Time to do something about CH at 900!!

[LisaDLu]

We replastered our pool January 2015 and the calcium hardness has been creeping up ever since. We are now at 900 and it is time to do something before I can no longer manage it. Has anyone done a reverse osmosis on their pool water? There is a company locally that will do it Purified Pool Water | Recycle + Conserve that I am going to get a quote from.

I think it will be cheaper to do the RO then to drain and refill due to the increased rates and penalities we have due to the drought. I also live in the desert and don't think the pool should be empty for a few days while I drained and refilled.

After treatment is done I assume I will have to start getting it in balance so I will come back to the forum at that time to see what comes first (salt, cya, etc), but for now has anyone had experience with RO and know any pros or cons to watch out for? THANKS!

 

[borjis]

I do know it's not a 1:1 exchange, they will need to use some new water as well.

Good idea getting that done before it gets too much higher.

 

[QingGuy]

I do know it's not a 1:1 exchange, they will need to use some new water as well.

Good point, I'd ask them how much waste water there will be. I'm sure it's high pressure stuff unlike a home RO system but there will still be some waste water that you'll need to compensate for. Would be interesting to hear how they deal with that.

 

[jblizzle]

There is definitely still waste water, I think 10-20%.
The water also must be clear with no algae.

It is usually cheaper to just replace the water, but you should certainly check the costs both ways.

 

[Richard320]

I have not done Reverse Osmosis but I'm considering it since El Nino didn't pan out.

You go first. I'll be eagerly awaiting your report.

 

[Frankhugus]

I have not done Reverse Osmosis but I'm considering it since El Nino didn't pan out.

You go first. I'll be eagerly awaiting your report.

Why? CYA?

 

[Richard320]

Why? CYA?

CH buildup.

 

[LisaDLu]

Ok - I got two quotes for reverse osmosis. One was $800 and the other was $550. I've figured it will cost me about $438 to drain/refill my pool, not counting what it would cost to rent a pump, so am going to let the pro's do this. I am going to get it done in the next week or so and I want to get my ducks in a row about getting my water balanced once the water has been filtered.

Since my problem is high calcium hardness (almost 1000) I am going to ask them to set the parameter at about 175 so I have a low point to start from. I also have a problem with PH rising quickly (I have to add acid every 2nd day to keep it under 7.8).

To balance my newly filtered water in what sequence should I add things and how much time to leave in between items? Salt, Conditioner for CYA, baking soda for TA, etc.

I have a SWG so can I just let that naturally bring the FC up or do I need to add some chlorine? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

Just test the water afterward and then you can see what needs to be done.

You will certainly need to add chlorine (with bleach to start) and CYA, but who knows what else.