{"id":984,"date":"2022-11-25T15:28:17","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T15:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/?p=984"},"modified":"2024-05-10T20:25:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T20:25:41","slug":"cheapest-way-to-increase-calcium-hardness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/pool-chemistry\/pool-hardness\/cheapest-way-to-increase-calcium-hardness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cheapest Way to Increase Calcium Hardness in a Pool"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The absolute cheapest way to increase the calcium hardness of your pool is by adding calcium chloride (CaCl2).<\/strong> This is a very cheap chemical you can find at your local pool store that will increase your pool&#8217;s calcium levels quickly and easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It usually costs between $3-$4 per pound and comes in two strengths: hydrated (77%) and anhydrous (100%).<\/strong> You shouldn&#8217;t need the branded stuff either &#8211; any shop-bought calcium chloride will do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can&#8217;t find any calcium chloride, some standard shop-bought decier will do as well! These can actually be cheaper than calcium chloride, but they don&#8217;t always dissolve the best! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Near the bottom of this article, I will make a few recommendations for products based on mine and others&#8217; experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Important Step:<\/strong> Don&#8217;t forget to test your calcium hardness levels before purchasing calcium chloride and putting it in your pool! I also made a guide on my favorite testing kits if you want equipment recommendations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<style>.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);border-top:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-right:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-bottom:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-left:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-top-left-radius:10px;border-top-right-radius:10px;border-bottom-right-radius:10px;border-bottom-left-radius:10px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{padding-top:10px;padding-right:10px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:10px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-contents-title{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list{font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;margin-top:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{border-top:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-right:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-bottom:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-left:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id984_d0a988-b3 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{border-top:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-right:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-bottom:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);border-left:3px solid var(--global-palette1, #3182CE);}}<\/style>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Add Calcium Chloride to Your Pool Safely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To increase your calcium hardness with CaCl2 by 10 ppm<\/strong>, add around 1 1\/4 lbs for every 10,000 gallons of water. If you&#8217;re working in oz, add 2oz of calcium chloride for every 1,000 gallons of water to increase the hardness by 10 ppm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continue adding calcium chloride until your pool is between 150pmm and 250ppm. I always found 200 ppm was a good number to aim for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\"><strong>Quick Note:<\/strong> You shouldn&#8217;t need to add much calcium chloride if you have a fiberglass or vinyl pool &#8211; a reading of 100-200ppm is usually fine. The above figure of 150-250pmm only applies to concrete, plaster, and pebbletec pool designs.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure to broadcast the calcium evenly around the perimeter of your pool. Avoid pre-mixing it with water in a bucket as this can produce vapor, potentially causing some nasty burns! This is also why you should always wear protective gear when you&#8217;re using chemicals in your pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The calcium chloride will take some time to dissolve &#8211; it doesn&#8217;t happen straight away. Due to the heat reaction that can occur as well, give it some time before you go jumping in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there&#8217;s any undissolved residue at the bottom of the pool, give it a swirl with a pool brush and it will quickly disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure your pool pump is on during this whole process. You&#8217;ll want the calcium chloride to work its way around your pump and filter, and circulate effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Maintain a Balanced Calcium Hardness Level<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The simplest way to maintain the calcium hardness in your pool is by testing the water and correcting any imbalances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Testing the calcium hardness every one to three months will do the trick. Just make sure to schedule them so you don&#8217;t forget. If left, you will quickly notice the signs of hard or soft water damage. Sorting the issue quickly will prevent any expensive issues\/cleaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Balancing calcium hardness will depend on which way the levels are going:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>If hardness is decreasing, simply add in some calcium chloride as detailed above<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If hardness is increasing, you can either partially drain the pool and add fresh water or add muriatic acid to lower PH and alkalinity (preventing scaling)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are There Any Cheaper Alternatives to Calcium Chloride?