Calcium Hardness Stays High

[jande2]

I recently let go of our pool service. I did it before, but thought the service could do a better job with the start up after a new plaster job about 3 years ago.

After a week of no service I began testing with a fresh test kit and came up with the following: FC - 7.5, CH 1150, TA 70, CYA 70. In an attempt to lower the CH, I drained about 1/3 of the pool and refilled it. I test the CH of our tap water and found it to be @ 200. Today after the system running for 8 hours, the CH is 925. I can see and feel areas on the plaster that are sandy, and can see blotchy areas on the plaster itself.

I don't think the pool service I had was testing, they were just too fast, it seems they just vacuumed, brushed and left, with occasional filter cleanings. Is this a hopeless situation? Will I always have high CH unless I drain completely and start over? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

With a CH of 200 ppm, you will constantly be battling CH rise. As water evaporates, it leaves behind solids, including calcium. Each time you top off, you add more calcium, stacking it on top of existing levels. This cycle will have you exchanging water by the end of the swim season to reduce CH. Using a solar cover will help to reduce evaporation, but they can be a hassle.

Do you have a whole-home water softener? Option 2 would be connecting your fill line to a pool-dedicated automatic water softener. This would require a water line, access to a sewer line or cleanout, and 120 volt power. The other solution is an RV water softener (see link in my sig below). It's not the best option since it requires manual regeneration (flushing), but it does work.

FYI, Pool Math takes into consideration your current CH when calculating CH reduction. Make sure you use that feature.

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[jande2]

Thanks for the reply, I have thought of adding a whole home water softener to our home, so maybe it is time to get that done. I will use Pool Math again with your suggestions in mind.