Calcium and Your Pool

[@boriskarloff598]

Thanks! Everything is 5x5 in the pool chemistry, calcium a little high and when i was doing my check perimeter and manual scrub routine I came across some little, tiny dark stains in the groove of the steps that I thought was hard to get algae. You explained it right, much appreciated ma bro. I've had this below ground pool with the house for 5 years now and I'm still trying to keep it looking good without 'Leslies' taking me to the cleaners.✌

[@droid2816]

Wow you really know how to explain everything. Thank you. I wish I would have watched your videos earlier.

[@PoolSchooler]

I'm glad they were helpful. I hope you subscribed so you can use my channel and videos to help you with many of your pool needs.

[@carloscarpinteyro332]

You are right, can't really do anything about the presence of calcium in the pool. In the context of pool water it is attached to carbon molecule, which equals calcium carbonate. It is diamagnetic, which means that it has a negative charge, as opposed to a positive charge. Human blood is diamagnetic as well. Many Chinese people for centuries have used magnets in their shoes, because it purportably aids better circulation of the blood. I believe this, and use them myself. For those that may, or may not believe the Bible, it states: "for the life of the flesh is in the blood..."; Leviticus 17:11 KJV. Maybe the Chinese knew this, and believed it centuries ago. The mineral deposits that you refer to, in the industry, are known as calcium nodules, a subject of much controversy in the pool industry, as to how, and why they occur, even till this day.

[@PoolSchooler]

Thanks so much for the information.

[@carloscarpinteyro332]

@@PoolSchooler My uncle had several patents regarding magnets, so I learned alot from him.

[@sybo10]

Will brushing your plaster pool with a wire brush increase the hardness in the water? My hardness went way high in a week and the only thing I did was try to wire brush the sides, so I'm thinking that is what did it.

[@PoolSchooler]

I wouldn't ever brush a plaster pool with a metal wire brush. It will damage the plaster. As far as it increasing the hardness in the water I'm not sure.

[@stancal9680]

Great video thank you for all the information you're great

[@PoolSchooler]

Thank you. Hope you'll subscribe. Also, please check out my DIY pool service website poolschooler.com for a lot of exclusive pool maintenance content, tools, checklists, links and chats with me.

[@bozerbrett7867]

I have to drain about 80% of my pool water about every 3 years due to hard fill water. My fill water has a CH of 90ppm and my pool CH raises over time. I let it get to between 800ppm and 850ppm and it's time to drain. I try and get it down to about 250ppm after draining and it goes up from there over time. It's been working so far as there is no scale or mineral deposits.

[@PoolSchooler]

Hmmmm. I don't really worry about the hard water/calcium here in Arizona. Our water has so much calcium and is so very hard there's no way to stop it. I did come across a product that I'm releasing a review on shortly called the Pool Tiger and it says it prevents scaling and hard water scaling from building up on your tile line, and any of the surfaces of your pool. If you want to do some research on them go to pooltiger.com and check out their "How It Work" page. To continue, if your area has hard water you can't help it by just changing the water, to be frank you just can't help it. It is what it is. The only real measuring stick to know when to change your water is the CYA levels. Once they reach around 300ppm then you should consider doing so. Water hardness isn't a reason to change out your water. Check out this video I did: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6GmhGh4mM1jnZI

[@justinsupersoniczeanimator6662]

You could use a filter on the hose pipe you fill pool with, to filter alot of the calcium so it don't end up in the pool

[@jtpappas2161]

What’s the best in-line filter for removing calcium when filling the pool?

[@PoolSchooler]

Umfortunately i don’t know much about that aspect. You may want to consult with a water treatment company.

[@marcmeyers4156]

Seems that the main takeaway is that the impact of elevated calcium level is cosmetic... Can the pumps or any of the other equipment associated with the pool be affected by elevated calcium? And it seems to me that, since we typically have the water testing capacity, just test your source water for calcium, no need to wait until your pool is refilled, right?

[@PoolSchooler]

Hard water can harm the pool equipment specifically the heater coil if your pool is so equipped. The minerals deposit on the coils and can begin to restrict flow (like a clogged artery in the body). ALSO you can test your source water for the calcium but other things like chlorine tablets and shocks can add minerals into the pool as well so to get an accurate measurement of the hardness (calcium/minerals) in your pool you should test the water IN the pool.

