Anyone ever try using Caltreat

[peterl1365]

I was in a local pool store a couple of weeks ago and saw something on the shelf called Caltreat from United Chemical.

The claim was that it could reduce CH levels by about 200 ppm in a 14k pool. Apparently, it works as some type of sequestrant and the calcium gets trapped in the filter.

Since my CH is rising again (up to about 650), I was wondering if this was a good alternative to draining.

The cost was about $40 dollars for the bottle. That's slightly less than I spent on salt and CYA when I did a partial drain last year.

Anyone have any opinions on this?

 

[JasonLion]

I haven't heard of that particular product, but there have been a couple of other products with the same claims that don't really work. A standard sequestrant will bind to calcium and help prevent it from forming scale, but it won't actually remove calcium from the water.

There is one company that can remove calcium from the water using a patented process, but other than that no one has come up with anything that works reliably to remove calcium.

 

[Guest]

There are several sequestarants on the market that have a high chelation index for calcium. Most of them will have calcium hardness reducer somewhere on the label. Most of them are considerably less expensive than $40 a bottle. (I've ususally seen them for about half that price!) They are not a cure but rather a band aid. They do reduce the measurable calcium and do help prevent scaling but the need to be dosed on a regular basis. (I recommend monthly once the calcium levels are under control.)

 

[peterl1365]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll pass on it for the time being.

Oddly, this product isn't even on their website even though it's already hit retail stores.

 

[sher4bri]

I have not used it personally, but I will be soon. My local pool company has had very good results using Caltreat and now sell the product for $55 a bottle. As much as I appreciate their help and good advice, I will be purchasing the product online for a little over $25 a bottle. Hope this helps.

 

[molossus]

Given water restrictions in Texas, I recently tried Calreat and it did work. However, it took more than one bottle for a 12K pool. I also had to watch the pH level very closely. Goto the http://x.havuz.org and search for Caltreat. You'll find the applicable thread there.