Maintenance Monday: Balancing Calcium Hardness in Your Pool
Why Maintain Calcium Levels in Your Pool?
It’s Maintenance Monday again here at ePoolSupply and today we are going to discuss calcium hardness and why it's important to keep an optimal calcium level in your pool.
What Is Calcium Hardness?
Let's start by answering an important question: what is calcium hardness? Calcium hardness is the measurement of how "hard" or "soft" the water is. An ideal calcium level is somewhere between 200-400 ppm. Calcium levels, while less critical than chlorine or pH, still must be checked every two weeks or so, depending on the calcium level of the water in your area. Test your pool water frequently.
What Happens When Water Is Too Hard or Soft?
If the water is "too hard" it will lead to irreversible cloudy pool water and major buildup on the pool tile and even inside the plumbing lines. If the water is "too soft" it becomes corrosive and could possibly dissolve any concrete around the pool and severely corrode metal as well.
How To Balance Calcium Hardness
It is important to clean and backwash your pool as well as the main filter to make sure there are no contaminants that may cause issues in the future. Once the pool is clean, the water itself must be chemically balanced while paying extra attention to the pH level and alkalinity. Once you've achieved the proper balance, it becomes fairly easy to raise or lower the calcium level in your pool.
How To Increase Calcium Hardness In Pool
To raise the calcium level, we recommend using an industry-grade Calcium Hardness Increaser. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly as they are laid out by the manufacturer.
How To Lower Calcium Hardness In Pool
To lower the calcium hardness in your pool water, you have a few options. If possible, you can drain a large portion of your water and replace it with softer water.
If draining isn't an option, we recommend a flocculant to attract excess calcium in the water, causing it to clump and fall to the bottom of the pool. Once the flocculant has done its job, simply vacuum out the clumps and backwash and clean the filter one more time to remove the calcium. Be sure to test the calcium level afterwards to make sure the first treatment was a success.
Keep Pool Calcium Levels Balanced
In conclusion, calcium hardness is one of the most important aspects of your pool to keep an eye on. Failure to do so will cause major damage resulting in a large repair. Please take the tips found in this guide and use them to your advantage.
Get ahead of the calcium by being proactive. Our team is ready to tackle any questions you might have about maintaining the calcium levels in your pool. Feel free to contact us directly and we'll be happy to assist you!
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