Just like balancing all other chemicals in your pool like total alkalinity levels and pH, pool calcium hardness is also important to keep balanced. It’s likely that a calcium hardness imbalance will slip up on you out of the blue and all of a sudden throw your entire water balance off. Luckily, if you aren’t familiar with calcium hardness and the effect it can have on your pool water, we are here to answer your questions. Let’s dive right into understanding what calcium hardness is in the first place.
What is calcium hardness?
If you’ve heard of hard water before, you might be more familiar with calcium hardness than you thought. Typically, if you live in an area where you use well water or the municipal water is hard, you might’ve said that you have hard water at your house. This term refers to having a high level of minerals in your water including calcium. On the other hand, if you have “soft water”, this indicates that the calcium levels in your water are low. This same concept can be applied to the water chemistry in your swimming pool as well.
What should your pool’s calcium hardness levels be at?
Knowing what the correct levels are for the calcium hardness in your pool is important to understand before you decide whether levels need to be increased or decreased. The correct level for your pool depends on the type of liner it has. If it has a fiberglass or vinyl liner, the calcium hardness levels should be between 175 and 225 parts per million (ppm). On the other hand, if you have a concrete or plaster pool, the levels should be maintained between 200 and 275 ppm.
What if my pool water is too soft?
If you find that your pool water is too soft, you may think that it’s not a huge problem compared to having hard water. However, there are many undesirable effects that come along with having soft water. Some of the most common things that can happen if you leave your water like this for too long include:
- Corrosion to the pool structure
- Can dissolve concrete and plaster
- Can destroy any metal parts in the water
How to increase hardness in pool water
If you find that after using a test strip to test pool chemical levels that calcium needs to be increased, you’re in luck because raising these levels are simple. A pool hardness increaser is the best option for increasing calcium hardness levels in the water. Using a pool calculator, you can easily determine the volume of your pool to find the right amount of a pool hardness increaser to add. After this is added to your pool water and has been circulated, your calcium hardness levels should begin to return to normal, safe levels.
Once you’ve gotten your calcium hardness levels under control, adding pool accessories can make your swimming pool even more enjoyable this summer. Find pool slides, ladders, railings, games, and swim-up bars all from Global Pool Products. Follow the links to check out our product catalog for these great pool accessories!