Getting Calcium Levels Right

[jmarcum]

I probably haven't let the water circulate long enough but after 2 pounds and roughly 1.5-2 hours I'm dead on 7.2. I say dead on but as you know testing without sunlight is hard. Under my kitchen floresciants it looks like 7.2

[JimK]

I probably haven't let the water circulate long enough but after 2 pounds and roughly 1.5-2 hours I'm dead on 7.2. I say dead on but as you know testing without sunlight is hard. Under my kitchen floresciants it looks like 7.2

Good. Retest tomorrow morning if possible to see if that's accurate. If it is 7.2, at least you're out of the "danger zone".

[FormerBromineUser]

^+1

[jmarcum]

Should I bother trying to raise my TA? It's currently 40.

[JimK]

Should I bother trying to raise my TA? It's currently 40.

If your pH stays stable and your CSI is good, then I wouldn't worry about your TA number. I suspect though that you may end up needing to raise it some.

[jmarcum]

PH holding steady at 7.2

When I plug all my numbers into the calculator the CSI say -0.91 -0.52. That seems to be indicative of something bad but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do to fix it.

[Toybuilder]

I'll throw in my two cents for what it's worth.

From what I was told (by chem geek), your CSI should be between -0.3 and +0.3. I try to shoot for the middle of all the recommendations on that page. For your setup I would probably go with:

FC - 3 or 4
pH - 7.6
TA - 80
CH - 300
CYA - 40


Assuming no SWCG and with a temp of 65 your CSI would be -.11 which the calculator will tell you the water is balanced. If your water ever got up to 100, your CSI wold be +.19 which would still be balanced. Right now with the current numbers you've input, "Corrosion of plaster is likely". If you go the other way and your CSI is +.3 or greater "Scaling is possible".

I played with that calculator quite a bit to figure out what would be best for my spa and for the pool. Seems to be working out pretty well for me.

Figure out what works best for you and then try to hold those numbers.

Hope I didn't over step my boundaries. Good luck!

[JimK]

I'll throw in my two cents for what it's worth.

From what I was told (by chem geek), your CSI should be between -0.3 and +0.3. I try to shoot for the middle of all the recommendations on that page. For your setup I would probably go with:

FC - 3 or 4
pH - 7.6
TA - 80
CH - 300
CYA - 40


Assuming no SWCG and with a temp of 65 your CSI would be -.11 which the calculator will tell you the water is balanced. If your water ever got up to 100, your CSI wold be +.19 which would still be balanced. Right now with the current numbers you've input, "Corrosion of plaster is likely". If you go the other way and your CSI is +.3 or greater "Scaling is possible".

I played with that calculator quite a bit to figure out what would be best for my spa and for the pool. Seems to be working out pretty well for me.

Figure out what works best for you and then try to hold those numbers.

Hope I didn't over step my boundaries. Good luck!

I would add to be careful not to go too low on the FC. 3 is at the lowest end recommended for your CYA; it leaves no room for error. I'd shoot for mid recommended range, so about 5ppm.

[jmarcum]

I'll throw in my two cents for what it's worth.

From what I was told (by chem geek), your CSI should be between -0.3 and +0.3. I try to shoot for the middle of all the recommendations on that page. For your setup I would probably go with:

FC - 3 or 4
pH - 7.6
TA - 80
CH - 300
CYA - 40


Assuming no SWCG and with a temp of 65 your CSI would be -.11 which the calculator will tell you the water is balanced. If your water ever got up to 100, your CSI wold be +.19 which would still be balanced. Right now with the current numbers you've input, "Corrosion of plaster is likely". If you go the other way and your CSI is +.3 or greater "Scaling is possible".

I played with that calculator quite a bit to figure out what would be best for my spa and for the pool. Seems to be working out pretty well for me.

Figure out what works best for you and then try to hold those numbers.

Hope I didn't over step my boundaries. Good luck!

I don't understand how to change the CSI though. Are you saying if I hit all the all numbers the CSI will just fall in line?

[JimK]

I don't understand how to change the CSI though. Are you saying if I hit all the all numbers the CSI will just fall in line?

CSI is calculated based on the numbers you out in. You can play around with different chem levels and you will see CSI change. For example, try the numbers Toy suggested and see how it affects the CSI number.