Using "Damprid" to add calcium

[guamguy]

Has anyone here heard of using the product Damprid to add calcium to a pool? I'm attaching the MSDS. The only thing in there that has me questioning the use is the potassium. I can't get the ice melter around here, cal-hypo "shock" products are hard to come by, all I can get is dichlor or trichlor (don't need more CYA), and Home Depot only sporadically has the small jugs of "calcium hardness increaser". Would this stuff be worth a try?

Thanks

 

[Bama Rambler]

Looks like calcium chloride to me. The little bit of Potassium won't affect it at all. If you look at PelaDow it contains as much Potassium Chloride as that product does.

 

[guamguy]

Sounds good, I'll give this stuff a shot.
Thanks!

 

[svenpup]

So I guess the corollary to this is if you live where you can get calcium chloride ice melt, then that would be a cheap alternative to Damprid.

 

[guamguy]

Yup... I know this stuff ain't cheap, but it IS cheaper than the CH increaser that HD sells, which they only carry once in a while. They didn't even have MA, until I went in there asking about it, I was told they didn't carry the stuff. About 2 weeks later, I walked into HD, and WOW, a huge display of MA right by the front door! Ask and thy shall receive! Now if they could just get the ice melter calcium chloride....

 

[chem geek]

(NOTE: The better Home Depot product to get is pool time Calcium Hardness Increaser. The following is a discussion specifically about DampRid. Note that it does appear that there is a Home Depot in Guam.)

DampRid may not be the best product to use. Unfortunately, it can contain anywhere from 60-100% calcium chloride so check the label to see if it's more specific (the rest is mostly hydrated water, not filler). Home Depot may also have de-icer products but make sure those are calcium chloride solid (pellets/flakes) and not other liquids. As noted above, a specific pool calcium hardness increaser at a reasonable price would be better.

I called DampRid and they said they their product might have other trace minerals in it as it is not a purified product so it wasn't designed to be used in pools. That sounds similar to de-icer products. So the question is how much iron (or possibly copper, though unlikely) they may have in it. Probably the same as the de-icers, but I just thought I'd let people know so no one is surprised. In particular in their FAQ they note the following:

The liquid is rusty colored, is there something wrong with the product?

No, there is nothing wrong with the DampRid or your home. The rusty colored liquid comes from trace mineral deposits that are found in calcium chloride. It may not turn rust colored in every batch but it is normal if it does happen.

I suppose one thing that can be done is to put some in a white bucket of pool water and then shock with chlorine to see if the water turns rusty in color from the higher pH and getting oxidized by chlorine. If it does, then that batch may have too much iron in it to be used in pools. Using a bucket allows you to make much higher concentrations that would allow for even small amounts of iron to become visible. In fact, this same sort of test could be done with de-icer and even with pool store Calcium Hardness increaser products to see if there is any difference. One could also put some product in a bucket of water without the chlorine and test for iron levels with an iron test kit -- again scaling for concentration differences (0.89 ounces weight or about 4-1/4 teaspoons of calcium chloride anhydrous in 2 gallons would be 3000 ppm or about 10 times the amount you would use if you were increasing CH by 300 ppm).

 

[Windebrook]

Know this is an old post but was actually just wondering about pouring used damp rid in pool. Would be nice to reuse the liquid that forms after sitting in my RV, to help top up Ca hardness. Has anyone tried it?