Managing high Calcium hardness

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GoldMember

GoldMember

Active member
May 12, 2020
31
Long Beach, CA
Hi all. I posted this yesterday, maybe in the wrong area of the forum? Trying it here instead. May I please have your thoughts?
My pool was re-plastered and filled in 2019. It is covered 99% of the time and not used much. After not testing as much as I should have this past winter/spring, the calcium hardness is now pushing 1,000. I've read on these forums that it can be "managed" at that level. What does that mean? Recommendations would be much appreciated!
I've also not used CYA much due to the pool being covered so much, but for the purposes of this post I wanted to bring the CYA level up to at least 20 or 30, just to get everything in the ballpark. Adding one pound conditioner at a time via the sock method, 3 lbs are in there now and I've barely noticed any change with the black dot/CYA test. I'm guessing I've got 5-10ppm. I've definitely noticed a reduction in clarity of my pool though, which is a bummer. Should I assume that's normal? Is my chlorine now too low? It is a white cloudy. Not bad but not as clear as it was.
I add pool store acid every week or two to keep in in the 7.2-7.8 range. Is this a normal interval? It is a masonry pool.
Finally, my amazon bought salt measuring device is showing increasing salt levels, 3,800-4000ish. While the Pentair screenlogic is saying 3300. Do you guys think I'm good on salt? I've never added salt and never drained any water other than what kids splash out.
I have an auto fill which I know has been working.
FC 1
CC 0
pH 7.5
TA 60
CYA 5
CH 975
Salt 3300
Temp 86 deg
CSI 1.8

Many thanks in advance!
 
GoldMember said:
What does that mean?
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It essentially means keeping the pH and TA lower to compensate for it. You can tell how effective you are by looking at the "CSI" number in your Poolmath APP. Ideally we like for it to be slightly negative. When it's positive, it tends to lead to scale.
 
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You should always have a CYA of at least 30 ppm. When the water has a lower CYA, it not only leaves the chlorine susceptible to the sun (I know you cover yours), but the chlorine can be much harsher to the swimmers. Be sure to add stabilizer in 10 ppm increments as to not go too high. See the following that might help.

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. After soaking for about 20-30 minutes, squeeze the sock often to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.
 
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GoldMember said:
I've definitely noticed a reduction in clarity of my pool though
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That's always a concern, and because your FC has been low it could mean organics are overwhelming the water. I would immediately add 4-5 ppm of liquid chlorine to the water and test again later today to try and keep it in that zone. Then if possible, do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test starting this evening to see if you have an algae bloom in the making. We need to rule-out FC loss from organics.
 
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GoldMember said:
I add pool store acid every week or two to keep in in the 7.2-7.8 range. Is this a normal interval? It is a masonry pool.
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Yes, but until you can exchange some water to lower the CH, try to keep the pH closer to the 7.2-7.4 range if possible. You may have to add acid a bit more frequently, but is best to do since your CH is so high.
 
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I think your calcium level is getting beyond manageable. Have you tested your fill water? I remember a couple members from Long Beach reported tap water CH at 250+ ppm. Have you considered connecting your fill line to a water softener?
 
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@Texas Splash Liquid Chlorine added. I will monitor and try to get an overnight test soon. We're having a swim party this Sunday. Can I afford to keep it at 3ppm (for the kids who will be swimming) and next week get up to 4 or 5ppm, keeping in mind the CYA isn't there yet?
It's been a week since I did the 3lbs stabilizer. I didn't know it could take a week to get a good test result. Great info. Just tested again and it took 5 minutes in a full CYA test tube for it to get cloudy enough vs the black dot to estimate 5-10ppm. Will get some more this weekend and add via sock asap.
I'll add some acid to keep the pH down...and will monitor more closely.
@Rancho Cost-a-Lotta Just tested, my Long Beach water is currently less than 100ppm calcium. Will it be ok to add some water for this weekend? I don't have a water softener. Looks like eventually I'll have to exchange some water and figure out what's causing it to rise.
Many thanks for this golden info! I'll keep you posted.
 
GoldMember said:
Can I afford to keep it at 3ppm (for the kids who will be swimming) and next week get up to 4 or 5ppm, keeping in mind the CYA isn't there yet?
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It's really important to get a good reading on the CYA as soon as possible or no one should be in the water. With little to no CYA, the chlorine is much too harsh, even just 1 ppm. After adding granular stabilizer via the sock method, it should register within a day or so. Did you squeeze-out all the stabilizer after about 30 minutes of soaking? Once it's all out of the sock, it should register the next day. It should never take several days, not to mention a week or more.

For the CYA test, we don't let it sit or wait. After mixing the pool water with some R-0013, there is the initial 30 second sit and re-mix time, but after that you test right away. Test outside on a sunny day, holding tube at waist level with sun at your back. Squirt fluid into viewing tube, get result. Pour mixture back into mixing bottle and repeat the test several times if needed.

Below is the chart to balance the FC to the CYA, you really need the stabilizer to register with a CYA test of at least 30, but even 40 would be fine for now.

full
 

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tcomps84 said:
Where is the CSI in the pool math app? I don't see it
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You have to go into your profile settings. There you will see a toggle to turn CSI on or off. Once on, it should should on your main page.
 
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Thank you, going too far with CYA makes me nervous. Though the CYA test is subjective, there's not much to it, so I think I'm doing it correctly.
Maybe I need to recalculate my pool volume. Please let me know if I'm on the right track...
L = 30 ft.
W = 14 ft.
Depth
Shallow end = 3.5 ft
Deep end = 8 ft
Spa = 3.25 ft.

It's tough to estimate. If I say the average depth is 5.75, my total volume is around 18K. But with the spa walls and spa itself I think it may be less. Please see the photo in my avatar.

However everything past the spa (towards the deep end) is over 5.5 ft. So there's quite a lot of volume in the deep end. I'll report back with a CYA test tomorrow. If it's not least 20, I'll need to re-evaluate before adding more CYA. Sound right? Thanks!
 
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GoldMember said:
Sound right?
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I think you're in the ballpark. All you can do now is adjust the pool size based on the reaction from adding chemicals. For example, if you use the APP to figure out how much chlorine to add that should increase the FC by 4 ppm, but it increases by 6 ppm, your pool is smaller than you thought. The opposite holds true if you added 4 ppm worth and it only increased by 2 ppm, then your pool is larger than you thought.
 
Got it. I'll experiment with adding chems and determine size.
Update: We have movement on the CYA level, now at around 20ppm.(y) See photos attached. Pool looks good.
Finally, what do you think about my CH problem? My salt seems a little high as well. Does this require some action? Replace some water?
I'm almost there, thanks to you guys.
 

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GoldMember said:
what do you think about my CH problem
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It's up there yes. A water exchange really depends on your schedule and time of year. It's warm in your area, but probably not blazing like Phoenix or Vegas. Those places definitely wait until Dec-Jan so the sun can't hit the dry plaster.
 

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