Is Calcium Hardness Important In A Vinyl Pool

Calcium for a liner pool can be a bit lower than a plaster pool in the range of 150 250 ppm.

Is calcium hardness important in a vinyl pool.

Calcium hardness is the measure of how hard or soft your pool water is and measures how much calcium is dissolved in your pool water. A low level can result in foaming which is unpleasant but shouldn t harm the liner. Calcium often referred to as calcium hardness is one of those chemicals that could be easily ignored at first giving the appearance of little importance only to haunt the pool owner in the long run with serious costly damage. A hardness of 10 is fine in a plastic pool.

In general the whole saturation index thing the pool industry has wasted so much paper on doesn t apply to most pools. It also produces itchy skin. Low ph will damage copper pool heaters. I explain calcium hardness in more detail in our swimming pool glossary.

If you have a concrete or plaster pool keep the level between 200 ppm and 275 ppm. If calcium hardness goes above 400 ppm you will likely see a white flaky crust on the liner and pool equipment. Calcium hardness is also very important to the chemical balancing of your vinyl liner swimming pool. For vinyl pools calcium should be between 150 250 ppm.

If a vinyl liner s calcium level is too low this soft water situation could lead to foaming and other water problems and can harm the vinyl. Low hardness does not. If your pool has a vinyl or fiberglass liner the calcium hardness level should be between 175 parts per million ppm and 225 ppm. To keep pool water balanced calcium hardness is one of the most important levels to maintain.

Hardness at any level is only an issue in a plastic pool pvc pipes vinyl liner polymer pump if it s high. When people see calcium scale or plaster problems that are white in color they immediately assume it s calcium s fault. Low levels are soft water.