Need Advice on Pool Startup

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Pro Golfer Mark

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Sep 23, 2013
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Las Vegas, NV
Hello all. I have a brand new plaster pool. My PB did the plaster and started filling the pool yesterday. Today, the company showed up to do the startup and I have questions since it differs from the startup procedure I read in Pool School. The pool just finished filling (it's only been 30 hours since we started filling). I have a 10k gallon pool. He tested the water at 8.0pH and no chlorine. They added a small bucket of CYA, a gallon of muriatic acid and .75 gallons of chlorine. He also put in a chlorine float. I plan on removing the chlorine float, checking the pH and chlorine daily and adding acid/chlorine as necessary. All this of course in addition to the regular sweeping. I've tested the pool again three hours later and pH is now at 7.5, TA is at 70, and chlorine is off the charts (almost orange instead of the yellow guage my test shows). Questions:

No sequestrant was added. Should I get some and add it myself? How important is that?
The startup article says to wait 72 hours before adding chlorine or CYA. Will any damage result from adding it too early?
I don't have a vacuum yet. How important is it to vacuum in addition to sweeping? Is it better for the plaster or does it just make the plaster dust go away quicker than sweeping alone?
Any other advice?
 
Good morning,

Sequestrant is used to suspend metals in water. If you don't have metals (normally iron), then you will not need sequestrant.

Don't worry about the somewhat early addition of chemistry.....that should be no problem.

A vacuum is a mandatory piece of equipment but not a deal breaker on a new pool like yours. Make some plans to get one in the near future but brushing for now is fine.

It sure looks like you intend to manage your own pool water and may be off to a good start but you will have to get a test kit where you can report CYA test results and more precise chlorine results.

Tell us the city and state your closest to so we have an idea of your swim season, etc.
 
Thanks for the advice so far guys. I live in Las Vegas. I have since gotten a brush-bottom vacuum as suggested so we are good there. I went to wal-mart and got a bottle of HTH Metal Control and added that just in case. I've been adding a lot of acid and some chlorine. Please see my pool log at the below link. I have a TF-100 test kit on order so this is all I can record with the basic test kit they gave me. My TA seems to be dropping and has gone from 70 down to 40. Should I add more baking soda and what should my target TA be at this point?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... utput=html
 
Have you read Pool School yet? There are many lessons to be learned there and save you from making mistakes.

Why did you add a metal sequestrant if you don't even know if you have metals? Didn't you fill your pool with city water?

You'll really appreciate the TF-100 as it is simple to learn and you'll be taking charge of your water and will only need to add what is actually needed and not just what someone wants to sell you.
 
Adding metal sequestrant after newly built plaster pool is nothing more than a $20 insurance policy. IF by any chance any staining were to form during the first few days, then a total re-plaster job would need to be done. Given this, I agree with the decision you did to add a bottle to cover your rear. Odds say you didn't need the product, especially when filling from a municipal water source, but for a few bucks it can save you a HUGE headache later.

As for a "Target" TA, there really isn't such a thing. You'll really let the PH swings set the tone for your TA level. With that said, 40 is a bit low and it would help ya to raise it up a bit. What type of kit did they give you however........with a TF-100 on the way, it maybe in your best interest to wait to verify the test results were correct.
 
Make sure you follow instructions from the builder because you do not want to do anything to void a warranty.

Your primary concern is keeping the pH in the 7's. You are going to need a lot of muriatic acid. Test daily and adjust pH as often as needed.

The easiest way to add FC and CYA to new plaster is trichlor pucks. It also helps keep the pH under control because it is acidic.

I agree with adding a start-up dose of sequesterant for insurance.

Here's a link to National Plasterers' Org. Start-up Card: http://www.npconline.org/start-up-card
 
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