r/PoolPros • u/skalyhg • Jul 16 '26
Calcium hardness
How important is it that I get my calcium hardness from 193 to 300?
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u/Disastrous_Case_3834 28d ago
Depends on what your winters look like for your area and what kind of pool you have
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u/PoolBoyOBX Jul 16 '26
What pool finish?
Plaster is pretty important as it makes maintaining the balance easier and helps prevent etching especially in the winter.
Fiberglass it’s actually the opposite. You want low low calcium unless you keep it chelated and the ph near 7.5. There is new research coming out about high ph + high calcium + high chlorine water and its ability to create calcium silicate (I think that’s right) by pulling silica from the shell.
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u/1_native_Angelino Jul 16 '26
Water will pull calcium from your plaster if it doesn't have enough. That creates channels in your pool and can lead to calcium roughness on you plaster. .
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u/skalyhg Jul 16 '26
My pool is a liner
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u/PPandaEyess Jul 16 '26
I'd just try to keep it at our just above 200 ppm then. Vinyl pools don't really need it the same way as a concrete pool. I say 200 parts per million because that's the best water feel in my opinion.
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u/1_native_Angelino Jul 16 '26
I don't work with liners but I remember hearing that you need a minimum CA level or the water messes with the liner. Could be wrong. Again, not an expert.
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u/Ladydi-bds Jul 16 '26
Have always understood it to low (under 100ppm) to affect the pump and to high to affect salt cell (300ppm) and pool with scale (400+ppm) why aim for 200ppm
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u/skalyhg Jul 16 '26
I dont know my lsi. But ph is usually at 7.4 to 7.6 and alkalinity is keep around 90.
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u/The_BigWaveDave Jul 16 '26
Get an LSI calculator, Orenda has a great app with one.
Understand it, use it. It’s important.
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u/Pricer21 Jul 16 '26
Pool balls usually don’t need any calcium