300 sqft system 3 filter. Tiled (porcelain) concrete pool.

I have a basic test kit while I wait for a better one to be delivered but I have already measured 700 ppm for Ca and 350 TA in the water supply. I have read that reverse osmosis is the way to remove Ca but I do not have that equipment. I am thinking of precipitating out some Ca using sulfuric acid and then vacuuming using my Aquabot Turbojet robot. Is this OK? I can bubble air through to raise the pH afterwards (7.8 before adding acid). CYA is zero at present (called flocculant here(?).) I hope to be able to dilute th Ca and TA levels with rainwater in future, but at present I am stuck with what is there. I live in Provence so that the sunshine is 330 days a year normally (less this year).

Good test kits are hard to come by in europe, there is one place in Spain for a Taylor kit, but it is sold as 2000 kit and no info about what is in it. I am getting a Lamotte with the FC titration sent in two weeks time. Borax is banned in Europe so BBB is not possible.

Best wishes to all, Simon

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

Acid won't precipitate calcium, it will make it easier to dissolve. You will need to use a base, such as soda ash, to raise the PH, and doing so risks causing calcium scaling on the pool surface.

CYA would not be called flocculant. Here it tends to be called stabilizer, or sometimes conditioner.

 

[simon.allnutt]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for your reply. I must admit that I was remembering school chemistry and Plaster of Paris, but it is more soluble than carbonates. I was also thinking of chloride being very soluble and being produced by adding hydrochloric acid.

Seems that I must dilute with rainwater.

Regards, Simon