You REALLY need to get rid of that extra block (way bigger than a chip) on your shoulder.
Help with damaged plaster
- Thread starter eqbob
- Start date
?? It wasn't in any way meant as a chip or block or expression of having an attitude. I was saying I'm sorry for another violation of forum rules which I had gone back and re-read. It was sincere and honest in that I wasted your time by not typing properly and/or double checking before I hit to post. I'm sorry if it didn't come across as I intended it to.
pH = 7.4
CH = 270
TA = 90
FC = Between 3-5 as read on the color scale. my kit doesn't go more exact than that.
TC = no change from FC
CYA = 45
By http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock I'm 25 ppm low on CYA and need to add 33 ounces of stabilizer by Pool Math.
By http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/134-recommended-levels I'm a touch high on TA, which could be lowered by reducing pH some more and then continuing to aerate.
Are those correct assessments?
Additionally, Salt via SWG says 3450, via test strip says between 3000-3500 (doesn't get more exact than that)
Phosphates tested to 0.
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I wouldn't worry about your TA at this time. In will find it's "happy spot" as you adjust your pH levels. How often do you need to adjust your pH level?
I've been testing about 2x a week and needing to adjust down by adding 1 quart Muriatic about once a week. When it goes up to 8, I've never had to acid drop test more than 2 drops, equating to approx. 1.15 quarts to bring it down.
I have been trying to keep it hanging out at the 7.6 to 7.8 range. I got a little low last night.
Is my assessment on CYA correct?
As a follow-up, took over from the pool maintenance guy about 2.5-3 months ago. Water was way outa whack. TA was 310 at the time. Got that down, then couldn't get FC to even register and Phosphates were through the roof (3500+). Got that taken care of and balanced and pool chemistry has been holding at these numbers for 6+ weeks and now there's the scale on the wall, splotches on the floor, and this white particulate hanging out on the spa bench.
Increasing your CYA can help you lower the % your SWCG is set at to help extend your cells life a bit. Start by bumping it up to 60 and see if you can reduce the workload some on your SWG.
As for the scaling and stuff on the floor. Can you describe the texture of these spots when you run your hands across them?
As for the scaling and stuff on the floor. Can you describe the texture of these spots when you run your hands across them?
Scaling on walls is angular and hard. Picking at it with fingernails under the water has no effect.
Spots on the pool bottom are completely smooth. Almost like it is filled in all the little spots in the texture of the plaster.
Let's go one really quick last question for us to get more of an idea about your pool. Can you post a shot of the entire pool? Often we can tell alot if you're having issues with organics by the look of the water.
Was the scale, spolches and particulate there before you got things back in line?
If the TA was that high before you took over, it's likely that the pool pH was constantly climbing and staying at high (7.8+) levels. pH has the largest impact on CSI. High TA will constantly drive that pH upward with aeration. Couple that with the high TA itself and that's scaling conditions for sure. I would guess, unless you answer differently, that this scaling was there due to this high TA situation before you started getting things in line with where they were supposed to be. For instance, if you plug in your current numbers for in the one column of Pool Math and put the 310 TA with a pH of 7.8 in the other column with the same numbers otherwise, you can see that the CSI you have now is -0.29. Ok for pool plasters surfaces. However with a TA of 310 and a pH of even 7.8 (which was probably being let go even higher) the CSI is 0.69, definitely scaling conditions. If pH was at 8, CSI would have been 0.89... you see where this is going.
This is probably going to be a stupid question, but can I simply provide the link to the pictures on a hosting site (picasaweb)? I have read and followed the steps in the posting pictures thread, know I can't do any here beyond 250K, which I used my first day, but when I try to link from the dialog about uploading, it fails. I can cut and paste in URL's all day long however, but I don't know I you can see them.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PJ-Y6_Wo8PZkwbttj4O63gEp75VqbuwOsYAs7ZKFotU?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rk6O1nyXOkudrL34a9xraQEp75VqbuwOsYAs7ZKFotU?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RnxUf_MVS24PwxVSISr95wEp75VqbuwOsYAs7ZKFotU?feat=directlink
Those are three very recent photos that I think you should be able to see given that I've posted the direct link. Can you see them?
When I click on your first link, I get https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAADds/bU4z0tYf7OI/s2048/20140713_165216.jpg.
If you copy that address then click the Insert Image icon. A window will open. There is a From URL tab in that window. Click on that and paste that web address in there. Click OK. Repeat for each picture. Like this:
The "direct links" you posted likely will not work as they are actually redirects to the actual address I posted above.
