Question: Will a zinc anode help reduce calcium buildup?
Answer:
Thanks for the question about a zinc anode. What it will do is prevent further corrosion of your pool elements, but it won’t reverse the signs of calcium build up. What happens when trace amounts of electricity go through the water it can deposit the scale on metal in the pool, pool walls, and inside pool equipment.
If you have a gunite pool, an acid wash can help. In a liner or fiberglass pool it is harder to remove, what you would need to do is get the calcium hardness level in the pool down, either chemically or by adding fresh water, and then scrubbing (carefully – you don’t want to damage the surface or scrub the pattern off of a liner) the walls and floor of the pool.
Adding a zinc anode will help prevent it from happening in the future. The anode itself should be the new point where you see scale form. Also be sure to keep the chemical levels in range and you shouldn’t see too much of an issue.
More about Calcium Scale and Buildup:
What Causes Scale – scale can be caused by pool water that is out of balance in a number of different ways. If one or more of the pool water parameters are not in an acceptable range, calcium deposits can occur. A high calcium hardness reading of above 1000 ppm(hard water), a high pH of over 7.8, or a high alkalinity reading of over 120 can contribute to scale.
How to Remove Scale – there are many different scale removal products on the market..
How to Prevent Scale in the Future – once the scale is gone, in order to prevent future calcium deposits, test the calcium hardness, pH, and alkalinity parameters of the pool water and bring them into an acceptable range. If the calcium hardness level is high, consider a partial water replacement for the pool. But before replacing any water be sure to test the calcium hardness of the fill water to make sure it will help. If the fill water already has a high calcium harness reading, most likely scale will continue to be a problem. Also, routinely brush the pool and consider routinely using a scale removal product.
Weekly Maintenance to Prevent Scale – as stated above, the best way to avoid calcium buildup is to have balanced pool water and to test all of the pool water parameters on a weekly basis to make sure it remains balanced. But it can also help to routinely brush the pool and consider periodically using a scale removal product.