Our pool was built last fall except for the quartz finish (CL Industries SunStone Select Sapphire) which PB did last Tuesday 4/23. When speaking with PB he said the plasterers would do a light acid wash to expose the quartz, I was kinda bummed because everything I read in onBalance's posts advised against it. I tried to talk PB out of it and he said its up to the plasterers, warranty, etc...so I let it be. The plasterers showed up a day early so I did not get to build my 55 gallon drum for the bicarb startup, I thought the whole bicarb startup was going down the crapper. In watching the plasterers I noticed near the end they just washed the quartz finish with a light spray of water from the hose and used a soft bristle brush to expose the quartz. The leftover water was pumped out of the pool. I was happy about that, no acid wash!
So I decided to add bicarb to the pool after filled, I added 36 lbs of A&M baking soda which took my starting alkalinity from 140 to 230, I also added calcium to increase the hardness to 230, my pH has never been above 7.8 and there is very little plaster dust when I brush (2x per day). The finish looks great and the water is clear. I have added CYA and Bleach to get those levels up.
What I am curious about is how to I change my levels to transition to the BBB method? According to onBalance's post "A Bicarb Start-up guide for TFP Members" he mentions keep the TA high for a month, do I lower it after that using the "Lower Total Alkalinity" from Pool School?
Here is a summary of my latest results from my TFT Test Kit
TA - 230
CH - 230
pH - 7.8
FC - 2.0
TC - 0.0
CYA - didn't measure yet because just added
Pool Volume - 26,000 gallons and a salt pool but I have not added yet
Before brushing, pool is clear
Pool is 62F, outside temp is 45F, I'm losing heat!!!
Clear to the dirty bottom, wish I could vacuum, light shimmering off bottom
After brushing
Thanks for all your help
So I decided to add bicarb to the pool after filled, I added 36 lbs of A&M baking soda which took my starting alkalinity from 140 to 230, I also added calcium to increase the hardness to 230, my pH has never been above 7.8 and there is very little plaster dust when I brush (2x per day). The finish looks great and the water is clear. I have added CYA and Bleach to get those levels up.
What I am curious about is how to I change my levels to transition to the BBB method? According to onBalance's post "A Bicarb Start-up guide for TFP Members" he mentions keep the TA high for a month, do I lower it after that using the "Lower Total Alkalinity" from Pool School?
Here is a summary of my latest results from my TFT Test Kit
TA - 230
CH - 230
pH - 7.8
FC - 2.0
TC - 0.0
CYA - didn't measure yet because just added
Pool Volume - 26,000 gallons and a salt pool but I have not added yet
Before brushing, pool is clear
Pool is 62F, outside temp is 45F, I'm losing heat!!!
Clear to the dirty bottom, wish I could vacuum, light shimmering off bottom
After brushing
Thanks for all your help
