Questioning pool store recommenedtion to add 38 lbs of Calcium Chloride to pool.

[Renn]

I had a water test done yesterday. Calcium Hardness was reading 110 ppm. Store recommended adding 38 lbs of their calcium chloride. The calculations on the container work out to about 38 lbs. I did research today before adding it and read that high calcium can cause cloudy water and stinging of the eyes, both of thee problems are currently occurring in my pool. I am concerned about making these problems worse and putting too much cc in the pool. The alkalinity is 50 and ph is 7. I added 5 lb of "Alkalinity Up" (sodium bicarbonate) last night. Also pool employee said it was fine to add all products including shock at the same time. I did not add the cc or the shock as the "alka up" label said not to do it. Should I add 38 lbs of cc to my pool? Can the chemicals be added around the same time? Can something else beside low calcium be causing my pool water to sting the eyes and be cloudy. Chlorine levels are in ideal range. I appreciate any advice.

 

[Texas Splash]

Store recommended adding 38 lbs of their calcium chloride.

Don't do it!

Welcome to TFP! Vinyl pools do not need calcium, so they are essentially giving you bad advice and simply making money off of you. RUN! :gone: Stay out of the pool store and test your own water. That's #1. We recommend either a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C (link below). It's easy and you'll save a lot of $$$. Also see those other Vital Links below in my signature? Follow them and make sure to read the ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry. You can do this on your own. Don't be fooled by their sells tactics. I think your gut already gave you that warning which is why you are here. We'll be glad to help.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hiya Renn, glad you found us before you bought all that calcium. Your vinyl pool doesn't need any! Calcium doesn't do anything for vinyl.

Your low pH may be the cause of your eye discomfort. I'd take the pH up a bit using Borax. Have you discovered PoolMath at the top of the page yet? If you fill in the details (top and bottom yellow part) and enter in your lab best results, it will help you with quantities of Borax to add. Take the pH up to 7.4 or thereabouts.

The safest way to add chemicals to a pool is to have the pump running and get about a few minutes between additions. Also you want to test afterwards to see if you met your goal?

Maddie

 

[Steve_in_C]

Exceptions to the calcium requirement would be either a pool heater or fiberglass steps with a gelcoat finish. If you have neither, then there is no way you need calcium. Should you need calcium, you can get CaCl2 as snow melt salt cheaper than the pool store.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Exceptions to the calcium requirement would be either a pool heater or fiberglass steps with a gelcoat finish. If you have neither, then there is no way you need calcium. Should you need calcium, you can get CaCl2 as snow melt salt cheaper than the pool store.

I concur, if your heater is new, that would be the only reason to add calcium.

low pH can cause eye irritation, as can combined chloramines. ALK up, is baking soda, at a super high price. I recommend you get one of the recommended test kits discussed on this site, and avoid the pool store from selling you overpriced baking soda and products you may not even need....

 

[skimmerswimmer]

You say chlorine levels are in ideal range, but you did not mention CYA level, so how do you know? Also, what a pool store tells you as "ideal" is not what is actually ideal. It all depends on your CYA as per this chart Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

As the others have said, get your own test kit, give the pool only what it needs, and stay out of the pool store. They just want your money and as you have seen, they often give poor advice.

 

[Renn]

Pool Store test read the CYA levels at 0, although I am unfamiliar with the need for cyanuric acid beyond it being a conditioner that prolongs the life of chlorine - as told me by store employee. I will research it. Thanks for your help. I have been learning to really question the pool store advice.

 

[Renn]

Thank you for your help, Maddie. I have borax and I am working on the pool math now.

 

[Renn]

Thank you for the info. I had only bought 5 lbs from pool store, they wanted me to buy 20 lbs, ugh. I then went to another store and bought a large bag of sodium bicarbonate for $8.00. Its crazy what pool stores charge. However they did get me on the calcium. I hope they will take back the unopened 45 lb container. I feel duped.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you, Texas Splash. I am glad I found all of you.

 

[tim5055]

Pool Store test read the CYA levels at 0, although I am unfamiliar with the need for cyanuric acid beyond it being a conditioner that prolongs the life of chlorine - as told me by store employee. I will research it.

How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool

I have been learning to really question the pool store advice.

So, why do pool stores push the products tey do and give the advice the way they do? Several reasons.

- Money would be the first. Unless a pool store is in Florida, Arizona or other year round areas they must make their profit in a short swim season. So, they need to sell you as much as they can as quickly as they can. Additionally, chemical sales is their bread and butter. Profit on a bucket of tabs is much higher than on a gallon of liquid.

- Secondly, we are an immediate gratification society. We want a magic potion that will fix our problem right now. This is where the industry has tried to add items like clarifiers, floculants and the like which in a perfect world help get the bad stuff out of the water quickly.

- Third in my book is training. Most pool store employees learn on the job or through seminars taught by chemical salesmen. So, bad information is handed down from employee to trainee and the chemical salesmen teach them to push high profit items. This is especially true in large chain stores where employees are paid commission and managers jobs are based on how much product flows out the door.

Pool store methods can work for a long time and many are oblivious to what is happening in their pool. If you are in an area where your pool is drained down a lot each winter and winter snow/rains fill an overflow the pool each spring you are starting with a blank canvas, chemically speaking.

Are there good pool stores out there, yes! But, most of them are in the "sun" states where a family can own a small store and operate it 12 months a year, give good service and make a profit.

In the rest of the country you mainly have a high school/college kid who has about an hour training testing your water and telling you what to buy to add to your water. I guess that's like going into a carpet store and asking if you need to buy new carpet.

Unfortunately the pool industry has evolved into sales by scare tactics, misdirection, misinformation and marketing hype. Go in to the store and tell them your TA is low and they are going to sell you baking soda in a fancy package at four times the cost of WalMart. Do they have a right to make a profit, yes - but lets be reasonable. Heck, even their definition of "low" can many times put you on a pH roller coaster that's hard to get off of. Is that lack of knowledge or a sales technique to sell you more chemicals to control your pH????

What the pool industry does not understand is that the internet is changing the industry around them. My favorite story is about my pool light. When I bought the house with the pool along with high CYA my pool light was not working. I could get a new bulb from Amazon for $19, but heck I'm part of that immediate gratification society as much as the next guy. I went down to the local pool store and there was the same bulb, $39. I talked with the manager. I didn't want them to match the price, they have to keep the lights on - just be a little more reasonable. The manager gave me two choices, take it or leave it.
So, welcome to TFP!!