What is Calcium Hypochloite
Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo) is a granular form of chlorine that adds both chlorine and calcium to your pool. For every one part per million Free Chlorine that is added using Cal-Hypo another 0.71 parts per million of Calcium is also added to the water.[1] Cal-Hypo is commonly sold in one pound packs or fifty pound buckets at major pools stores.
Side Effects of Calcium Hypochlorite
While Cal-Hypo can be beneficial to those with soft water, the calcium (CH) buildup should be monitored over the long term. In time if the CH level is allowed to buildup it could cause scaling on the walls of a pool or in the cells of Salt Water Generators. Additionally Cal-Hypo can cause cloudy water if to much is added at once.
Adding Calcium Hypochlorite
Adding Cal-Hypo to a pool is more of a process than adding Liquid Chlorine. Additional steps need to be taken to avoid damaging your pool's surface. To add Cal-Hypo a user should:
- fill a five gallon bucket roughly 3/4 of the way full with pool water.
- measure the amount of Cal-Hypo needed to increase your pools Free Chlorine level to the desired level using PoolMath and add that to the bucket of water.
- mix this water thoroughly until all the Cal-Hypo is dissolved.
- pour that solution SLOWLY into the water in front of your return with the pump on it's highest setting.
- brush the pools surface immediately to make sure all Cal-Hypo isn't sitting on the pools surface.
- vacuum the Cal-Hypo up immediately, if any is found on the floor, to avoid damaging the surface of the pool. Do NOT allow it to sit on the floor and dissolve.
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