Best way to lower calcium?

[dalparadise]

I'm noticing a white haze around my edge tiles and a little scaling on the tile around my spa spillover. What's the best way to lower the calcium levels without throwing my other readings out of whack?

[duraleigh]

The best way by far is a partial drain. (assuming your fill water is lower in CH than your pool)

How high is your CH? Have you ever had any pH issues? That seems to be a somewhat more common cause of scaling...at least on this forum.

DaveS.

[kaybinster]

The best way by far is a partial drain. (assuming your fill water is lower in CH than your pool)

How high is your CH? Have you ever had any pH issues? That seems to be a somewhat more common cause of scaling...at least on this forum.

DaveS.

What is CH, calcium is Ca.

[Watermom]

CH is calcium hardness.

Watermom

[CarlD]

You haven't posted your calcium level or your Total Alkalinity level. If you have a fairly high Ca, but your T/A is correct, you shouldn't have a problem until Ca gets over 500ppm. But if your T/A is high, high Ca will immediately result in that effect.

So, if your T/A is high, but your Ca is within range you should adjust that first.

[dalparadise]

See -- That's why I come to you guys...and why I hate that all the old info was lost. I used to be able to answer any question I had with a simple search, rather than a new thread.

Anyway, I do believe it is an Alk problem first and foremost, because that has always been an issue. My fill water is city water, with high Ph and 1ppm Cl already in there, not to mention the dissolved solids. I get the same haze on my shower, too.

My last readings were:

FC: 11
CC: 0
TC: 11
Ph: 7.3 (I had poured in 1/3 gallon of Muriatic acid, approximately 45 minutes earlier and set the waterfall to aerate. Prior to that, the reading was between 7.8 and 8.2)
Alk: 140
Cal: 170
Cya: 110
Temp: 68

[mwsmith2]

Are your other numbers pre or post pH adjustment? If they are pre-adjustment, your water was in a slightly-scaling condition. If they are post-adjustment, your water is balanced. Basically the deal is, that if you let your pH go high, you are going to get in a scale-forming condition. That's what's causing what you are seeing. If you keep your pH around 7.4, you shouldn't have a problem.

FWIW, your Ca is not high. I qualify high Ca as 500+
. You're not there. IG plaster pools generally run 400 or so ppm as a rule.

Michael

[Lenny]

Michael,

I've seen some differing info about this. Acceptable ranges listed as 200 to 1000 ppm, for example.

What would you say is the acceptable range and the ideal?

Thanks,
Lenny

[mwsmith2]

For an in-ground, plaster pools, the generally accepted range is 200 - 400. As you get higher in Ca content in the water, your chances of being in a scaling condition increase. I'm about to start a ruckus with a Ca thread, so stay tuned.

Michael