How to raise / decrease Calcium Hardness?

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HardTrance9

HardTrance9

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Oct 2, 2009
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Los Cabos
I have been reading about calcium scaling on the forum and other places, but here (this area or surroundings) it is very difficult to find anything related to the Calcium Hardness indicator.. (chemicals to balance this)..

Does anyone know any other chemicals/products that will help raising or reducing the CH indicator?

- Calcium chloride or calcium chloride dihydrate (how are this sold under commercial use, if any? (increase CH)
- Only replacing water is the way to reduce CH?

Thanks!
 
There are no chemicals that will reduce calcium hardness, although there are some that will help keep it in suspension (sequestering agents). There is a company that can remove the calcium hardness from your pool without draining, but it is against forum rules for me to talk about it (Hint: Check my signature if you want), and at this point they do not travel to Cabo (although I do build pools there!)! Aside from the method I can't talk about, the only way to effectively drop your calcium levels is to do a partial or full drain of the pool.
 
Ok thanks Bruce... maybe I'll see you some day down here.. (I remember watching the video of the service while checking out some member links some weeks ago.. very interesting!)

So far I need to raise the CH for now, but can't find any known product in stores over here..

Is there any known commercial product that could raise CH? Something maybe that can be find at Costco? Sam's? Home Depot? Walmart? (though we don't have everything in stock as up there, but who knows...)
 
HardTrance9 said:
Ok thanks Bruce... maybe I'll see you some day down here..
Click to expand...

I'll keep my eyes peeled for you next time I'm down :cool: I built the pool at la Residencia (next to Zippers. There is a picture of it on my web page at the bottom right.) and another up in Querencia. Looking to possibly build 700 more in La Paz, but it all depends on the economy at this point!
 
The product Peladow is 90% calcium chloride (anhydrous) and Dowflake is 96% calcium chloride dihydrate. These products are typically found in areas where road salt is used for ice removal, so that's probably not Los Cabos. :) I find it surprising that no pool store has any Calcium Hardness Increaser. I guess they either don't have plaster pools or don't care very much about maintaining them.
 
HardTrance9 said:
Is there any known commercial product that could raise CH? Something maybe that can be find at Costco? Sam's? Home Depot? Walmart? (though we don't have everything in stock as up there, but who knows...)
Click to expand...
If you can't find the products that chem geek names, you may have to do some homework... calling or visiting each of the stores you mentioned to ask if they carry Calcium Chloride granules/flakes for swimming pools. Since this product is necessary for masonry pools, it must be available to those who have pools with low calcium in their fill water. I would recommend asking other pool owners/pool service companies for:

Cloruro de calcio (90% o mas puro)

There are plenty of stores north of the border that sell Calcium Chloride -- but none of the retailers I looked at are willing to ship south. Don't give up! This stuff is scooped off the ground in places like Baja... there must be somebody who has it for sale in Mexico. I haven't done any deep research so don't know if any of these companies ship to Baja, but if you run out of ideas check with the following entities:

http://www.walmartmexico.com.mx/

http://www.wintersunchem.com/C/Calcium%20Chloride.htm and
http://www.wintersunchem.com/contacts.htm

https://www.spectrumchemical.com/OA_HTM ... isSupply=0

Here's a list of manufacturer/distributors (check USA and Mexico regions, then click Display Search Results):
http://www.powersourcing.com/cgi/runisa ... 113.21:CKB

If the manufacturers you contact won't ship small quantities, ask for a list of their retailers in Baja. Good luck!
 
chem geek said:
The product Peladow is 90% calcium chloride (anhydrous) and Dowflake is 96% calcium chloride dihydrate. These products are typically found in areas where road salt is used for ice removal, so that's probably not Los Cabos. :) I find it surprising that no pool store has any Calcium Hardness Increaser. I guess they either don't have plaster pools or don't care very much about maintaining them.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks. I have never seen those names before but will check. In some drug stores at Mexico City, Gualdajara or Monterrey you can find those as they work directly with Labs (or even have their own small lab inside). But here in Baja everything is very small, remote, etc. (which is great from other perspective).

Most of the pools where I am located are either tile (blue small squares), peeble or plaster/cement (polished, like the MS pool, which had the green swamp problem some months ago).

