Beware The Fading Endpoint
Occasionally when testing calcium hardness you may get a purple endpoint instead of blue. This is called a “fading endpoint” and is due to interference from metal ions . Retest, but prevent the interference by adding five or six drops of hardness reagent to the sample before adding the buffer and indicator. Then proceed as usual. Remember to count the drops of titrant added at the beginning when you calculate the total number of drops required to reach the endpoint.
How To Use Calcium Chloride In Pools
The proper way to perform the addition of calcium chloride is to add a little at a time. Wait for it to dissolve, and then test the water. Add more only if needed. Thus, you do not over saturate the water.
There are three ways of reducing the amount of calcium chloride. You can dilute the pool water with fresh water, or add sequestering agents that keep the calcium in suspension. In extreme cases, you may have to drain the pool completely. The recommended hardness range is 200-400 ppm. Test weekly for the hardness level.
Related Articles
How To Get It Juuuust Right
Of course, the best way to avoid any calcium hardness problems is to maintain your pool, keep the water balanced, and prevent the calcium from getting too high or too low.
- Keep your pool clean.
- Balance the water. Keeping a close eye on your pool chemistry will help you prevent problems related to calcium hardness, and a lot of other things as well.
- Test the water frequently. This is especially important if your water source is hard. Testing every weekevery two weeks at mostwill help you stay on top of things. Be sure to choose test strips that include calcium hardness, or get a liquid test kit.< /
- Address problems early. Dont wait for water hardness to get out of hand before you try to fix it. As soon as you see the level creeping a little too close to the lower or upper limit of the appropriate range for your pool, take action.
Recommended Reading: Liquid Chlorine Dosage Calculator
Calcium Hardness In Fibreglass Pools
Some pool shops are unaware that the calcium levels in fibreglass pools is often different to concrete pools. Consequently, some pool shops will incorrectly advise customers to significantly increase the calcium levels in their water. This mistake happens because the water testing software used at pool shops is primarily designed for concrete pools rather than fibreglass. Remember, most concrete pools have a suggested calcium range of 200-300ppm while fibreglass pools are often much lower.
So, to ensure that your water is at the right level, check the suggested calcium levels with your pool manufacturer. For example, the pool shown here is from a client who had heavy calcium build-up on their fibreglass pool from poor water balance. In addition to surface problems, excessive calcium in a fibreglass pool can clog salt cells, damage the heater, and obstruct pipework.
The Role Of Calcium Hardness In Water Balance
While hardness in water consists of both calcium and magnesium salts , only the calcium component is relevant in the water balance calculation for pools and spas. Called the Saturation Index formula, it considers the interrelationships of four chemical factorscalcium hardness pH total alkalinity, as corrected for the contribution of any cyanuric acid stabilizer in use and, to a much lesser extent, the total dissolved solids levelplus one physical factor, water temperature. All but the mathletes among us use a water balance calculator like Taylor Technologies’ Watergram® to do the number crunching involved. The value one arrives at reflects the water’s degree of saturation with calcium carbonate.
When the SI value is zero, the water is properly balanced. Its calcium hardness, pH, and total alkalinity are acting in harmony with one another. When the SI is +0.5 or more, the unbalanced water is trending toward scaling, meaning conditions are right for calcium carbonate to come out of solution and deposit on surfaces as “scale.” When the SI is -0.3 or less, the unbalanced water is trending toward corrosivity. Corrosive water attacks plaster, concrete, grout, and metal, resulting in etching, pitting, and surface stains and/or colored water caused by metal pulled out of piping, fittings, and equipment.
Also Check: Vdara Swimming Pool
What Chemicals Adjust Alkalinity And Calcium Hardness
For these two chemical readings there are two chemicals that we use to adjust them, and ensure your pool keeps running smooth and efficiently!
Alkalinity utilizes sodium bicarbonate. Now you may be saying, wait a second, I use that at home! And youre correct, sodium bicarbonate is baking soda, however I would NOT recommend using the industrial strength stuff we use in the pools to bake with at home. Alkalinity will naturally dissipate, and adding muriatic acid lowers pH naturally.
Calcium Hardness is raised by use of the chemical calcium chloride. Which may also sound familiar as it is a chemical that is commonly used to melt ice and keep walkways clear in winter! There is no way to lower calcium hardness other than expensive chemicals that are unnecessary, or by replacing portions of your pool water with fresh water.
Why Calcium Hypochlorite Is An Effective Solution For Your Pool
Safety should always be a priority for you and your family, and it all starts with how clean your pool is. Your swimming pool must be shocked on a consistent schedule to keep your water clean and safe for the people who use it. Not only will shocking the pool raise the sanitizer level, but it will also re-energize the existing sanitizers.
