1 week old pool - DiamondBrite Quartz Plaster Issues??

[slists2]

Hi folks,

Thanks for all the help getting my pool started. I've been testing 3 or 4 times daily trying to ensure good water balance for my new DiamondBrite pool plaster. I have the super blue quartz version.

Now, before I go any further, understand that the pictures I'm attaching really do nothing to show the contrast I want to address below. My camera phone is horrible and the day is overcast and in any picture up close you can't really see the problem. But from afar, it is much more apparent.

Alk: 80ppm
Ph: 7.4
FC: 2
CC: 0
Salt: 0
CYA: 28

I'm perplexed at how the finish is looking. I've brushed every day. I've had to add acid almost every 5 or 6 hours to keep PH adjusted, and every time I brush I do see plaster dust moving around from the walls. I don't think it's necessarily *new* dust, just dust that gets brushed, mixed with water and then settles. It doesn't all get sucked to the filter every time I brush.

But as the dust gets less and less, I notice the plaster has streaks in it. Almost like brush streaks, some wider than others, some less defined, but still there. Mixed in with white spots/splotches all over and some darker spots as well. They are very hard to picture. But noticable to someone looking for a uniform finish. I'm the only brush that's touched this plaster.

They poured muriatic acid on it to finish tbe plaster job. There were similar streaks before the pool was filled with water, but I assumed it was just dust that would brush away once filled with water.. To an extent they have, but now it's splotchy and some streaks remain. You can see the pic. These guys are a reputable plaster company. Did I miss something when they were plastering?

Am I just being impatient? Will these even out? Or should I do something more drastic while the plaster is still new? I was thinking about turning off the equip and dumping in a couple gallons of acid and see if I can burn the plaster to a bit more of an even finish. Maybe brushing the trouble areas a bit more when ph is 5 or so. Is this a bad idea?

Thanks for the insight.

 

[JasonLion]

It is common to get some variation on a Diamond Brite finish. As you say it is difficult to judge form the photos, so I can't tell if yours in in the normal range or worse than usual. Problems like these are always more apparent when the plaster is new and get somewhat less obvious over time. If they don't fade away to your satisfaction they can do another acid wash, which should be able to solve any major problems. Still, no matter what you do, it will never be completely uniform.

The first step is to get someone from the company that applied the plaster out to look at it and see what they think. They will know exactly what it ought to look like at this stage and will be able to tell you if this is something they will take care of as part of their normal process or if you need to do something special to get it resolved.