[@boomskis4926]

U ever notice on salt pools that have high calcium levels that they produce like snow flake looking things in the pool? I heard that’s from high calcium but not sure if it’s true.

[@PoolSchooler]

Boom Skis yes I have. I’ve been told that it’s what comes off the @ “Fins” of the cell and it’s basically the mineral build up.

[@bsizzlehill2283]

Yup. Cleaning the salt cell has always fixed it for me. Some people say phosphate remover helps too.

[@rustyp21]

My pool in Mesquite Nevada has been in for 4 months. During the first month or two, I had those flakes in my spa. I have since ELIMINATED it by keeping my water balanced and turning down my SWG. The pool builder had it at 100% and I was being told by them and other pool owners that in the heat o the summer (117+ degrees) that it wouldn’t be able to keep up. Welllllll, I have it at 30% now and it is maybe still a bit high. I added CYA to 50ppm and boric acid to 50ppm, and have never had to shock my pool, the build-up had all but gone away, and I never have those flakes anymore. My CH is over 350 due to the hard water here (that’s why I’m watching this EXCELLENT video). Balance is the key - Grasshopper! I hope this helps someone. Thanks for ALL your vids!

[@boomskis4926]

@@rustyp21 good to know thanks!

[@ethanjacob123]

It comes out of the salt cell when it switches polarity throughout the day. It happens. Cleaning the cell will get rid of it until it starts doing it again.

[@John-jc1ig]

After adding 4.5 lbs of calcium hardness increase today my pool water turned to "skim milk". What can I do to fix this?

[@jncowden91]

I have the same question. My water didn’t have enough calcium. When ever I add it, the pool is very cloudy for a few days.

[@timothydbaker9950]

Brush it down,keep your equipment running and maybe drop some clarifier in it. Hope this helps

[@hkdanahui]

Thanks for the sharing, Kenny. Sometimes our pool would be low in Calcium, would that be an issue?

[@PoolSchooler]

Low calcium (if its really low) can cause some problems. You can always add some but do so sparingly so as to not over dose it.

[@alfredkulhanek1889]

Hello...I have white specks mostly on my pool steps ..is that calcium flakes..how do you rid them and what to use for them not return thanks

[@PoolSchooler]

I'd have to see what they look like. Could be mineral deposits.

[@olgakiely6898]

What about low calcium hardness, mine is 165, should be 200-400...

[@PoolSchooler]

Yes you can add calcium chloride to your pool to increase the Calcium level (hardness) in your pool water. Use this as a guide: use 2 oz. of calcium chloride for every 1,000 gallons of water to raise the ppm by 10. If your pool holds 10,000 gallons of water, and you wish to raise the ppm by 20, you must add 40 oz. of calcium chloride to the water. To purchase CalChloride you can try these links: 25lbs: amzn.to/3AjcEp4. 4lb bag: amzn.to/40lATxi Hope this helps.

[@solafideeph2897]

What about using clinging lime away and a sponge to clean the tile (above the water line). Might have to add some soda ash to the water afterwards to rehab the ph levels, but seems better than scouring it off, no? Let me know your thoughts please- thanks for the vid!

[@PoolSchooler]

That is actually a great idea. Although I'm a proponent of using as little chemicals in a pool as possible, I think this is an idea worth looking into especially if you can us a small amount of lime away or C.L.R. to remove the scale. I'm doing a product review of a unit that naturally reduces the amount of chemicals needed to keep your pool cleaner than ever AND reduces scaling as well. Stay tuned.

[@antoniomontejano7375]

Just made our pool it’s only like 3 months old and I just tested a total hardness of 50. We just got rained on and will have more rain for two days. Thoughts?

[@PoolSchooler]

Out here in Arizona. We have such hard water that we never have to worry about the water hardness at all. In fact, it’s always way too high and there’s nothing to really do about that. You can increase the hardness of your water by adding calcium to it, but add sparingly and don’t overdo it. Also since your water will evaporate little by little on a daily basis, of course, more in the hotter months, it will lower the hardness with some regularity. You might want to look into Cal hypo since it is calcium hyperchloride and will add calcium to your pool water

[@JoeSantiago-n6b]

Hi Kenny, I'm in Florida and I have an inground tiled pool and I was wondering how do you go about adding Calcium hardness to a pool like mine. I was told by a local store (Pinch-A-Penny) to add 24 pounds to my pool. I would like to see if you can give me some advise in regards to adding 24 pounds of calcium.