When chlorine attaches to organic matter like body oils, leaves, debris, and dead skin, these harmful chemicals are created. Chlorine cannot perform its regular job effectively when trapped inside this bond. The typical pool smell that you experience does not mean things are fine, but it means that a higher level of chloramines is floating throughout the water.
Chloramines are more than an annoying compound that makes your pool smell. They can also cause respiratory problems in humans, which is another reason why it is essential to deploy Calcium Hypochlorite consistently.
Read Also: Using Iron Out In Swimming Pool
How To Lower The Calcium Hardness Levels
There are several ways you can take to lower the hardness level of your pool water.
Maintaining a properly balanced water is one of the most difficult parts of owning a pool. Calcium hardness is probably the most difficult to maintain when it get out of range. This is hindered further if you have hard water on tap. However, whist the balance can be difficult, with the right information you can overcome these problems and have a healthy safe pool.
Causes Of Excess Pool Calcium
Excess calcium in your swimming pool is typically the result of a bigger issue with the chemicals in your pool water. As most pool owners can tell you, when it comes to water, balance is, well everything: If your pool waters pH is off-kilter, or if your total alkalinity is too high or too low, youll likely end up battling algae, cloudy water, and, of course, calcium deposits.
Of course, chemical imbalances arent the only cause of excess calcium. Water temperature is also a contributing factor: As water temperature rises, calcium becomes more likely to precipitate out of solution. Calcium is actually more soluble in cold water, which is why scaling of heater equipment is so common.
Read Also: What Time Does Mandalay Bay Pool Open
Customer Reviews From Old Users
This is what most smart buyers do. Old customers often provide feedback on their experience with swimming pool balancers calcium.
Scroll down the product page to see the review. They are usually displayed on the same product page.
If you read reviews, you can determine if the brand you are going for to buy swimming pool balancers calcium is good or bad!
Core Belief #: Water Will Seek Equilibrium
Unlike #1, which is our opinion, this is a fact. Water will seek equilibrium, both physically , and chemically. Water wants to be balanced, and will stop at nothing to get there. Because of this, we believe you have a choice: give water the chemistry balance it craves, or it will steal it from anywhere it can.
In swimming pools, were primarily talking about calcium hardness first, since the LSI is an index of calcium carbonate saturation. Five other factors affect this saturation:
But primarily, calcium is the rock to build your LSI pool chemistry castle upon. Give the pool the calcium it needs, and by and large, it will not have to seek calcium on its own.
Don’t Miss: Pool Installation Syracuse Ny
Why Is Maintaining Pool Calcium Hardness Important
This Page at a Glance
In addition to pH and total alkalinity, calcium hardness must be kept in balance so that your pool water does not become too corrosive or end up scaling the surface of your pool. These are symptoms of swimming pool water that is unbalanced.
The recommended range is 150-400 ppm , with an often cited stricter range of 200-400 ppm. Keeping your calcium hardness in the midpoint between the low and high should be your goal.
Depending on where you live and the hardness level of your local water source, you may have received a slightly different recommended calcium hardness range. For example, where I live, we have notoriously hard water, most of which is pulled from an underground aquifer. This water is very hard, so we have been told by our pool service provider to keep our hardness on the low side, as the hardness will creep up over time just from the act of adding fresh water to our pool, not to mention adding routine sanitizers and water balancing chemicals.
There is also magnesium in your water, so a total hardness test would measure that as well, but for pools, we only need to worry about calcium hardness.
The Effects Of High And Low Hardness
Specifically, water with high calcium hardness gets cloudy unless the alkalinity and/or pH are low enough to compensate. As mentioned, the excess calcium carbonate will precipitate as crusty, grayish white scale on surfaces, piping, and equipment. It’s unsightly, can cause abrasions on users and snag bathing suits, and makes a good anchor for microorganisms. It will clog filters. When it builds up in piping, circulation is reduced and pressure increases. Scaling is an especially acute problem in heaters because calcium’s solubility is inversely proportional to temperature: As temperature increases, less calcium is able to stay dissolved. Scale on the pipes or coils acts as an insulator, slowing heat transfer. This makes it more expensive to heat the water. Over time, thick scale will cause a heater to fail.
Water with low calcium hardness will seek more by dissolving it from surfaces it comes in contact with that contain calcium, such as plaster, grout, and concrete decking. The late Dr. Neil Lowry, a well-respected instructor in our industry, preferred to call water with low calcium hardness “aggressive” rather than “corrosive” because the latter term implies the destruction of metals. The corrosiveness of unbalanced water, he would tell his students, comes from poorly maintained alkalinity and pH.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recommended Reading: Rust Pool Water
What If The Water Is Too Soft
How is this even possible? How can water be too soft? Well, when its the water in your pool, its definitely a concern.
