Calcium around 180-200. In-ground plaster pool. Should I worry about it?

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nikon5400

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Jul 20, 2013
299
Northeast
My CH was over 600 a few years ago when I used cal-hypo. Once I switched to bleach it's been going down and now it's around (or just under) 200. Should I start adding calcium? If so, what's the best place to get it at? Paying pool store prices after getting household bleach on sales will hurt :) I wish I had some cal-hypo left I could use it now.

2nd question - When I test my calcium I always see particles, which I was told are metals. They show up many drops before the water changes to blue. One pool store guy (who seemed to be very knowledgeable) would stop adding solution as soon as these particles showed up, not when the color changed to blue... so his numbers were always lower than others who tested my water (including myself)
Should these particles be ignored when testing?


Thanks

P.S. I use TF100 for my testing.
 
Re: Calcium around 180-200. In-ground pool. Should I worry about it?

Do you have a Plaster pool? Vinyl Pool? Fiberglass Pool?

It makes a difference which type of surface you have.
Plaster is more critical than the others. The calcium content is vital to the plaster quality and longeviety.
Fiberglass is next, Low calcium can apparently compromise the finish.
Vinyl, it doesnt matter as long as its below 500ish

if you are a little low, your pool isnt going to collapse, just dont leave it that way for a long period.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/134-recommended-levels

Dont know what to think about those particles showing up in your testing, but I would wager the comment the pool guy made was wrong.
 
Yes, you should raise your CH level.

Those small "particles" should be ignored, continue the test normally. There are the result of metals in the water, though that can include some harmless metals in addition to the ones that cause stains. Aside from showing up they don't normally affect the test results.
 
Why not just buy a few pounds of Cal-hypo to chlorinate with instead of bleach? Down near the bottom of poolmath it says Effects of Adding Chemicals. Plug in your pool size up top then see what a pound of whatever strength Cal-hypo you can get adds to the water. Then figure out how many pounds to buy. It comes in one lb bags besides those big buckets.
 
Richard320 said:
Why not just buy a few pounds of Cal-hypo to chlorinate with instead of bleach? Down near the bottom of poolmath it says Effects of Adding Chemicals. Plug in your pool size up top then see what a pound of whatever strength Cal-hypo you can get adds to the water. Then figure out how many pounds to buy. It comes in one lb bags besides those big buckets.
Click to expand...

I thought of that when I thought I only needed a few pounds of calcium. But it looks like in order to bring CH form 180 to 300 I'd need almost 45lb of 73% cal-hypo ($150 for 50lb at leaslies) or 25lb of Calcium Chloride ($18 for 50lb at lowes).

If I use Cal-hypo instead of bleach it'll probably take me a little over a month to reach 250 and about 3 more weeks to reach 300. Is it safe to be under 250 for a month or should I get Calcium Chlorine instead and be done with it?

P.S. Pool size 23k gallons. CH 180-200 (was 250 when closed in September. I guess drain and refill lowered CH?)
 
As long as you've done your math, do whatever's cheapest.

If you plug all your numbers into pool math - and water temperature is a big factor in this - the third row from the bottom gives the CSI. As long as you're close to zero, no worries. At -.6, you risk leeching Calcium from the plaster. ABove .6 you risk scale formation. So if you're okay there, there's no reason to rush.
 
Richard320 said:
As long as you've done your math, do whatever's cheapest.

If you plug all your numbers into pool math - and water temperature is a big factor in this - the third row from the bottom gives the CSI. As long as you're close to zero, no worries. At -.6, you risk leeching Calcium from the plaster. ABove .6 you risk scale formation. So if you're okay there, there's no reason to rush.
Click to expand...
interesting

my pool is still covered I filled the water and ran the pump just to make sure there are no surprises after cold cold winter. and then tested the water

I did not measure the temperature but when I put 60 or above my CSI is -0.22 or higher

when I put 30 or below ( which I assume was the case most of the winter. with some days probably much lower) it is -0.5 or lower.
does water temperature affect CH level?
CH was 250 when I closed I didn't expect it to drop 180 to 200 with a foot of water displacement.
 

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