[@PoolSchooler]

I'm not sure about the amount. This link is to a calcium hardness calculator that allows you to enter the size (in gallons) of your pool), the current hardness and the desired hardness and it'll tell you how much calcium you need to add to get it to the level you want. poolchemicalcalculator.com/Pool-Calcium-Hardness-Calculator.html

[@johnnybravo508]

Hey Kenny, I have a bad case of mustard algae on my 20k gallon plaster pool I can't scrub it off and now I see black algae I was going to quadruple shock it with cal-hypo but my hardness is high at 1000 should I still use calhypo?

[@johnnybravo508]

Any advice

[@PoolSchooler]

@@johnnybravo508 Treat mustard algae the same as Green algae. Watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6uqoH5qeMlqqsU Then watch this video on Black Algae: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2nVdoKgorSVgpo

[@mizzbanshee]

How do I bring down the hardness I’m at a loss and if I drain and re fill it will be the same

[@PoolSchooler]

If you have hard water that comes from city or well water, there’s nothing you can do about the hardness. It just is what it is.

[@alejandrov932]

Could scaling return after scraping it off?

[@PoolSchooler]

Absolutely and it does. There's still calcium in the water and as it evaporates it accumulates at the water line. No really way around it if you have hard water.

[@alejandrov932]

@PoolSchooler like 5 minutes after removing the scaling from the tiles and grout with acid & a pumice stone, the scaling came back on to the tile. Any idea what to do about that??

[@PoolSchooler]

@@alejandrov932 If it came back after only 5 minutes it didn't get scrubbed off, it just got wet and thinned out a bit. Once the tile dried the scaling became visible again. NO SCALING COULD FORM IN JUST 5 MINUTES IN A POOL.

[@sturkfeld]

Hi. Great video explaining calcium in pool water. We had our pool resurfaced in April. When it was filled I checked the water and there was little calcium. Now I have one of those Taylor test kits (the chemistry one) and it shows very little calcium. I have the Orenda app on my phone to calculate results of my testing and it said to add 48 pounds of calcium flakes!!!! My question is, is it necessary to add calcium to the pool water. After your explanation, it seems the less the better. Does you pool water need calcium?

[@PoolSchooler]

If you live in an area that has very little minerals in the water then you should add some calcium. When you test your water you should test the "hardness" and if it's low then you should add calcium until it reaches the "ideal" level. which is between 250 and 500 ppm. Proper amounts of calcium (just like ph and alkalinity) prevent your water from becoming corrosive or scaling.

[@sturkfeld]

@@PoolSchooler Thank you. I appreciate you knowledge.

[@sturkfeld]

@@PoolSchooler I just used my test strip (Easytest) expires 3/26 and the reading said hardness ppm was 1000. I did the Taylor chemistry method and the reading was below the first ppm of 100. Didn't register at all. So now I'm confused as to what to do. I don't want to add calcium if my water is already "hard". Sorry for all the questions but I value your expertise.

[@PoolSchooler]

@@sturkfeld so you have two very diverse readings. I would retest your water in both ways and then take a sample to a local pool supply store and have them test it and see what you come up with. Obviously somethings askew in one of the testing kits that you’re using whether the strips or the kit so sometimes getting another test done is going to help.

[@sturkfeld]

@@PoolSchooler Thank you so much for your time. I will do that. I tested my tap water in a glass with the strip and the reading was very low for calcium so the chemistry kit test must be reading incorrectly.

[@MicheleLumadue]

Ok, so I have a lot of calcium in my water supply. We just had our pool resurfaced 9 months ago. There are white spots forming on the bottom. I can't get them to brush off. We have a salt generator. They say don't run shock through the generator because it will damage it. They were recommending Cal hypo shock. You are saying not to use that. I have large amount of scale build up on my cell generator. I am not sure what I am suppose to use to shock the pool. It is used heavily with people and a golden retriever and german shepard.

