New plaster pool...no clue what to do next..PLS HELP

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cc517

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Feb 20, 2014
7
Houston, TX
Good morning ! I am new here and have had information overload for the past week reading on here. What a great site and wealth of information!

My new IG pool just finished. Plaster is about 10 days old. Pool guy has come and done startup. I am not sure what he added but assume it is chlorine and other chemicals. He's been back for pool school where he gave me a test kit and TONS of information (6hours of pool school). I got overwhelmed and now completely lost. The pool currently uses chlorine tabs but from reading here I learned that it is better to not use those and switch to liquid bleach?

What do I do now? I have no idea what to do, what to add, what to test. I have ordered the test kit (TF-100)and it will come next week hopefully. When it comes, I'm sure I will have tons of questions on what to do. but for now, in the meantime, is there something that I need to be doing? It looks like I need to keep the ph level at a certain level. How do I do that?

I apologize for the barage of questions and lack of knowledge. I feel very overwhelmed and so nervous about messing up. Thank you so much for any advice you may have :)

Take care!
 
Ummmmmmmmm----------we got the BEST pool school you could attend right here! Welcome, have patience and absorb a few small chunks of info at a time. I'm astounded that you got 6 hours worth of "schooling" from your PB.

We need pics!
 
My response in blue :)

cc517 said:
My new IG pool just finished. Plaster is about 10 days old. Pool guy has come and done startup. I am not sure what he added but assume it is chlorine and other chemicals. He's been back for pool school where he gave me a test kit and TONS of information (6hours of pool school). I got overwhelmed and now completely lost. The pool currently uses chlorine tabs but from reading here I learned that it is better to not use those and switch to liquid bleach?
It is fine for you to use the tabs for plaster start-up because they make it easier to slowly introduce chlorine and CYA and they are acidic and will help keep the pH from rising faster. Keep a record of how many tabs you have used so that you do not overshoot your recommended CYA level.

What do I do now? I have no idea what to do, what to add, what to test. I have ordered the test kit (TF-100)and it will come next week hopefully. When it comes, I'm sure I will have tons of questions on what to do. but for now, in the meantime, is there something that I need to be doing? It looks like I need to keep the ph level at a certain level. How do I do that?
Use muriatic acid to keep the pH in the mid 7's.

I apologize for the barage of questions and lack of knowledge. I feel very overwhelmed and so nervous about messing up. Thank you so much for any advice you may have :)
Don't worry, folks here will help you with any questions.

Welcome to the forum :wave:

Take care!
Click to expand...
 
Hi there
Finally received the test kit (TF100) and after some days of hard rain I am finally able to perform the test. Here are my test results. My pool is a chlorine in ground pool. around 20k...

FC - 1.5
CC =0
TC - 1.5
TA - 70
CH - 175
CYA=60
pH -8.2

My question is...now what? :)

Thanks again for your help!
 
What did the plasterer tell you about chemistry balance to support the warranty?

Your pH is too high, but you CH is too low. If you lower the pH with such a low CH, that could damage the plaster.

You also MUST keep the FC level above 5ppm at all times to prevent algae from starting. See the FC/CYA Chart.

And your CYA is already above our recommended range, so you must not use any trichlor pucks or dichlor granular chlorine ... only use liquid chlorine / bleach.

Have you read Pool School yet? If not, take a look at these to start:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool
 
Thank you for the fast response! I have read pool school a few times but very overwhelmed. Here is what I think I need to do? please confirm and/or correct where I am wrong

1) Turn off my trichlor puck dispenser
2) Add about 2 jugs of home bleach 6% should take care of FC level being too low
3) Add 370z of calcium chloride or 490oz of calcium chloride dihydrate to increase CH
4) Add 20oz of muriatic acid to lower ph


Is this correct? Can I do this in one day?
 
1. Yes and remove the pucks.
2. They will be 8.25% most likely, check the label for active ingredient Sodium Hypochlorite %.
This one will be long term and something you will do regularly and frequently. Perhaps, and likely daily once it gets warm.

3. Double check the calc before any chemical addition. If Ok, proceed.

4. Same as # 3. Always double check and recheck later to verify your chem additions to pool math suggestions. Your pool may be a little different in volume than you estimate.

You can do it in one day. Wait about 30 minutes between each chemical addition.
 
What CH are you targeting? I think I would go for about 300ppm as the plaster may cause this to rise still (I think :scratch:)
And then get the pH to around 7.5

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.
 

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Good morning all
Last night I added about 1.5 gallons of 8.25% bleach to the pool. Tested the FC just now and it is 8.5. Which is way high. I'm not sure what I did wrong or what to do from here :(

I will add the calcium chloride dihydrate and muriatic acid later on today.

Thanks for your support and help!
 
With a CYA of 50ish, keep the FC between 4 and 6 and never below 4. You are fine at 8.5 FC as it will drift down naturally. I suggest you test/adjust FC each evening after the sun is off the pool. Add enough bleach/liquid chlorine to reach 6 FC each evening and you will soon learn how much FC your pool uses daily.

Test/adjust daily to keep the pH in the mid 7's. Don't forget to brush the pool :smile:
 
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