Any type of pool water has elements that play important roles in keeping the quality of the water and in keeping water problems at bay. These are composed of calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and many other essential elements needed in order to improve and maintain the health of pool water. Among these, calcium is one of the popular when it comes to adjusting the hardness of water.

Calcium needs to be balanced just like any other agents in the water in order to be stable and avoid any water related problems in the future. Most types of swimming pools around the world use only 150 to 250 ppm of calcium hardness as this is the required amount to keep it balanced and prevent it from going rancid. Heated pools or tubs are harder to maintain with the proper balance of calcium hardness as heat affects the element.

Reducing the hardness of calcium is difficult to maintain as tap water has a high level of calcium. Most swimming pools worldwide rely on tap water to fill the pool up to the desired water level. As you begin to study your pool water chemistry, you will notice a high level of calcium hardness to start with. Although this is normal, working with a lower calcium level is much easier than with higher level of this element. However, there are ways on how to get it to the required or desired level. Chemical usage is a good method on level reduction as there are products that were specifically designed to soften water hardness which means that it affects the high level of calcium. Imbalanced water causes many problems and are divided into two, lower level and higher level or calcium hardness. Below are the results of having one of these imbalanced calcium levels:

Low calcium hardness problems:

Corrosion – this is normal when the level of calcium drops. Corrosion is a destructive water problem that causes fortune when not treated as it can slowly bring down a pool and its facility with constant exposure to the corrosive pool water.

Etching of pool plaster – this is a common scenario when the calcium hardness is at its lower level as it eats off plaster due to the absence of calcium that the water needs to feed on. Water is in need of calcium that is why it will look for it and when this element is not sufficient, it turns its attention towards plaster.

High calcium hardness problems:

Scale formation – we usually see this formations on the surface of our swimming pool every time the calcium hardness reaches a higher level or more than 400 ppm. The scales can damage and destroy the pool filtration system as they get clogged and make the system work harder than it normally would.

Skin and eye irritation – similar with using any chemical, an exceeding amount of usage of any chemical will leave effects on the medical condition of the human body. Skin and eye irritation are mild problems caused by having too much calcium hardness on the pool water.

Author Bio: I write about the Prodigy Pool System. The Prodigy Pool Systems manage the pH of pool water.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: calcium hardness,pool water,high level,higher level,water level,lower level,calcium level