[@PoolSchooler]

So you have a double trouble problem. First you have high calcium (hard water) and you have a salt generator. Hard water is caused by minerals and calcium and salt are both minerals. So what is happening is those minerals are building up on the bottom (and possibly sides) and water line of your pool. It's common and unfortunately unavoidable. The calcium and other minerals including the salt can form what are basically stalagmites on these surfaces (see 14:34 in the video you commented on for an example of these stalagmites). You can sand them off using wet sand paper but other than that it is what it is. There is a product on the market called ScaleTech which is supposed to stop scale from building up you may want to try it but it's more chemicals in your pool water. Here's a link to it: amzn.to/465Y8M9 AND I would stay away from Cal Hypo as it's calcium and will only add to the hardness of the water and thus scale build up.

[@PoolSchooler]

Also you can use just liquid chlorine to shock the pool. See this video on Pool Shock and Why I Don't Use It (Much): kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqHcqoCEprekn5Ifeature=shared

[@MicheleLumadue]

@@PoolSchooler Thanks. I did watch the video and saw that you didn't like using the Scale Tech. And I did see the advice for wet sanding. I also watched the video on pool shock. For some reason I thought that liquid chlorine wasn't good for the salt generator. I will rewatch the video. I do keep my Ph on the low end so the Golden's ears don't get red. It is usually around 7.4. I test it with the same strips you have several times a week (And I have the test kick with the liquid drops for more accuracy.), and have it tested about 1 time a week or if we get a heavy rainfall. It is never cloudy. I keep the chemicals correct and the pool and filter cleaned regularly due to the dogs swimming regularly. I think I will look into the Scale Tech to get the spots off the bottom and will be diligent about not using packs of Cal Hype (which is what they were giving me at the pool store when the salt generator wasn't working properly.). I am keeping a log of how frequently I have to get the scaling off my salt cells. Thanks for all of your videos and helpful advice.

[@michellewuerl3679]

My CH is 700, everything else is balanced. The water coming from the hose is 200. Realistically I could drain partially to lower the CH, but do I really need to? How high would CH need to be for you to recommend draining?

[@PoolSchooler]

CH? Do you mean Cyanuric Acid (CYA)?

[@PoolSchooler]

Or do you mean Calcium Hardness. There is a difference.

[@michellewuerl3679]

@@PoolSchooler Calcium Hardness

[@michellewuerl3679]

My CYA is 40

[@PoolSchooler]

@@michellewuerl3679 I thought so. Calcium hardness is not a reason to change your water. The best measure for know when to drain your pool (or replace the water) is the Cyanuric Acid level (CYA). Watch this video, it'll explain: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lauYZoZ4qM-Umtk Your water hardness is what it is and there's not much you can do about it. Our water in Arizona is extremely hard and the hardness levels are off the charts right from the source. So you don't need to change your water for that reason.

[@albertopadilla3227]

What about the pool pump and plumbing?

[@PoolSchooler]

Not sure I'm understanding your question. Do you mean how will the calcium affect your pool pump and plumbing? If so hard water (which has a lot of minerals in it mainly calcium can build up mineral deposits on the plaster surface of your pool and the water line. In a plaster pool it can create mineral deposits on the plaster that are basically mini stallagmites. If you have a heater the minerals can build up in your heater coil and shorten the life of the heater coil. You may want to check out a product called the Pool Tiger pooltiger.com. I'm doing a product review of it and it may be a game changer when it comes to pool maintenance and pool water chemistry. Hope that helps.

[@albertopadilla3227]

@@PoolSchooler Thank you for your response. I just started a pool business route in Tucson and you have been a inspiration. Love your channel. God Bless…

[@PoolSchooler]

@@albertopadilla3227 Glad to be of some assistance. Wishing you much success. Remember you will learn so much in the "field" as you develop your business and clientele. You don't have to know everything (I sure didn't and still don't) be patient with yourself and in no time you'll be killing it. God bless.

[@thejoyfuljoy]

How does the Pool Tiger work with salt pool with salt cell?

[@garythompson1093]

What about low calcium?

[@PoolSchooler]

You can add calcium increaser to your pool to get it to ideal. Here's two links. 4lb bag: amzn.to/434edPP and 25lb box: amzn.to/3D4WNbD But don't add too much.

[@ReefMimic]

So plumbing my house water softener to the water top off on my pool wouldn’t help with calcium?

