How To Remove Swimming Pool Calcium Deposits

Swimming pools can be a great source of relaxation, but nothing can be more embarrassing than cloudy water caused by calcium deposits. You might think this is a serious problem but in reality it is very common and is something you can fix yourself.

Calcium deposits often have a white filmy look and can build up on the tile walls of your pool. High calcium content in your pool water can be caused by hard water or if your water source is a well it could be from excess limestone coming from the well water. Calcium deposits can be unsightly but do not worry; there is nothing harmful about swimming in a pool that has calcium deposits. This does not mean that you should be lazy about keeping your pool and equipment free of calcium deposits because over time it could cause your filters and equipment to malfunction if there is too much build up.

The normal range of calcium hardness that should be in your pool is between 80 – 150 parts per million. It is okay to have up to 200 parts per million if your swimming pool is made of vinyl. If you follow the simple instructions below you should be able to get rid of calcium deposits quickly and easily.

You will need the following materials:

1. PH testing strips
2. Magnetic water conditioner
3. Muriatic acid solution

Before you do anything with the dangerous chemicals listed above please make sure that you have heavy-duty gloves, eye goggles and a mask to protect yourself. Muriatic acid can cause severe burns if it comes in contact with your skin so it is very important that you take safety precautions. Before you spend time cleaning your entire pool with these solutions you will want to test a small area on one of the pool tiles to make sure that it will work for your specific problem. Instead of using muriatic acid and magnetic water solution you can also sandblast your pool tiles with glass beads but you have to be careful since it can scratch the tile if you do it incorrectly.

Buy a water analysis kit to see what your level of calcium is before you begin the muriatic acid treatment. Again, before you open the muriatic acid solution you need to make sure that you have your eye goggles and gloves on and that you are wearing old clothing that covers all of your skin. You do not want to risk leaving any area of skin exposed because if you get acid on your skin it can cause serious burns. If for some reason you accidentally get the muriatic acid on your skin, immediately get into the shower and wash it off and call 911 for medical attention.

Read the label on the muriatic acid solution to see how much you of it you will need to put in your water based on the size of your pool. Take a sponge or cloth and put the acid solution on one of the tiles to test if it will remove the deposits. In most cases you will have no problem removing the calcium deposits once you use the muriatic acid, but if it does not work you can either try a stronger variation or call a professional. Once you have cleaned your entire pool with the muriatic acid you should add in the correct dosage (listed on the bottle) of magnetic water conditioner. The magnetic water conditioner will help prevent calcium deposits in the future. It is not a one time thing though, you will need to test your PH level and use more water conditioner regularly to make sure the calcium deposits do not return.

Now you can sit back and feel accomplished. Congratulations, you have successfully removed the calcium deposits from your pool! If for some reason you continue to have trouble with calcium deposits in the future or you find that you could not completely get rid of the white film please consult a professional pool cleaner. Remember that a normal PH in a pool should be between 7.2 and 7.6. If you test your pool frequently and keep it at this level it should hopefully help you to make sure that calcium deposits do not return.