Getting Calcium Levels Right

[FormerBromineUser]

You want to use calcium chloride or calcium chloride dihydrate. Other products can affect pH and TA.

[jmarcum]

From the pool store?

[swimdaddy]

Are you testing with your own kit or using the poolstore? Here it is recommended you get a Taylor K2006C and test yourself. If you don't have it, order it on Amazon and in the meantime get yourself an HTH 6-way kit from walmart and use that until it comes.

[jmarcum]

I'm testing it myself. I have a Taylor test kit. I've been using that for 1 year now.

[FormerBromineUser]

Yes, you can get it at a pool store. Many people cheap-out and get ice-melt and other types but they can contain other metals that you do NOT want in your pool. I would go with a product made specifically for pools if it was my pool. I would start with 8 pounds or so and see where it takes you.

[jmarcum]

I was able to get pure CYA (Clorox brand) and CH up (Also Clorox brand) from Walmart. I bought 4 pounds of the CYA and 15 pounds of the CH. According to the container each 1 pound of CYA raises 12,000 gallons by 10ppm. Each pound of CH up raises CH by 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons.

Currently I show my CH at 100 and CYA at zero.

Would you agree that it's safe to add 2 pounds of CYA and 10 pounds of CH... wait 24 hours and test again?

[FormerBromineUser]

That looks pretty good, however, I wouldn't bother testing CYA again for at least 4 days or so. It takes a while before it will show up accurately on a test and you definitely don't want to overshoot on either CYA or CH.