Calcium overdose . How bad is this?

[jmh]

Hello....I'm  a newbie and  just started up a new Sundance Altamar.  I followed all the directions the dealer gave me including adding 10oz of Leisure Time Calcium boost because I have a water softener (if I did not use it the water would be disgusting).   I ran the pumps,   ran a test with the the HTH liquid hardness indicator and it registered no hardness.   I waited overnight and ran the test again. Still no hardness. I added more calcium.   No hardness indicated.  Finally I dumped the whole bottle  (32 oz)  and still no hardness. I called the dealer and was told the liquid tester is no good but I could use a test strip.  I got them and sure enough  PLENTY OF HARDNESS!!  Maybe off the chart.  
the water is crystal clear and has a little foam when everything is cranked up.   Just how bad is this situation?  Should I drain and refill immediately? I don't want to wreck anything with the wrong chemistry.  I would call my dealer again but I really hesitate to do that since she seems to have less than little paitience with my questions.   Thanks in advance for your help.

[Brewman]

What is your hardness reading?  How about Ph and alkalinity?

If your spa water is too hard you might be able to do a partial refill, drain out some of the water and add softened water back in.   Blend it down, so to speak.

It's not uncommon for new spa owners have to do a drain and refill within the first 30 days anyway- often the spa gets used a lot because of the novelty, and there is the water management learning curve.  
Around here I believe that's known as Chas' law.

[tmknies1]

Don't feel guilty about calling. This is part of the service she should provide. You just spent a lot of money with her and could have gone to someone else.

[Bill_Stevenson]

Too much hardness can lead to scale formation on pump shafts and seals causing premature wear and on valve stems.  I would try dumping half the water.

Regards,

Bill

[wmccall]

Personally, I have found the HTH liquid test to work pretty well.  Could yours be old?  My water tends to be soft out of the tap, but when I add calcium it seems to register fine.

You are adding 5 drops of the hardness indicator to the correct amount 25ml of water to get a colored water vial, and then adding the Hardness titrant bottle a few drops at a time till it changes color while counting the drops?

In my opinion the test strips are fine to tell you if you have none or some hardness and that is about all. I can't discern a repeatable number with them.

[jmh]

Thanks for the information.  Tonight when I checked with a test strip the hardness seems to be in the 250 range.  Is this possible when I put a quart of calcium booster (leisure time) in very soft water?   The PH is high however at 7.8 or perhaps a tad more. alkalinity is fine at about 80.

I was going to do a partial refill but now I wonder if I should.

[wmccall]

At 250, your in reasonable shape, but maybe as the weeks go on you can add water as it evaporates. Sounds like no damage done.

[anne]

I have naturally hard water- about 550, so I have to (well, I choose to) add Defender weekly to help against scale and other damage. So I was reading here about calcium A LOT when I first filled my tub and my advice, only gleaned from others more knowledgeable here, is that you are FINE at 250.

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

Too much calcium is better than not enough.  When you go to a hotel with a gunite spa, chances are the calcium hardness on that spa is upward of 400 to even 1200 ppm.

As long as you keep your pH in line, calcium is not an issue.

[jmh]

Thanks for all the information!   All of my numbers are in the right place now.  Turns out my hardness is ok and I had to drop the ph down with spa down.  All is well now.

Jmh