Too-soft water will be corrosive to your pool. It can dissolve concrete and plaster, and corrode any metal parts submerged in or touched by the water. It all amounts to expensive repairs if you dont bring the calcium hardness level back up.
Pour The Solution Into The Pool Water
Take the solution and carefully pour it into the swimming pool as you water around the pool perimeter.
You want to make sure the pool pump is running to help circulate the calcium solution to all the pool corners. I also recommend you brush the walls to help distribute the calcium chloride.
Wait for the pool pump to meet the pool turn-over rate before retesting the calcium hardness levels.
Also Check: Does Target Have Pools
Grams Increases The Chlorine Level By 1ppm In A 10000 Gallon Pool
How much chlorine granules to add to pool calculator. Please select the type of pool shock and your preferred sanitizer, and enter your pool’s current free chlorine and cyanuric acid / stabilizer levels below. Granular chlorinator ** per day. These include high water temperatures.
Besides this, you have to sanitize your pool using liquid or granular chlorine shock. After providing these details, click the ‘calculate!’ button. Length of your pool x width x depth x 7.5 = volume in gallons.
A swimming pool chemical calculator. Chlorine tablets can be the easiest option to maintaining normal levels of 2 to 3 parts per million . Hence, you will need to perform some simple calculations to figure out the amount of chlorine you need to shock your swimming pool.
My current total chlorine reading is. I have a 14 x 42 metal frame intex above ground pool and would like to know how much chlorine granules would i put in for this size pool. The following form represents an easy method to calculate pool volume.
Please note the above calculations are only estimates. The ideal range for swimming pool ph is between 7.4. Allow 50gms of chlorine granules to 1000 gallons .
At a ph of 8.0 the chlorine is only 3% effective and at a ph of 6.0 the chlorine is 97% effective. Desired reduction in total alkalinity 10 ppm 20 ppm 30 ppm 40 ppm 50 ppm 60 ppm 70 ppm 80 ppm 90 ppm 100 ppm i need to add this much sodium thiosulfate to. How much chlorine to add to pool.
Adding Calcium Chloride To Swimming Pool: How To Add It And Its Essentials
Calcium is a sign of hardness and stability. The water in the swimming pool needs stability to stay nonviolent under any circumstances. Without the hardness of calcium, water tears away the materials in its way to balance its mineral content. Usually, this happens when the temperature of a place drops in winter. The cold and warmer place both go through such changes. What is calcium chloride?
As the name of the substance indicates, calcium chloride is a compound of calcium and chloride classified as salt. Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound and soluble in water. It is the finest for maintaining hardness and stability. It contains high calcium content, and you can easily manage the calcium make-up of pool chemistry.
Recommended Reading: How Much Liquid Chlorine To Add To Pool Per Gallon
What Does Calcium Hypochlorite Do To A Pools Ph
Although calcium hypochlorite carries a higher pH level, it should not have all that much impact on the pH of your water. Although it is smart to check the pH levels both before and after you shock the pool, the pH level of calcium hypochlorite will do more to maintain the current level than to change the pools pH level.
Why Is Raising Pool Calcium Hardness Important
This Page at a Glance
Keeping calcium hardness in balance is one of three important water balancing steps. The other two are pH and total alkalinity. You should always make sure you have first balanced total alkalinity, then pH, and lastly calcium hardness when balancing your pool.
The ideal range for calcium hardness in swimming pools is 150-400 ppm , so if you try to keep your calcium hardness in the midpoint between those two limits, then you should be fine.
Recommended Reading: Tropicana Indoor Pool
How To Lower Hardness In A Pool
If youre dealing with too much calcium in a pool, you can try adding a sequestering agent, which is a chemical treatment that fights the effects of high metal and calcium content in swimming pool water . If you routinely struggle with high calcium levels or if you live in a place where hard water is an issue, you should make a sequestering agent part of your regular chemical maintenance program.
Of course, when dealing with any swimming pool issue from calcium problems to questions about routine maintenance — your local pool professional is a great resource. They can prescribe what is best for your pool to take care of and prevent any problem that can arise.
What Is The Difference Between Sodium Hypochlorite Vs Calcium Hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite are used as disinfectants for pools. However, the cal hypo products are also going to contain calcium. If your pool has a calcium hardness level issue, you may want to consider using sodium hypochlorite.
In addition, the sodium hypochlorite does not contain quite as much chlorine. Therefore the product is cheaper but also not quite as effective. The difference between the two products is significant enough to do your research and make sure you choose the proper kind.
Read Also: Costco Pool Chlorine
