Can’t get rid of this calcium

[Pharbehind]

I completely cleaned out my SWG from calcium build up - it was pretty bad, but now is spotless. It’s been clean for a couple weeks now.

I’ve balanced my pool and lowered pH. Just last night I got the ph down to 7.2. Do I just need to give it more time and try to keep the ph at that level and things should clear up, or is there another component somewhere that I should clean?

20k gal salt pool
PH 7.2
Cya 70 (I have dry stabilizer in a sleeve now to raise this)
CH 480
TA 100
FC 4 (added a smidge of dichlor to pop this up a little)

 

[proavia]

If you CYA is already 70, there is no reason to raise it higher. Remove the 'sleeve' with the granular stabilizer now.

Are you using PoolMath and tracking CSI?

Share your PoolMath logs - there's a setting in the app.

Keep your CSI between 0.00 and -0.30 to minimize scaling in the salt cell.

In your picture, are you referring to the white spots/deposits? Are you sure they are calcium? Can you scrape a small piece off? If so, put that piece in a plastic bowl and add a drop of acid to it to see if it fizzes. Fizzing indicates calcium. If it's calcium deposits, it may take some extra work to remove them.

 

[Pharbehind]

Yes I’m using Pool Math, but I don’t know what tracking CSI means. I only see FC, pH, TA, CH, CYA, and Salt. I haven’t been keeping logs, but I can start.

Regarding CYA, my target is 70-80. 70 is on the low end of ideal. And with the amount of sun I get, what’s the harm in pushing it to the high end of ideal?

On the picture, yes it’s calcium yes it fizzes. What does “extra work” entail? That’s what I’m trying to find out. To add more clarity, those pieces are loose and appear to come out of jet. I use a fine mesh net to clean them out but they keep appearing.

 

[mknauss]

In Poolmath, select the Gear Icon, upper right.
Select Track CSI

Your TA is high.

How did you test your CH level?

 

[Pharbehind]

Ah, I see the CSI setting. I’ll start doing that, thanks

 

[Pharbehind]

I think the TA will naturally come down with my waterfall.

I do all my tests with the Taylor2006 kit

 

[Pharbehind]

My CSI reads at -0.29

 

[mknauss]

OK -- the water fall has no effect on TA. Adding acid does when lowering the pH. But I suspect your fill water has high TA. So you are adding TA when you add fill water.

With a CH result of 480 ppm, you use a 25 ml sample, and did 48 drops of R0012 to blue, correct?

I suggest using a 10 ml water sample for CH testing. 10 drops R0010, 5 drops R0011L, and then each drop of R0012 is 25 ppm.

 

[mknauss]

My CSI reads at -0.29

Great. At a pH of 7.2. What does it show at the pH level you normally add acid at?

 

[Pharbehind]

OK -- the water fall has no effect on TA. Adding acid does when lowering the pH. But I suspect your fill water has high TA. So you are adding TA when you add fill water.

With a CH result of 480 ppm, you use a 25 ml sample, and did 48 drops of R0012 to blue, correct?

I suggest using a 10 ml water sample for CH testing. 10 drops R0010, 5 drops R0011L, and then each drop of R0012 is 25 ppm.

ah yah, I got confused with Ph aeration. I did add a little bit of fill water today.

That was the method I used for CH, yes. I’ll use the smaller 10ml sample next time.

 

[Pharbehind]

Great. At a pH of 7.2. What does it show at the pH level you normally add acid at?

Definitely over 0.30, looks like 0.32.

 

[mknauss]

Definitely over 0.30, looks like 0.32.

So the parameter you can control is TA.

Lower the TA.

Or add Borates -- Borates in pool - Further Reading

 

[Pharbehind]

Great, so does that I mean my pool may need more acid treatments to keep that pH on the lower end around 7.2

 

[mknauss]

You need to add acid more often for awhile to get your TA down to 70 or so. Then a pH of 7.8 will not be as much of an issue.

 

[Pharbehind]

One of my dogs tend to drink from the pool often, despite my best efforts to prevent so I think I should hold off on borates for now

 

[Pharbehind]

You need to add acid more often for awhile to get your TA down to 70 or so. Then a pH of 7.8 will not be as much of an issue.

Ok sounds good