How To Eliminate Calcium Deposits From Your Swimming Pool…
If you are experiencing a calcium buildup (scale) along the water line of your pool there are a few things to consider doing.
1. Keep the calcium harness levels below 350 PPM. If it gets beyond this, drain the pool down (not a fiberglass) half way and replace the water. There are sequestering agents available to reduce calcium levels, however, they’re not cheap.
2. Keep your pH levels between 7.4 and 7.8. Keeping your chems in check will drastically prolong the amount of time it takes to accumulate calcium buildup.
Here’s where “manual” labor kicks in…
1. For a fiberglass pool grab a polyblend brush (wire brush for plaster or pebble).
2. Take muriatic acid and mix with water – 2 parts acid to 1 part water.
3. “Sponge” the solution directly on the calcium deposit. It will run into the water itself – no big deal.
4. Take your brush and begin brushing off the calcium – the thicker and longer it’s been there, the more difficult it will be to remove. Key here is once you begin seeing the white, chalky buildup, eliminate it before the calcium deposit gets out of hand. You may also want to use a razor…
I’ve also been really happy with other alternatives such as glass bead, epsom salts and sand blasting calcium removal methods - they work like a champ, however, it can be a costly process (most companies charge between $3 and $5 per foot – this is gauged upon the perimeter of the pool).
Both of these methods are designed for plaster and pebble surfaces, however, epsom salts should be safe for a fiberglass surface without any issues (make sure they “test” a small area first as I have not used epsom on a fiberglass pool).