Calcium carbonate instead of calcium chloride?

[sktn77a]

"Oh dear, the sky is falling" (says Eore)

I accidentally ordered powdered calcium carbonate instead of calcium chloride to raise the hardness in my pool. Can I use the calcium carbonate or must I toss it in the trash (the seller doesn't take returns)?

Thanks,

 

[JamesW]

Calcium carbonate would act like sodium carbonate and your ph and TA would go sky high.

If you need to raise your ph it might be useful. Otherwise, probably not.

I'm not even sure that it will dissolve easily enough to use.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It won’t dissolve in water at normal pool pH. You would first have to convert it to a chloride by mixing it with an acid but that would be dangerous to do in an uncontrolled reaction with such large quantities involved.

So yeah, toss it....or mix it into your garden soil as an amendment (if your soil pH is too low).

 

[sktn77a]

Yes, that was my concern (that it wouldn't dissolve), Its going into the garden. Live and learn!

 

[JamesW]

Tums are calcium carbonate. So, maybe you can go into the antacid business?