Here you can find people/companies that build pools (from very good, to very crappy) but the maintenance is something they (pool operators) don't know about it. They care, but they just don't know how to do it more professionally or standardized.
 
polyvue said:
If you can't find the products that chem geek names, you may have to do some homework... calling or visiting each of the stores you mentioned to ask if they carry Calcium Chloride granules/flakes for swimming pools. Since this product is necessary for masonry pools, it must be available to those who have pools with low calcium in their fill water. I would recommend asking other pool owners/pool service companies for:

Cloruro de calcio (90% o mas puro)

There are plenty of stores north of the border that sell Calcium Chloride -- but none of the retailers I looked at are willing to ship south. Don't give up! This stuff is scooped off the ground in places like Baja... there must be somebody who has it for sale in Mexico. I haven't done any deep research so don't know if any of these companies ship to Baja, but if you run out of ideas check with the following entities:

http://www.walmartmexico.com.mx/

http://www.wintersunchem.com/C/Calcium%20Chloride.htm and
http://www.wintersunchem.com/contacts.htm

https://www.spectrumchemical.com/OA_HTM ... isSupply=0

Here's a list of manufacturer/distributors (check USA and Mexico regions, then click Display Search Results):
http://www.powersourcing.com/cgi/runisa ... 113.21:CKB

If the manufacturers you contact won't ship small quantities, ask for a list of their retailers in Baja. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Many thanks! Yes I have been doing some research on the local small drug stores but they don't sell this type of calcium. Some weeks ago I contacted some laboratories that produce it in big quantities and gave a good price. For now I need only 20 kilograms. Don't want to get more because I don't know how long this product can last, what are the recommendable temperature ranges to store it correctly (right now we are on the 80's but on the summer gets to the 100's). Wouldn't like to buy something that I will have to trash soon if not used.

Thanks again for your great help and suggestions. Will let you know what I could get.
 

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I would never purchase a "bucket" of calcium increaser (like ez chlor brand etc). It's a huge rip-off, even at my cost it's a rip off. I purchase bags of calcium chloride flake which is roughly the same price anyone can get it for during the winter season at home depot etc.
 
Ok, Damp Rid is another name. Thanks.

Good to know that calcium is stable specially dry (here we are dry most of the year).

A friend called by the phone to a drugstore in Mex City and they told me they have an industrial yellowish calcium for pools and the white one which was more pure.

My friend did not ask too many questions (quick favor for me) so I belive that yellowish calcium could be for cleaning the pool or something else?
 
polyvue said:
HardTrance9 said:
I belive that yellowish calcium could be for cleaning the pool or something else?
Click to expand...
Just a guess: De-icer? Yellow doesn't sound pure enough for use in a swimming pool. See if you can get the "pure" white stuff in bulk.
Click to expand...

Ok, perfect. I already wrote to two labs. Waiting for their reply. Will let you know all what happens with this "calcium hardness SAGA" :cool:
 
Hi all,

Well FINALLY I found a couple of weeks ago a Lab. that would sell Calcium Chloride.

It is 94% and here is the pic.. small little white balls/granules.. Do you recognize this sack?

Hope is not the wrong product :?

It's a 36.3 Kg. or 80 lb. sack.. cost here is around $63 USD including tax.

Finally I will be able to raise the CH on the pools that need it.

Next: learn how to service the Aqua Rite cells and servicing the cartdrige filters (SG and JK pools on signature)

In the last couple of weeks I have been cleaning out DE filters.. very messy, clogged ones.. pressure was at 25 psi.. now they are at 10 psi.. (CS and CL pools on signature)..

Saludos!
 

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HT9,

You are a testimonial to determination. When you first began posting, (don't be offended) your pool knowledge was so lacking, I thought you would soon give up and go away from the forum.

Quite the opposite. Your knowledge has increased stunningly and all with the great handicap of living in such a remote area where you have very little professional help.

I am incredibly impressed with your efforts and congratulate you on the progress you have made....both in your knowledge and the condition of your pools....I'll bet they will look great this Summer.

I hope I can get down to see them someday....you live in a beautiful part of the world

The Calcium looks like exactly the right stuff to me.
 
duraleigh said:
HT9,

You are a testimonial to determination. When you first began posting, (don't be offended) your pool knowledge was so lacking, I thought you would soon give up and go away from the forum.

Quite the opposite. Your knowledge has increased stunningly and all with the great handicap of living in such a remote area where you have very little professional help.

I am incredibly impressed with your efforts and congratulate you on the progress you have made....both in your knowledge and the condition of your pools....I'll bet they will look great this Summer.

I hope I can get down to see them someday....you live in a beautiful part of the world

The Calcium looks like exactly the right stuff to me.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for your encouraging comments. I try to do my best as possible. But one thing is for sure. Without this great forum and without all the friendly and warm atmosphere around here, I would still be lost.

I still know very very basic things and I think there will be always something new, something to learn as I can..

You guys are just great. Will keep on for a while here at TFP..

No problem with the comment on how I started hehe.. I actually feel I just progressed like 5% from there at most hehe..

Thanks for your comments on the calcium chloride.. I can breathe better now :-D

:handshake:
 
Mmmm one silly question... is it ok to vert the calcium around the pool? or does ti has to go through the skimmer? or drain?

Will add 10 lb. to the GM pool on my signature.

FC: 6 (before 7)
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.5 (before 7.5)
TA: 100 (before 120 - we reduced TA with MA)
CH: 130

With those 10 lb. CH should go up to around 250.

Thanks
 

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