Calcium hardness low

[mcmishka]

my calcium hardness is low.  I use test strips so it would be one pad away from being in the ok range.  All other levels are fine.  We just filled yeserday.  What do we add, if anything, to correct this?  

[nicker]

you can by cacium chips from your dealer, and you dissolve you required amount in warm water first then add to your tub with the jets on.

How low is it?  I know some company suggest to have it higher then others so you may be ok.   I like to keep it around the 250 area.

[tileman]

It's very hard to get an accurate CH level with test strips. My CH looked low too when using them. Then I got a taylor kit and all was well. Other pool and spa proffessionals that I've talked with on this forum and at local stores told me the same thing. If it's in your budget you might want to purchase one.

[windsurfdog]

If it's in your budget you might want to purchase one.

If one can afford a hot tub...or even afford to operate a hot tub...one can afford a Taylor 2005.  Actually, IMHO, one cannot afford NOT to have a good quality test kit...don't soak home without one...

[Vinny]

Depending on who you listen to ... some believe in calcium hardness and some don't. I personally come from the believe in school of thought. It's cheap enough and you only have to add it when the tub is filled. It gives me the knowledge that all the parameters of my water are in an acceptable range and if one is out of wack by a little, there's not another factor to worry about. Soft water can be corrosive, my range is at least 150 PPM and goes to 200 PPM, just depends how heavy handed I am at the time.

[Tman122]

I have yet for someone to tell me why Calcium Hardness is important?? I know that in concrete/masonary type pools and spas if your water is low in CA it will precipitate it from those type of surfaces ruining them over time. But PVC ,Acrylic and SS heating elements have no calcium to precipitate??? So, I need someone to tell me why CA is important in a modern Hot Tub? If theres a logical reason for it's importance I will start worring about it more and reccomending it's importance more to my customers.

[Vinny]

It may not be necessary but as I said, it's cheap enough insurance. Term posted a picture of a heater coil the other day. If that was stainless steel, something cruded it up. All stainless steel is not created equal. If stainless can crud, it can be eaten away IMO.

If you look at the Taylor watergram, "balanced" water with 150 PPM Calcium, 80 PPM alkalinity and a temp of 104º needs a PH of about 7.6 (slightly more) and according to them if the SI is more than +/- 0.5 can cause water problems. Drop the calcium level to 60 and leave all the other parameters the same, the PH is at 8.0.

For me the added $1.50 to add calcium is worth it but I wouldn't swear that if you don't use calcium, your tub will rot out.

[anne]

Vinny's logic works for me. Since chlorine will be more effective at 7.3-7.4ish rather than higher, I'd rather have my water balanced at a slightly lower pH. An $8 bottle of liquid calcium will probably last me a year, if my city water continues to have 70ppm Ca. Worth it.

Is there any validity to hard water being easier to keep clear? To not foaming as much? (Harder water is harder to suds up in the shower).

[Tman122]

Vinny's logic works for me. Since chlorine will be more effective at 7.3-7.4ish rather than higher, I'd rather have my water balanced at a slightly lower pH. An $8 bottle of liquid calcium will probably last me a year, if my city water continues to have 70ppm Ca. Worth it.

Is there any validity to hard water being easier to keep clear? To not foaming as much? (Harder water is harder to suds up in the shower).

And things rinse squekier clean with hard water??

Is squekier a word?

[tileman]

Vinny's logic works for me. Since chlorine will be more effective at 7.3-7.4ish rather than higher, I'd rather have my water balanced at a slightly lower pH. An $8 bottle of liquid calcium will probably last me a year, if my city water continues to have 70ppm Ca. Worth it.

Is there any validity to hard water being easier to keep clear? To not foaming as much? (Harder water is harder to suds up in the shower).

And things rinse squekier clean with hard water??

Is squekier a word?

No but SQUEAKIER is?
You left out the A.

[kervis]

I have yet for someone to tell me why Calcium Hardness is important?? I know that in concrete/masonary type pools and spas if your water is low in CA it will precipitate it from those type of surfaces ruining them over time. But PVC ,Acrylic and SS heating elements have no calcium to precipitate??? So, I need someone to tell me why CA is important in a modern Hot Tub? If theres a logical reason for it's importance I will start worring about it more and reccomending it's importance more to my customers.

I wonder if calcium can be confused with other minerals or deposits.  My bottle of Lime-A-Way says it removes stains caused by the natural minerals in your water.  On the front of the bottle, it specifically says "Rust, Calcium, Lime"

If you look by your cold water faucets, you may see some whitish crud--that would be the mineral deposits.  I believe I just cleaned off a bunch of mineral deposits from my front control panel.  I do live in an area full of limestone bluffs, however!  :-/

Is it calcium or other mineral deposits?  My tech told me to religiously use Defender as he has seen many spas coated with crud.  Again, what type of crud?  Does it matter?  Shouldn't my other products take care of the limestone deposits?  Perhaps not, if I am getting a buildup of something crusty on my control panel from our wet hands.  :-?

I am figuring that my current high ph will cause things to deposit, then in another month when it drops, it will all be eaten away and everything will be clean again!

I'm rambling now, so I'll stop, but this whole calcium thing sure is a puzzle!

[tony]

Don't confuse calcium hardness with other mineral hardness.  My water is low in calcium but high in iron and manganese (sp) and considered "hard."  I need Metal Gon to suspend minerals.  Too much calcium is worse than too little except in a concrete spa or pool.  It will start to deposit rather than draw.  If you feel better about adding calcium (buy the liquid), keep it at the low end of normal.

Defender attaches itself to spa parts such as pumps, heaters, etc and forms a protective coating that calcium can't build up on thus preventing scale.  I even have read somewhere that it protects against low calcium issues (if there really are any).  It is probably one of the additives to add to your spa.  It is cheap insurance and although it doesn't seem like it is necessary, you wouldn't know until it was too late.  

[anne]

Is defender still useful if your calcium level is ok, for dealing with other minerals causing hardness, or is Defender just for calcium? I do use metal gon at each fill.

[mcmishka]

Anne,
         Should I be using metal gone at fillup?  We did not add anything other that needed ph up and diclor.

[Tman122]

You should ony be using metal gone at a fill up if you have metals in your water (iron) Most of the time it is obvious (brown or stained water) It will never hurt to add it at a fresh fill, but follow the dirrections on any sequestering agent you use. (sequestering) Gather up all the fine particals of iron and minerals into a big enough clump for your filter to pick up. This why it's important to follow he directions on the product you choose. Leave the old filter in and don't add your N2 or Frog till after 24-48 hours of filtering. Then remove your filter and install a new one while you clean the old one (rinse out those gathered up clumps of iron).