As jbliz said...nice job tracking it by the way! With that level of vigilance, I don't think you will have any trouble 
Cause for CH Increases
- Thread starter bxcrwlly
- Start date
Re: Cause for CH Increases - NOV 12, 2013 Addendum
I know you guys told me not to worry about my CH in the previous posts. So I haven't. Been keeping my PH and ALK in check along with FC. Have only noticed a few calcium chips(smaller than dime size) appear in the pump pot from time to time. Today I found the following in the pump pot as per the picture. I checked my CH level about two weeks ago and it was around 575ppm. Since my earlier posts my CSI has consistently been within the normal range. This is the largest amount of calcium chunks I've seen show up in my pump pot since starting my pool in April 2011. Should I still not worry?
I know you guys told me not to worry about my CH in the previous posts. So I haven't. Been keeping my PH and ALK in check along with FC. Have only noticed a few calcium chips(smaller than dime size) appear in the pump pot from time to time. Today I found the following in the pump pot as per the picture. I checked my CH level about two weeks ago and it was around 575ppm. Since my earlier posts my CSI has consistently been within the normal range. This is the largest amount of calcium chunks I've seen show up in my pump pot since starting my pool in April 2011. Should I still not worry?
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You found those in the pump basket? That means they come from somewhere between the pool and the pump which is VERY strange. I don't think this is calcium scaling.
Do you even see any calcium build up in the SWG? That would be the first place you would see it.
Has your filter pressure changed?
I would also think that something was previously partially blocking your suction line and finally broke free. Could have been some powdered chemical that someone poured in the skimmer too fast and it got stuck?
Just guessing at this point ... never seen anything like it before.
Do you even see any calcium build up in the SWG? That would be the first place you would see it.
Has your filter pressure changed?
I would also think that something was previously partially blocking your suction line and finally broke free. Could have been some powdered chemical that someone poured in the skimmer too fast and it got stuck?
Just guessing at this point ... never seen anything like it before.
From my experience: above 800 it's very hard to maintain CSI. You don't get a lot of wiggle room on pH and TA when CH is up that high. Note it's easier when the water is cool. Play around with the pool calculator and see what effect TA and pH and Temperature have on CSI. They affect it more than CH, really. Above 1000 CH in the summer, when the water is 82-85, forget it. That's when you start draining.bxcrwlly said:
SWG has been spotless during my 60-90 day inspections. I haven't noticed any increase in pump pressure beyond the "norms." No decrease in output from pool inlets either. The only chemical ever added through the skimmer is CYA. I pour in slowly, a little at a time. I will test these "chunks" with some MA to see if it reacts as calcium normally does and post results. While I have seen these deposits in the pump pot very infrequently, they've never been this size nor in this volume. I do use Borax, but added directly to the pool as I walk around. If any does accumulate on the bottom, I brush it toward the main drain. Weird!
We have seen a few reports of CYA solidifying in the suction line when poured into the skimmer too fast.
If calcium scaling were to happen, the most likely place to see the problem start would be in the SWG due to the higher pH in the cell.
I can not see how chunks that large could have resulted from the pool's chemistry and have to think they are due to something external added to the pool.
If calcium scaling were to happen, the most likely place to see the problem start would be in the SWG due to the higher pH in the cell.
I can not see how chunks that large could have resulted from the pool's chemistry and have to think they are due to something external added to the pool.
Yea, I tend to agree Jason. Bxcr, I guess we can see what sort of reaction you get from the acid and go from there. If calcium were dropping out, I can't see it forming chunks like that. Intersting, but it is a puzzler.
Those chips, with uniform serrations, look like they were molded against a component that had those features. Were there any other repairs (grouting, plaster repair, replumbing) that happened during the acid wash? Did they remove the return ports when acid washing and and possibly break away a few tiny pieces of plaster that later got vacuumed up? Lot's of possibilities when work is done to a pool to generate bits like these.
ok...so my last posting of 11/13/13 included pics of white chunks. I was to test with MA to validate calcium. Finally did the other day. I also should mention I pulled more chunks from the pump pot that were larger than those previously posted. They too have the striations and a peculiar feel/texture resembling hardened Borax. None appeared in the last 60+days. When I tested with acid, I did get a bubbling but not nearly as ferocious as with calcium. It quickly subsided and turned a sort of orange color. So could my initial install of Borax somehow have caused this to harden in the system. I just checked by Borate level yesterday 2/2/14 and it was between 30 & 40. I always add my CYA via the skimmer. Per jblizzle, could my CYA harden in the line between the pool and the pump pot? Should I premix my CYA with pool water then dispense via skimmer? I'm guessing that adding CYA directly to the pool is not a good idea?
I checked my IC20 unit on 2/1/14 and it was perfectly clean. No build up anywhere. CSI has always been with +/- .6. CH still running high between 600 & 800. Last checked on 2/1/14 and it was 675. As Richard320 advised, I no longer worry about those CH numbers, just maintaining CSI within standard.
I checked my IC20 unit on 2/1/14 and it was perfectly clean. No build up anywhere. CSI has always been with +/- .6. CH still running high between 600 & 800. Last checked on 2/1/14 and it was 675. As Richard320 advised, I no longer worry about those CH numbers, just maintaining CSI within standard.
I think we have seen a few reports of CYA clogging the skimmer line. That is why we typically suggest putting the CYA in a sock and letting it dissolve that way. It will not really pre-dissolve that easily. If you must pour it in the skimmer, I would do it VERY slowly ... although not sure why you would not just put it in a sock or t-shirt and throw that in the skimmer basket.
CYA could group together, but the odds that it clogs the line are VERY small. I've never seen any confirmed users however stating that it had clogged the skimmer however. Odds say that it formed together in the pump basket. How often do you check the pump for debris? Make sure you let the pump run for 24 hours after you add anything in the skimmer. Not only could items form together, but it could allow the pH to lower in the plumbing and cause a few issues with gaskets and such. I always do just as Jason stated, to add the CYA to a sock.....and then toss the entire sock into the skimmer basket.
Thanks guys. Will use the CYA sock technique. Leebo...I check the pump pot no less than 3 times weekly and usually clean it on a weekly basis, if needed. I'm kinda "over the top" when it comes to pool management. Thanks for the feedback.
It's better to be "over the top". Then deal with algae blooms and such. Proactive vice reactive.
I used the sock technique on my last application of CYA, approximately 7.5 ounces. It worked perfectly. No "lumpy" accumulation of "CYA Chunks" in the pump pot. Such a simple approach, yet without this site one might never know causes/resolutions.
