Dealing with high calcium

[Osmigo]

I normally don't have any issues maintaining our pool chemistry. I used liquid chlorine and muriatic from Leslie's. Alkalinity is around 90-110, Ph in the low/middle 7's, free Chlorine 4-5. All is good, the white gunite is spotless, the water is crystal clear and great to swim in. This morning, just because I haven't done it in several months, I checked the calcium (Taylor K-2005). Holy Smokes, it was about 750-800! I don't see any symptoms - no scale or anything, although the pool is about 10 months old. What's a simple, cost-effective way to deal with this (if I should at all)? The well water we normally use to top off the pool is hard; that's evidently the source of the calcium. The only way I can get non-well-water is to have water trucked in, which is VERY expensive.

Aren't there scale blocker/removers that prevent calcium scale buildup, even though they don't eliminate the calcium itself? There must be something out there.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Test the CH of your top off water. The only real way to reduce CH rise is by connecting your fill water source to a water softener. Do you have a whole house water softener?

 

[pjt]

The only way I can get non-well-water is to have water trucked in, which is VERY expensive.

Try to harvest as much rainwater as possible. You should also consider a soft water line for your fill water.

 

[Osmigo]

There's a water softener in the house, but it's way out of reach of the pool. I normally top off the pool with one of the backyard water hoses. Kinda strange, though - I've read all these symptoms of high CH, and our pool doesn't have any of them. No scaling, no cloudiness, etc. water is absolutely glass-clear.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Calcium is just one part of the calcium saturation index. If, even with your high CH, you can manage a slightly negative CSI, you can mitigate some of the scaling tendencies. Your current CH level is in the upper range of barely manageable.

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

How is CSI calculated? Very simple – use our PoolMath tool. To ensure long plaster life and save money, click here to learn more.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Aim for pH to be low 7's. If your pH rises too much it can cause some chemical changes in the calcium and encourage scale. No Bueno!

Maddie

 

[Osmigo]

One thing I'm gleaning from everything is that a low-7s pH can really help keep the calcium under control, even if it's high.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Yes, along with TA. Keep it on the lower end to counter the effects of high CH. Find a way to connect your fill line to that softener.