[@PoolSchooler]

ReefMimic it would but it would add sodium to your water instead of calcium. Both can leave scaling on your water line.

[@PoolSchooler]

I probably wouldn’t recommend doing that.

[@ReefMimic]

Pool School we have hard water here in Gilroy California. It was suggested we should of had our water softener system plumed to the pool water top off. Glad to hear it wouldn’t be beneficial

[@PoolSchooler]

@@ReefMimic Personally I've not heard of that out in AZ. But I have had a few pool guys tell me that doing that wasn't recommended. But I'm not sure why.

[@frankcutali4228]

Does a high hardness level have any effect on keeping chlorine and ph levels balanced?

[@PoolSchooler]

frank cutali I’m not sure. I’ll into it and let you know.

[@PoolSchooler]

My personal experience hasn’t given me reason to believe that it does.

[@frankcutali4228]

@@PoolSchooler Thanks for the reply. I am new to AZ and the reason I ask is that I've been told that the pool should be drained every two to three years because the water gets too hard over time.

[@PoolSchooler]

frank cutali in my experience it’s usually every 3-5 years my pools in AZ. You can also do what’s called a “poor mans drain/refil” where you only drain and refill half the water. In a state where we don’t get much water that’s often done to save water.

[@PrettyGoodLookin]

Is there Calcium in Chlorine Tabs ?

[@PoolSchooler]

I do not think there is. But Cal-Hypo does. (Calcium Hypochlorite) Please subscribe and check out my website poolschooler.com

[@jamescarossino64]

Firstly, thank you for sharing your experience. I have a large in ground pool 33,000 gallons. I live I. Washington on the coast, so not many pools around. I finally purchased test strips with a hardness test. My calcium is around 130, targeting over 300, and the calculator says 67 lbs of calcium. Do you have any wisdom concerning low calcium and how to avoid pitfalls when treating it?

[@PoolSchooler]

Unfortunately I really don’t have a lot of experience with adding calcium to pool because in Arizona our water is so extremely hard that the calcium levels are off the charts. So no one ever adds calcium to there pools out here to make the water harder.

[@dianelyon9725]

My calcium in my pool is too low also and I'm not sure what to do!

[@lianeisme]

My pool is registering at 1578 hardens calcium

[@PoolSchooler]

As I said in the video if that's your water hardness from the source there's not much to be done about it. But don't add any more calcium to your pool or anything like cal hypo.

[@raysilva7296]

Im in AZ too my friend, thanks for your knowledge. I work on steamers that use filtration systems, so my question is " what if I circulate my pool water through an R.O filtration system to bring my hardness down?" Would that help any???

[@PoolSchooler]

It'd have to be a pretty large R.O. system. That's a lot of water to filter.

[@cindyhelms2098]

You didn't discuss what to do if your calcium is low.

[@PoolSchooler]

Apologies, I failed to do so mainly because I NEVER run into that problem with my pools in AZ. it's actually the opposite. Way too much calcium. Thankfully, it's easier to raise water hardness than lower it. Seek out a calcium hardness increaser. It sounds fancy, but this is usually a bucket of calcium chloride. Follow the directions and add the appropriate amount of calcium to get your water hardness back to safe levels.

[@pattijesinoski1958]

Volume of video is at a whisper.

[@PoolSchooler]

Hmmm o just checked it and the volume was good.

[@ThinkerOnTheBus]

If we kept up with balancing the water of a pool, then there should never be a need to shock it. However, we are far from being perfect, and some of us will inevitably slip up a little, and our pool will not take pity on us and grant us forgiveness, rather our pool water will be green or darker . . . a situation that most people would treat by shocking the water, vacuuming to waste, backwashing, testing, and balancing the water. So, if you try to avoid using Calcium Hypochlorite, when you are faced with similar situations that would typically call for the shocking of a pool, do you substitute Cal-Hypo with Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione instead to shock the water, and then keep a close eye than on your stabilizer levels (cyanuric acid), do you use some other treatment for shocking the pool, or do you take a different route altogether??? Curious in the Old Pueblo

[@PoolSchooler]

I usually uses TriChlor granules. I did a video on pool shock and why I don't use it much. Here's. a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqHcqoCEprekn5I