Will this work?

[PoolDoc]

Hi HOF;

Many HEDP products, like the Kem-Tek claim to remove calcium; none actually do, if we're talking about removing it from your pool.

1. Test the pH, TA, and Calcium levels in your fill water. Report that in this thread, rather than on the form.
2. High calcium does not cause cloudiness, until you DO something, like letting your pH get high, dumping in a bunch of baking soda, or calcium hypochlorite shock, or something else of the kind.
3. However, if you use the calcium hypochlorite IN THE SKIMMER, as we discussed earlier, you should NOT have cloudiness, and can actually remove calcium. If you are through with removing stains, you can remove calcium by skimmer dosing with the calcium PLUS . ..
4. Using borax to raise your pH to near 8.0 -- use ONLY 1/4 box at a time, added slowly through the skimmer, doses separated by 2 hours or more.
5. Avoid cleaning your filter more often then necessary; wait for a 5 - 7 psi pressure rise.
6. Run your pump 24/7
7. Once you get to pH 8.0, stop with the borax, and start with Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, but ONLY add it when your filter is ALREADY somewhat dirty (at least a 2# increase over clean pressure!). Continue to use cal hypo to chlorinate . . . BUT in between cal hypo doses, add 2 cup doses of Washing Soda, slowly, to the skimmer. Watch your pool returns: if you see a white cloud coming from the return, stop, and try again later.
8. This process will ALSO tend to remove any metals in the water, so if you are going to treat for metals again, do so FIRST, but this time make SURE you have the Kem Tek HEDP in the water. Read the label carefully -- do NOT overdose with HEDP when your calcium is so high. Do not, do not, do NOT!!

What you are going to do is use the combination of slowly raised pH, then added sodium carbonate (washing soda) added UPSTREAM of the filter, to precipitate calcium carbonate ONTO the filter, where you can backwash it away. This calcium dust will tend to pick up any OTHER metals that are in the water. You MAY get some clouding, or sediment on the bottom -- that's OK: if it settles, vacuum it up; if it filters, backwash it out.

Please DO use the PF History Chart to track BOTH your test results AND your chemical additions. Let me know when you start, so I can keep an eye on it.