High Calcium

[Chance]

Greetings all,

Gunite Pool with Plaster finished in June 2006 with 14,000 gallons
Pool/Spa combo with Heater and DE Filter

FC 8
CC 0
CYA 50
PH 7.6
TA 80
CH 590
Temp 70 degrees

Just got my Taylor 2006 kit and boy am I impressed. It is my first *real* kit, as Ben's never came in (I hope he is okay!). I was using reagent test kit from Lowes to messure TC, PH, and TA. Test strips really were guess-strips in comparison to both. Test strips measure 0 for CYA; I now know I have 50 and to quit using the pucks now!! But the CH is consistent on the test strips and the pool store water tests.

I think I have been doing great expect for the CH. There has only been one calcium shock, which was done by the pool builder. I have been using bleech except for over the winter when I used the pucks.

Should I be that concerned with 590 CH? I do have a heater for the spa. Should I be thinking about partialy draining the water? Or should I wait for the busy summer and count on splash out to reduce? The guninte should be done releasing so much calcium now right?

Thank you,

Chance

[CarlD]

I'm trying to remember if PolyQuat or something else can remove calcium... it is too high for your pool.

In the meantime I STRONGLY recommend you keep your T/A where it is, or you may get cloudy water.

Chem_Geek?

[waterbear]

You can use a metal sequesterant (or one marketed at lowering calcium, they are basically the same chemical, HEDP). It won't remove it from the water but it will help make it unreactive so it won't contribute to scaling. After a few weeks of use you should see the tested calcium level go down a bit.

[Chance]

I went ahead and did a partial drain. And now it is within limits.

I drained the water using the pool pump as far as I could before putting a noticable strain on the pump, about 1/3 of the way. Then I refilled, cycled the pump for 24 hours, and drained again. I tested the tap water at 200 ppm. So this brought the pool level down to 330, which is much better. But I probably should have rented a submessible pump to emtpy the pool 2/3's of the way which would have broght the CH down even lower and wasted less water in the process.

With everything else being in balance but CH, I was noticing eye irratation and sticky feeling skin. So my ultimate test will be this weekend when the family goes swimming again.

[Chance]

And as many times as I have been here, I finally took notice that there is a section for TA and CH !! So I am heading over there to catch up on my reading.