How to lower hardness in a pool.
Will calcium hardness cause stains on vinyl pool.
It would scratch the pool.
A higher ppm causes deposits on the surface and cloudy water.
Low calcium levels in the pool.
Although calcium carbonate is always white in this case it presents as brown or grey because the dirt discolours the calcium carbonate making it appear brown.
If you have a vinyl or fiberglass pool you won t be able to use a pumice stone.
When you retest the pool water the alkalinity should be lower.
Calcium can appear in the form of a thin calcium film that covers dirt or metal stains on the pool interior.
If a vinyl liner s calcium level is too low this soft water situation could lead to foaming and other water problems and can harm the vinyl.
However the longer the stain sits untreated the more difficult it can be to remove.
Calcium for a liner pool can be a bit lower than a plaster pool in the range of 150 250 ppm.
Then get the ph and total alkalinity in line.
Low calcium as is often the case will cause long term serious damage especially to plaster vinyl liners grout in between tiles metal rails and even concrete decking around the.
The optimal calcium level is 200 400 ppm.
If you have a concrete or plaster pool keep the level between 200 ppm and 275 ppm.
Chemical experts say this isn t the case.
If you re dealing with too much calcium in a pool you can try adding a sequestering agent which is a chemical treatment that fights the effects of high metal and calcium content in swimming pool water as an added bonus it also fights stains.
Calcium hardness is also very important to the chemical balancing of your vinyl liner swimming pool.
For this you ll need to partially drain your pool.
Calcium hardness must be actively managed along with ph and total alkalinity to keep water in proper chemical balance.
The stains should dissipate over time even in a plaster pool.
These stains are notoriously difficult to scrub free.
If your pool has a vinyl or fiberglass liner the calcium hardness level should be between 175 parts per million ppm and 225 ppm.
An edited version of this article originally appeared in the summer 2007 issue of the edge a publication of the northeast spa pool association.
A calcium scaling specific additive may remove the deposits but these products can take months to dissolve calcium silicate.
The first thing you ll want to do is remove calcium from pool water.