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not really, there are alternatives but they&#8217;re similar in price and lead to more headaches than they&#8217;re worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Deicer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common one I&#8217;ve come across is de-icer pellets\/flakes &#8211; the stuff you scatter on your driveway after heavy snowfall. These can be cheaper than calcium hardness increasers and are similar in calcium purity, but they&#8217;re quite inconvenient if you want to use them in a pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>The pellets are larger and take longer to dissolve<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measuring how much you need is tough as there aren&#8217;t exact measurements on the back of the packaging. (You can always use the measurements I&#8217;ve provided above, however).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can be more expensive &#8211; it varies by brand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I wouldn&#8217;t recommend using de-icer as a way to increase calcium hardness, but it is an option. Sticking with the old faithful is usually the best way to go when you&#8217;re messing with pool chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cal-Hypo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also use calcium hypochlorite (cal-hypo) as another alternative chemical you can use to increase calcium hardness. I&#8217;ve heard of some pool owners who use it to slightly increase their pool hardness. However, it isn&#8217;t as effective as the other options mentioned on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because it is mainly used as a shocking agent because it introduces chlorine in your pool. For every 10ppm of chlorine, it will add around 7ppm of calcium. Therefore, you&#8217;ll pump your chlorine numbers sky-high if you use this as a calcium hardness increaser. So, prepare for stinging eyes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What About Baking Soda?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/pool-chemistry\/pool-hardness\/does-baking-soda-increase-calcium-hardness\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"988\">Baking soda is not an effective method to increase calcium hardness<\/a> in a swimming pool.<\/strong> This is a common myth I come across all the time in pool chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What baking soda is good for is increasing overall alkalinity in a pool. If you need to rebalance PH and alkalinity levels, this is an option that&#8217;s open to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Avoid using baking soda as a calcium increaser and don&#8217;t throw any in your pool if you&#8217;ve just used calcium chloride &#8211; it will turn your pool cloudy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My Recommended Calcium Hardness Increasers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below, I&#8217;ll list a few calcium hardness increaser products that have been tried and tested throughout the years. They&#8217;re affordable, high-quality, and do the job without any BS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Puri Tech Calcium Hardness Increaser (My Go-To)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one I&#8217;ve used throughout my career. It&#8217;s affordable and dissolves incredibly quickly. I have had a few batches that looked a little lumpy, but once I added it to the pool it took about 30 seconds to dissolve. If there was any residue at the bottom of the pool, I&#8217;d just use a pool brush and keep it a swirl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\">It&#8217;s simple, no fuss, and you can get this easily off Amazon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Puri-Tech-Calcium-Hardness-Increaser\/dp\/B012B9HU8W?&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=thepoolsideguide-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=21bcdbd2b12e2c1be2440fff06c62739&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> with free delivery.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I would, however, recommend you put this into a spare container or bucket when you open it. The bag it comes in is a little flimsy and can be a pain to maneuver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pool Mate Calcium Hardness Increaser (Third-Party Recommendation)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One I&#8217;ve been recommended a lot is Pool Mate&#8217;s calcium hardness increaser. I have used it a few times and, like Puri Tech, dissolves quickly. I noticed the flakes are thinner in this product, so I&#8217;m curious if it&#8217;s actually quicker than the Puri Tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing I do like about this product is the variety of sizes. You can get this in as little as 8 lbs or as much as 50 lbs. So, there is something to suit your needs. You can also get this in a bucket &#8211; so you don&#8217;t have the same storage issues you get with the Puri Tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-theme-palette-8-background-color has-background\">You can find it on Amazon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Pool-Mate-1-2825B-02-Increaser-50-Pounds\/dp\/B07B7ZBCXQ\/?th=1&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=thepoolsideguide-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=6679b10969815ead1dae4dfe19a9f6ed&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> with free delivery.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Calcium Hardness and Chemistry Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/pool-chemistry\/pool-hardness\/does-baking-soda-increase-calcium-hardness\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"988\">Does Baking Soda Increase Calcium Hardness?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The absolute cheapest way to increase the calcium hardness of your pool is by adding&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,46],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=984"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1271,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/984\/revisions\/1271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepoolsideguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}