First timer. Need advice about calcium.

[TigerGalLE]

Hello out there pool world. I have a 18,000 gallon fiberglass pool. At initial start up they added too much salt so our salt levels are still high. It doesn’t bother us swimming but I’m not sure how much it affects our water balance.

I received my TF-100 testing kit yesterday. My PH had been high and my TA was also higher with my TF-100 kit compared to the kit my pool came with. So I added MA and now my pH is 7.4 and TA is 90. My Calcium hardiness is only 30. What should I do? I’ll attach an image of all my numbers.

My pool water is crystal clear. It got a bit slippery last week so I felt Algae was coming. I upped my chlorine generator to 40% last week and we run the pump for 10 house a day during the day.
Any and all advice welcomed.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Great job on getting a quality test kit!
I would recommend you do a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight, if possible. If you pass that test, then you need to raise your CYA to 70 ppm. I would also suggest you add some calcium. It is good practice to have some CH in the water for a fiberglass pool.
See What Are My Ideal Pool Levels? - Trouble Free Pool
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[mknauss]

Also, check your pool setup in Poolmath. Be sure you have selected Fiberglass and Salt.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

Welcome fellow FG pool owner! I finally paid attention to my CH this year. I was at around 70. I added calcium chloride and got it up to 170. While not as important in our pools as other types, I worry about etching the cement around my pool. I have already had some degradation and will need to address my pool decking in the next couple of years.

I love my FG pool!

 

[mknauss]

The main function of calcium in the water of a fiberglass pool is to reduce the chance of staining. Primarily Cobalt staining.

 

[TigerGalLE]

Also, check your pool setup in Poolmath. Be sure you have selected Fiberglass and Salt.

Thanks. I thought I had Set this correctly but it was not!!! Good catch

 

[TigerGalLE]

Do y’all have recommendations on how to add the CYA and Calcium increaser?

 

[mknauss]

You add CYA via the sock method. Solid/granular cyanuric acid (CYA) should be placed in a sock and the sock put in the skimmer basket or suspended in front of a pool return. After adding CYA you should leave the pump running for 24 hours and not backwash/clean the filter for a week. Squeezing the sock periodically will help it to dissolve faster.

Calcium products should be spread across the surface of the deep end of the pool.

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

I like to premix the calcium chloride in a 5 gallon bucket before pouring into the deep in. If you do it that way I highly suggest not stirring with your hand, that stuff gets hot!

Also remember, when adding chemicals to make sure your pump is running.

 

[mknauss]

premix the calcium chloride in a 5 gallon bucket

We do not recommend that because if someone tries to dissolve too much they can melt their bucket. Or burn themselves.

 

[TigerGalLE]

Welcome to the forum!
Great job on getting a quality test kit!
I would recommend you do a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tonight, if possible. If you pass that test, then you need to raise your CYA to 70 ppm. I would also suggest you add some calcium. It is good practice to have some CH in the water for a fiberglass pool.
See What Are My Ideal Pool Levels? - Trouble Free Pool
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

Thanks so much. My FC was 4.5 at night and 4.5 the next morning. I’ve got the calcium and CYA in the way. I can actually already tell my pool deck is suffering from my calcium level being SO low. Glad I found this website!!!

 

[TigerGalLE]

Ok so I added CYA and my number is now 70. Yay! I added about 10lbs of CH and it brought my CH to 150. I want to add more but it also brought my pH down to 7.2 (from 7.6). Should I go ahead and add it and then deal with pH? TA is 100.

 

[TigerGalLE]

Ok I just realized it was the CYA that lowered my pH. I added 10 more lbs of CH and will recheck in the morning.

 

[mknauss]

I can actually already tell my pool deck is suffering from my calcium level being SO low

Your pool water CH has no effect on your concrete deck. If it did, rain water would have dissolved it by now.

 

[TigerGalLE]

Your pool water CH has no effect on your concrete deck. If it did, rain water would have dissolved it by now.

Well something seems to be degrading it around the skimmer.

 

[tillmac62]

Sulfates attack concrete at around 300ppm. Are you using MPS or dry acid as part of your control regime?