How much Calcium do I need?

[CarlD]

You can always start chlorinating with Cal-Hypo until you reach your target.

Don't use the 48% garbage, though--use the 62-68% stuff.

Get the smaller amount so you DON'T buy too much. (sorry--typo that I fixed--C.) The increase in calcium will be gradual but definite.

HTH stuff sold at WalMart and other discount houses is usually 48%. There's another label that I can't ever remember that's 62-68%, and sometimes there's private label cal-hypo at that concentration. Both HTH and the other label are Arch products, but at least the with the other you're not buying 52% of nothing.

Do NOT put cal-hypo in an automatic chlorinator. If you get the cal-hypo tablets you can put them in your skimmer or a NEW floater. Do not pour bleach over cal-hypo.

[chem geek]

Carl's idea is a great one (wish I'd thought of it!). If you were to add one pound of 65% Cal-Hypo to your 15,100 gallon pool, it would increase the Free Chlorine (FC) by 5.1 ppm and would also increase the Calcium Hardness (CH) by 3.6 ppm. Though it won't get your calcium up quickly at least it's in the right direction and it does give you the option of another chlorine source -- one that is sometimes less expensive than liquid chlorine.

Richard

[CarlD]

I'm always a big fan of: If you don't know if you should add more, or less of any chemical, add less--except for chlorine--add more.

But powdered chlorines are not just chlorine, so I like the "go slow" idea.

The whole point is if you put too much of just about anything in your pool you have to now do something else to fix it. If you put in too little, you add more.

Except for bleach. Too little you get algae (BIG bad!), too much you may bleach your liner (little bad), if you have a liner.