Add calcium or let it be?

[altapoolguy]

Hey guys, my water parameters are all looking pretty solid except I'm wondering about calcium:

FC: 5
CC: 0
pH: 7.6
TA: 70
CH: 300 or 325 depending on how accurate I'm being (I think)
CYA: 70
Salt: 3400
CSI: -.32


I was thinking of adding enough calcium chloride to get to 425 because pool math tells me my ideal levels are 350-550. That would also bring my CSI closer to 0.

My tap water comes out at 200-225 CH.

With evaporation etc I figure my ch levels are going to trend upward. I'm in southern California so I add quite a bit of water over the year.

What do you guys think?

 

[altapoolguy]

Oops. I hit post by accident! I edited the op to finish my question after posting. Still learning the forum...

 

[proavia]

Just leave it be.
Your CH will rise do to evaporation and your fill water CH.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Chemistry looks great! Is there any way to connect your fill line to softened water? If not, be prepared for rising CH.

 

[altapoolguy]

Chemistry looks great! Is there any way to connect your fill line to softened water? If not, be prepared for rising CH.

Thanks. Yeah I could do that. I had held off in the past because my pool wasn't a saltwater pool but now that it is, I guess that's back on the table! I can fairly easily plumb in a budget model softener. If I did that, it would control CH but wouldn't that then keep my salt level steadily going higher?

 

[proavia]

Having an SWG or not - a water softener plumbed to your autofill if you have high CH fill water is great.
Before I plumbed my whole house water softener to my autofill, I needed a full drain and refill my pool every 2-3 years do to high CH as the CH would rise 300-400 ppm every year. Since I plumbed the softener to the autofill, I've gone 3 years and my starting CH has risen less than 50 ppm.

A properly functioning water softener doesn't add salt to the water. The resin beads are charged during regen with sodium (from the salt - NaCL). The hard water flows thru the resin bed, the resin exchanges the calcium and magnesium for the sodium. The calcium and magnesium get washed down the drain on the next regen cycle. The softener water has a bit more sodium in it, but isn't an issue to your pool or for drinking.

Softened water does not add any additional salt to your pool water.

If your softened water tastes like salt, your water softener is malfunctioning.

 

[altapoolguy]

Having an SWG or not - a water softener plumbed to your autofill if you have high CH fill water is great.
Before I plumbed my whole house water softener to my autofill, I needed a full drain and refill my pool every 2-3 years do to high CH as the CH would rise 300-400 ppm every year. Since I plumbed the softener to the autofill, I've gone 3 years and my starting CH has risen less than 50 ppm.

A properly functioning water softener doesn't add salt to the water. The resin beads are charged during regen with sodium (from the salt - NaCL). The hard water flows thru the resin bed, the resin exchanges the calcium and magnesium for the sodium. The calcium and magnesium get washed down the drain on the next regen cycle. The softener water has a bit more sodium in it, but isn't an issue to your pool or for drinking.

Softened water does not add any additional salt to your pool water.

If your softened water tastes like salt, your water softener is malfunctioning.

Wow. Thank you for all the info. I had some misconceptions. I may just plumb one in.

 

[Newdude]

Also don't sweat a drop or two variance. With the 1 drop possible test error, an actual 325 may test 300 or 350. It's plenty close enough for what we're doing. We need to know it's not 75 and not 850.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Wow. Thank you for all the info. I had some misconceptions. I may just plumb one in.

Excellent plan!