hard water.

[Marty D]

TF-100 test kit
FC = 15 ppm
CC = 15
pH = 7.0
TA = 80 ppm
CH = 0
CYA = 150. I been draining pool water to lower CYA. Started at 350. How should I raise water hardness? Why is my water so soft? Everyone that has a pool there water 500 and trying to lower and I’m trying to go up?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I'd be really surprised if your water was truly zero for CH? Mine is soft and runs 40ppm.

You have a vinyl pool, you don't need calcium, unless you were to have a heater that required it. Sometimes very soft water foams, and adding a bit of Calcium (like 50ppm) helps that problem.

Maddie

 

[Marty D]

That’s what the fired pool service guy said to me. I just tested our house water and it’s 0. We do not have a water softener. I did add 30 lb to raise CH last week and numbers didn’t go up at all ?

 

[zea3]

Have someone video while you perform the CH test and we will be able to tell if you are doing all the steps correctly. CH can be a little tricky.

 

[cfherrman]

You add the drops of r-0010 and then the drops of r-0011 on the test and then it turns blue right away without using any r-0012?

 

[Marty D]

I did the test again but this time I got into the pool and dove down 9 ft to bottom. Here are the test.
FC = 15 ppm
CC = 15 ppm
pH = 7.8
TA = 105
CH = 135 ppm
CYA = 150. Two numbers changed from taking water at 4 inch vs 9 ft deep.

 

[cfherrman]

Must be since you have been replacing water water the denser water on bottom has not mixed with the water on top. Test your fill water, not cya.

The test is either 10 or 25 ppm a drop so 105 and 135 are probably 110 and 140

 

[getreal720]

Your combine chlorine levels are 15ppm? That seems REALLY high?

Your test results being that different really seem to suggest error in the testing. If you are running your pump, then replacing water shouldn't matter. That pool should be plenty mixed even just running the pump a few hours per day.

It's recommended to gather the sample water at several sites from the pool, from a depth of about 12 inches. But again... if your running the pump on a regular basis the water should be mixed very well. Replacing water or not.


Run the CH test on some water out of your hose. If the water is turning blue almost instantly, then you have 0 CH.

I am not familiar with your heat pump, but some pool heaters do require some level of CH and water can be "frothy" with
very little hardness.

Pick up a 50 pound bucket of Cal-Hypo 73%. You can get them online for about $100 shipped. Sometimes less. Use that to
chlorinate your pool for a while. One of the cheapest forms of chlorine you can get, and as a bonus has the calcium in it that
you want. So you get that "for free" too. Use it until your CH levels are where you want them. Then go back to bleach.

Mine CH levels are about 220-250 right now. I have a vinyl liner and no heater. I don't worry about getting them any higher.
You can probably go as high as 300-400 without having any ill effects or worries.

 

[cfherrman]

For the cc to be 15 after you turned the rc to clear and add the 5 drops of the other FC test bottle(sorry can't remember number) you would need 30 drops for the 10 mil test. Did you do this right away or wait awhile

 

[Marty D]

I keep the chlorine high at 15 because the CYA was 400 few weeks back. I vacuum pool yesterday dumping 8,000 I redid the test over n over. This time I open the bottom two drains. 140 CH I’m at 150 with CYA now. The FC CC is 10. It’s hard to get true reading when I’m dumping all this water and refilling. It poured here last night also.

 

[Marty D]

Your combine chlorine levels are 15ppm? That seems REALLY high?

Your test results being that different really seem to suggest error in the testing. If you are running your pump, then replacing water shouldn't matter. That pool should be plenty mixed even just running the pump a few hours per day.

It's recommended to gather the sample water at several sites from the pool, from a depth of about 12 inches. But again... if your running the pump on a regular basis the water should be mixed very well. Replacing water or not.


Run the CH test on some water out of your hose. If the water is turning blue almost instantly, then you have 0 CH.

I am not familiar with your heat pump, but some pool heaters do require some level of CH and water can be "frothy" with
very little hardness.

Pick up a 50 pound bucket of Cal-Hypo 73%. You can get them online for about $100 shipped. Sometimes less. Use that to
chlorinate your pool for a while. One of the cheapest forms of chlorine you can get, and as a bonus has the calcium in it that
you want. So you get that "for free" too. Use it until your CH levels are where you want them. Then go back to bleach.

Mine CH levels are about 220-250 right now. I have a vinyl liner and no heater. I don't worry about getting them any higher.
You can probably go as high as 300-400 without having any ill effects or worries.

I will never see CH high here as we have soft water right from tap. When we lived in rockland - water was hard water

 

[getreal720]

If your at 150 CYA, then you need to drain and refill at least half the water in the pool in fairly short order.


Use Cal-Hypo products as a source of cheap chlorine and free hardness increaser. Do this until your at about
300 ppm. Then go back to bleach. Again, Cal-Hypo 73% can be had for about $100 a bucket shipped online.

 

[Marty D]

If your at 150 CYA, then you need to drain and refill at least half the water in the pool in fairly short order.


Use Cal-Hypo products as a source of cheap chlorine and free hardness increaser. Do this until your at about
300 ppm. Then go back to bleach. Again, Cal-Hypo 73% can be had for about $100 a bucket shipped online.

That will work. Sure, I’m not adding CYA and I’m making water soft. I’m going to use it for closing and opening pool. I just ordered 100 lb for $218. Thank you for this info.

 

[Marty D]

If your at 150 CYA, then you need to drain and refill at least half the water in the pool in fairly short order.


Use Cal-Hypo products as a source of cheap chlorine and free hardness increaser. Do this until your at about
300 ppm. Then go back to bleach. Again, Cal-Hypo 73% can be had for about $100 a bucket shipped online.

I ordered 50 lb Cal- hypo. Do I need to worry that I had been using 3 inch taps? Those two chemicals don’t mix?

 

[zea3]

If you ordered cal-hypo granules you can broadcast them on the water. If you ordered cal-hypo tablets then you need a new floating dispenser just for them. Once they are in the pool they are fine. Do not mix them dry.

 

[Marty D]

If you ordered cal-hypo granules you can broadcast them on the water. If you ordered cal-hypo tablets then you need a new floating dispenser just for them. Once they are in the pool they are fine. Do not mix them dry.

thank you. Using Cal hypo is going to be just what my pool needed. I vacuum pool again tonight dumping 6,000 water. Hose is in pool now refining. With my CYA getting lower. It should be 125. As my CYA is getting lower with new water my CH gets lower due to soft tap water. This pool is not going to beat me. I’m learning so much here. Again, thank you.

 

[getreal720]

I usually mix my cal hypo powder in a 5 gallon bucket before I dump it into my pool. I fill the 5 gallon bucket with water, and then use a paint stirring stick or something similar (was using an old scrap piece of wood trim for a while) and mix it up until the water is pretty saturated. I then wait about a min for whatever didn't dissolve to settle to the bottom and then dump about 1/2 to 3/4 of the water out of the bucket into the pool. I then refill the bucket with more pool water and mix in whatever granules were left on the bottom of the bucket in to the new water.

The whole process usually takes about five min, and really helps to reduce the number of undissolved granules floating around in the pool or sinking to the bottom.

If your going to do this, remember... first fill the 5 gallon bucket with water, then add in the powder slowly. NEVER dump the powder into the bucket, and then add the water.