If you copy that address then click the Insert Image icon. A window will open. There is a From URL tab in that window. Click on that and paste that web address in there. Click OK. Repeat for each picture. Like this:
The "direct links" you posted likely will not work as they are actually redirects to the actual address I posted above.
I do. We had scaling on the tiles and that was certainly pleasant and I ripped my hands apart pumicing it off (until I said gee...why not use gloves they're only going to get wet).
The particulate matter was there when we took over. It went away as the chemistry was tamed. It's back now...but different. Before, it looked like large flakes of quartz or mica if you ever were around rocks like that. Touch it underwater and it shattered...but micro thin and in little irregular shaped sheets, ranging in total area of 0.25 to 1.0 square inches. Current particulate matter is dense enough to settle on the spa bench and steps, is pure white, but no sheets. Just tiny "grains". Tasteless, odorless. I dumped the mouse and dried it out and it has the consistency of sand. So courser than DE but nothing like the appearance of physical features of calcium. I've been told it's
1) dead algae, 2) calcium leaching from the pool, 3) DE, 4) plaster dust.
The splotches were not there prior to taking over the chemistry. They appeared about 3 days ago. pH was high at the time (8). I treated and brought it down to current (last night's test was 7.4...overshot it a it). The splotches look smaller to me after that, but I've looked at the pool so any times trying to analyze every single little thing and fathom what's going on, that maybe I'm simply hallucinating them being smaller.
The "scale" under the water on the wall is definitely new as well. Those color imperfections in the plaster were always there, but nothing was growing. Reading on here and seeing the bulletins I was pointed to, I'm fairly convinced that it is a plaster imperfection that water got behind and it now easting the mineral content where it is and it will stop when that expires. However perhaps that is also an hallucination?
And I don't know if they are all related or not. Especially, since the chemistry is "in range" for most of the last 2 months with the exception of pH creeping up over time (which I understand or think I understand why it does).
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THANK YOU JV TRAIN!
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Here are pics then that apparently never showed the first time I tried to do this. These are the underwater pics showing the tumor on the pool wall. Please note these were taken with an underwater camera. The color is NOT representative of what the pool, wall, or water looks like. Please see above pics for that.
This is a picture of the particulate matter. Same caveats for color of water, walls, etc. This was taken underwater with one of those disposable underwater cameras. Particulate is heavy enough to settle, can be quickly stirred up by moving water near it, gets captured by the mouse if on the pool floor, is odorless, tasteless, white, and looks like white sands like you'd see on Jamaica beaches.
I've been working on my chemistry. Tested pH this morning and it was at 8 again, so I tamped on it to get it down to 7.4. Later in the morning, I added Calcium and CYA.
Latest test results:
Temp 88
FC=4
TC=4
pH=7.4
TA=80
CH=300
CYA=45
Salt=3300
CSI=-.33
LSI=-0.04
I was leery of adding in a whole bunch of CYA at one time since I see lots of threads about it being too high and needing to drain the pool. Would prefer to not get in that situation. Think I misread PoolPal when it said what to do yesterday. Think I read the weight number and thought it was volume of liquid. So I need to add the rest of the gallon I bought because it didn't even change from yesterday.
Latest test results:
Temp 88
FC=4
TC=4
pH=7.4
TA=80
CH=300
CYA=45
Salt=3300
CSI=-.33
LSI=-0.04
I was leery of adding in a whole bunch of CYA at one time since I see lots of threads about it being too high and needing to drain the pool. Would prefer to not get in that situation. Think I misread PoolPal when it said what to do yesterday. Think I read the weight number and thought it was volume of liquid. So I need to add the rest of the gallon I bought because it didn't even change from yesterday.
If you're going to use liquid stabilizer, you might want to dose to ~70 so it should show up quickly. From there, you could go up to 80 if you need to depending on your FC deterioration due to all that sun you get there daily.
Thanks. I plan in adding the rest of the gallon in, in the morning. The bottle says it raises it 32ppm per 10,000 gallons so a full gallon should raise it about 26ppm for 12,000 gallons. That should bring it to right about the 70 mark you suggested. Pool math says I need waaaaay more than 1 gallon to raise it up. I suspect it is more accurate than the bottle? I'm doing the CYA addition slowly....going past it seems more problematic than not having enough.
Putting 12000 in the pool volume and 45 with a target of 70 cya says you need 104 oz-- 24 oz shy of a gallon.
Hmmm....I think I'd better revisit my volume conversions in my head and remember how many ounces are in a gallon.
You might consider getting a converter app for your cell phone. I love my convertpad. I'm not a metric kinda guy, but my app gets me the right numbers every time.