slow to clear dust after new plaster

[gilfish11]

Hi all - been a closet reader and now a member. A newby pool owner past 3 years and I'm now the pool maintenance guy.
Finished pool remodel 3 weeks ago beginning June. New white plaster and new equipment including 60 sq ft DE filter.
Followed start-up procedures pretty closely. Daily brushing sometime 2-3 times day ( retired here) and vacuuming most days.
Cloudy water cleared in about 6 days - no dust clouds noted on bottom. Started chemicals about day 10. Back-washed filter 2xs though the pressure
never changed much - stayed about same pressure as when new DE filled.
Water seems pretty clear to daylight eye, can see bottom clearly. Night view when pool light is on shows lots of dust flowing by. Still brushing and vacuuming nearly every day and keep pump on 6-8 hours day. Pool circulation is terrific with great water agitation.
water analysis, OK except phosphates are high.
FC 1
TC 1
calc hard - 350
Cyn acid - 75
TA - 100
PH -- 7.8
copper/iron - 0
disolv solid -550
Phosphate -- 200

I'm surprised that so much dust is still circulating after 3 weeks.... or am I being too optimistic...?
Any thoughts would be a great help here.
best, gil

 

[Texas Splash]

Hi gil! Those appear to be pool store tests correct? Unfortunately they don't help us much because they are notoriously wrong. Even if those numbers were close, most alarming is your high CYA and low FC which could indicate an algae bloom starting. I would recommend two things at the moment....add about 1/2 gallon of regular bleach to the water each evening and remove any chlorine tabs you may have in use. Then order a TF-100 test kit (link below). With accurate results from that test kit we can be sure to give you accurate advise. I would also recommend the Speed Stir. It's fabulous. Hope that helps, and let us know if you have any questions.

 

[gilfish11]

Thanks Splash - I've self tested with both kit and strips and get similar results as store analysis. Chlorine goes up & down was about 4 for few days but is likely bouncing due to extreme heat here ,just recently balancing the chemicals after the the plaster job.
No tabs in pool for last week. Ill adjust for possibility of algae.
If what I'm seeing is still plaster dust shouldn't that be gone by now?
ga

 

[Texas Splash]

I would think by now the heavier dust would be gone. Add to that your FC level appears to be way too low for your CYA (and elevated CC) makes me believe you have cloudiness due to algae. You can see the FC/CYA relationship below on the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below). But I caution you ... don't try to do too much based on those tests above. We sound like a broken record here at TFP, but if the test results aren't from a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C they are just about worthless. Pool stores are horrible for consistency, and test strip are nicknamed "guess-strips" for a reason. It's all manageable with the right test results. For algae, you'll want to review the TFP "SLAM" page (link also below). Hope that helps you. Have a great holiday weekend.