Calcium Hardness vs. Chloride Level
by Ray Cheng
However, by doing this, the chloride ion level will be in a relatively high, over 1000 ppm. Is there any major harm from this high chloride level? And how to deal with it? Thanks Thanks for the question Ray There are some reasons that having a too high calcium level is bad for your pool, especially if it's a salt pool with a chlorine generator. High calcium hardness will result in scaling on the pool surfaces, water line, as well as in the pipes, plumbing and filter. A salt cell will clog up and calcify quickly when the calcium level is too high. Your levels of 250 - 600ppm are pretty high, in my opinion, much too high. Not only are you wasting money, but it's not good for the pool nor the swimmers. You need to get your calcium levels down between 150 - 250ppm. This way, if your pool is plaster, you won't have any pitting and the water's hunger for calcium will be satisfied. Pitting is when chunks are taken out of the plaster causing unsightly holes. The only way to reduce hardness in pool water is to do a partial or full drain, refill, and chemicals balance. Simple math will tell if your calcium is 400ppm, then doing a 1/2 drain and refill will cause the hardness level to drop by 1/2, or 200ppm. You'll need to know the hardness level of your fill water as well. If the fill water is already at, say 200ppm, then a full drain would be needed. Hope this helps and have a great swimming season. Robert |
