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You can, if the water presently in the pool is 'hard' - but be very careful to keep an eye on the Calcium Hardness of the pool water. If you filled a pool with water from the softener, the water would be hungry for calcium and drag it out of the pool walls, making them feel and look like sandpaper. Calcium hardness should be kept within 200-275ppm. best to use regular water for topup and keep the pool water properly balanced (see your local pool store).
You do not treat pool water hardness with chemicals. If you have hard water in your area then you need to know what the allowable maximum of water hardness is before the water needs to be changed. You remove or reduce the hardness in water by draining and refilling the pool. K
There is no way to reduce the calcium level except by draining some or all of the water. High calcium levels are a problem mostly in the southwest part of the US. Draining a pool can be dangerous if the water table is high; the pool can actually pop out of the ground.
thru the filter intake side,
The following factors combined determine whether water is 'corrosive' (etching of plaster) or 'scale forming' (nodules, scale on walls). pH, Total Alkalinity, calcium hardness, TDS (totally dissolved solids) and water temperature. These items are a result of improper water balance. One could generalize and say that there is too much calcium in the pool/spa. However it is possible that the calcium level is ok and the pH or total alkalinity is out of balance with the same result. The water must be balanced and this requires monitoring and controlling the following items: pH, total alkalinity, calcium harness, total dissolved solids and temperature. Once we have all of these test kit reading then we can perform a calculation to see where the water is currently at and what adjustments are needed to get the water balance corrected.
Calcium chloride increases the hardness of water. Proper hardness is critical to balancing the water in a pool. Proper hardness is especially important in a plaster pool to prevent leaching of the plaster finish, which results in a rough surface. Calcium chloride can be purchased at home improvement stores at significant savings over pool supply outlets.
If the calcium is a result of pool chemicals, draining some or all of the pool water will lower the calcium hardness level. If the cause is the fill water, commercial hardness reducers or chelating agents will bond with the calcium to keep it trapped in solution.
Low Calcium Hardness in pool water means that there is low calcium in the water and is considered "soft" and soft water tends to be corrosive. It will etch away and your plaster and any metal object the pool water touches.
The best way to lower calcium hardness in the pool water is to drain the water and refill with water of lower calcium hardness. Have the calcium hardness tested for both the pool water and fill water. Ideal range is 175-300ppm. There are 'calcium reducer' products available through pool stores, but not sure how effective or economical they are.
The recommended frequency for checking calcium hardness in swimming pools is once a month. Other water tests will depend on how often the pool is used.
Go to the pool dealer and purchase a calcium hardness test kit.
ii dnont think so
Test your water for TDS and calcium hardness to decide if water needs to be replaced.
You can, if the water presently in the pool is 'hard' - but be very careful to keep an eye on the Calcium Hardness of the pool water. If you filled a pool with water from the softener, the water would be hungry for calcium and drag it out of the pool walls, making them feel and look like sandpaper. Calcium hardness should be kept within 200-275ppm. best to use regular water for topup and keep the pool water properly balanced (see your local pool store).
Buffer and added hardness do the same thing in a salt water pool as in a fresh water pool. The buffer (sodium bicarbonate aka bicarbonate of soda) stabilizes the pH of your pool so that addition of acid or base doesn't change the pH very much. The hardness, mostly Calcium, helps achieve water balance to make the pool neither deposit (precipitate) excess Calcium Carbonate to your pool surfaces nor corrode (remove) Calcium from your plaster pool surface. The combination of pH, Total Alkalinity (adjusted for Cyanuric Acid), Calcium Hardness, temperature and Total Dissolved Solids determines whether your water is balanced. Just keep these values near their recommended amounts for your pool and you should be fine. If you're a techie and want the full formulas, do a Google search for "Langelier Saturation Index".
Baking soda will not soften (remove calcium hardness) from pool water. It will raise total alkalinity.
No, because it's not the chloride part that's responsible for the hardness, it's the calcium. Sodium chloride is actually used in water softeners, so it's not a great choice if you're looking to increase the hardness. You could use calcium hydroxide, though this will also make the pool more alkaline which may not be ideal.