My plaster is a mess. I will include pictures. It has been getting worse and my pool guy refuses to take any responsibility and says it's because the plaster is old. I disagree.
Pool Plaster is a mess HELP!
- Thread starter azali
- Start date
Hi, is the information in your signature line old? If you could correct or update the information that will help us help you. Please post a complete set of test results to give us a starting point to trouble shoot your pool.
That wasn't my signature, I have replaced it.
I don't have the exact test results. My pool guy show me that his TEST STRIP showed everything was okay. I asked him to check the calcium and it was 250. I don't have a test kit.
I don't have the exact test results. My pool guy show me that his TEST STRIP showed everything was okay. I asked him to check the calcium and it was 250. I don't have a test kit.
A good test kit is about as important to pool care as a good pump and filtration system. Test strips are very unreliable and do not give the precise values necessary to dose the pool correctly. From you photo it looks like you may have some calcium scale and algae, however I would need to know the calcium levels and the pH to know if that was likely to be true. First I advise you to order a high quality FAS/DPD test kit such as a Taylor K2006 or the TF100 . Next, although pool store testing is not very reliable either it is better than strips, so take a sample to be tested and post the results here. Then we will have something to work from and trouble shoot the problem.
Azali,
Think of it this way - if you buy your own test kit (~$60-$100) and spend some time on this forum learning the TFPC Method, you can say GOODBYE to your "pool guy" and save yourself all the money you spend on his obviously lousy service.
DIY pool care is waaaaaaaay cheaper, especially in the long run.
Think of it this way - if you buy your own test kit (~$60-$100) and spend some time on this forum learning the TFPC Method, you can say GOODBYE to your "pool guy" and save yourself all the money you spend on his obviously lousy service.
DIY pool care is waaaaaaaay cheaper, especially in the long run.
I have a good test kit for my fish tank. It says the ph is 6. I tested gh and I was to count the number of drops when it turned from orange to green, but it was never orange so it was a very light green with the first drop and a little more green with each drop. So it looks like the gh is very low.
My pool guy tested the calcium with his test kit and it was 250. I think he has really been screwing up and caused this mess. What service can I have come look at it to tell me what is going on?
Thanks
My pool guy tested the calcium with his test kit and it was 250. I think he has really been screwing up and caused this mess. What service can I have come look at it to tell me what is going on?
Thanks
The only "service" anyone here is going to recommend is that you buy a Taylor-based reagents test kit (Taylor K-2006 or TFTestKits TF-100) and do your own pool "service". There is no other substitute and, as you can see from your results, a fish tank test kit and the so-called "expert pool service guy" tells you very little. Why would you want to waste money on more service people who don't care about you or your pool water and just want to part you from your money?
General Hardness (GH) means nothing to a pool. You need to specifically measure the following - free chlorine, combined chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid concentration. Taylor drop-based testing reagents are the industry standard and exact to ppm levels. There is no other substitute for them, not test strips and definitely not pool stores.
Without that information, there is no way to help you help yourself.
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General Hardness (GH) means nothing to a pool. You need to specifically measure the following - free chlorine, combined chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid concentration. Taylor drop-based testing reagents are the industry standard and exact to ppm levels. There is no other substitute for them, not test strips and definitely not pool stores.
Without that information, there is no way to help you help yourself.
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You last two are not answering the question that I asked. FYI I am 70 years old, my husband died recently and I am in treatment for breast cancer. I am just not up to taking care of the pool now.
f3justusc
Well-known member
Azali,
Sorry to hear what you are going through and I completely understand the pool is not something you can devote you attention to right now. Is there a relative or a neighbor who could help you?
Sorry to hear what you are going through and I completely understand the pool is not something you can devote you attention to right now. Is there a relative or a neighbor who could help you?
Perhaps if you had supplied more details about your physical and time limitations, people could help you better. You don't have to tell the world all the details but saying that you have a physical limitation or medical condition that limits your ability to engage in heavy outdoor work would have been nice to know.
As the previous poster suggested, you probably need to either find a friend or relative to help you OR ..... you might consider closing your pool considering your limited abilities to care for it and a serious health issue that requires most of your attention.
It is unlikely any pool service company will help you in any meaningful way. You can certainly throw lots of money at the problems your pool is experiencing but it will likely be money wasted. Perhaps if you add your location (city and state) someone might be able to recommend a local service person. Maybe even someone on this forum who lives near you would consider coming over to help...it happens quite a lot.
If you can purchase the necessary test kit and find a friend or neighbor to help you out, then anyone in this forum can provide plenty advice and suggestions based on that information. But the point still stands, without accurate test results no one here can magically come up with an answer.
Good luck with your pool and I wish you well in your cancer treatments.
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WOW, lucky me! Not only am I getting pool advice BUT as a bonus, being taught how I SHOULD communicate AND how to live my life. Thanks Sunny!
I live in San Ramon, CA if anyone is near who can help.
I live in San Ramon, CA if anyone is near who can help.
You asked for help. The responses were pretty consistent: we need test results from a reliable test kit in order to help you.
I have found the moderators to be nothing but helpful. Sometimes direct, but always willing to help.
From my perspective, and experience and having read thread after thread, you can't use a pool guy AND employ the TFP method, unless said pool guy also uses TFP method.
Best of luck with your pool and health issues. Wish I lived nearby, nothing tickles my heart strings like sparkly water.
I have found the moderators to be nothing but helpful. Sometimes direct, but always willing to help.
From my perspective, and experience and having read thread after thread, you can't use a pool guy AND employ the TFP method, unless said pool guy also uses TFP method.
Best of luck with your pool and health issues. Wish I lived nearby, nothing tickles my heart strings like sparkly water.
If your question is what pool service you should use, it's going to be impossible for us to recommend one since we don't know where you're located. Your best bet is probably angie's list.
azali,
I'd like to start off by welcoming you to the forum. I'm sorry that you're feeling put off by the answers you have been given, however I'm not sure we can offer any extra help in assigning a person to come to your house to do the work for you. We are more than happy to assist you in learning how to manage your pool, however that is something it doesn't sound like you are interested in.
I'd like to start off by welcoming you to the forum. I'm sorry that you're feeling put off by the answers you have been given, however I'm not sure we can offer any extra help in assigning a person to come to your house to do the work for you. We are more than happy to assist you in learning how to manage your pool, however that is something it doesn't sound like you are interested in.
OK guys, I purchased a TF-100. Here are the results.
TC: 8 ppm
CH: 120 ppm
TA: 70
CYA: 100
HELP, why is my plaster looking so bad?
TC: 8 ppm
CH: 120 ppm
TA: 70
CYA: 100
HELP, why is my plaster looking so bad?
Couple of points
1. You should be measuring free chlorine (FC) and combined chlorines (CC) separately. Total chlorine (TC) is not that helpful
2. Your calcium hardness value (CH) seems awfully low for a plaster pool. It should be up higher at 250-350ppm, not 120ppm
3. Your CYA is 100ppm but that is the upper limit of the CYA test. In order to get an accurate read of CYA, you going to need to redo the test with a pool water sample that is diluted in half. So one part pool water, one part bottled water, measure CYA and multiply results by 2. With your CYA so high, your FC may not be adequate to hold off an algae bloom.
4. Need to know your pH value.
Once you have all this info, we can plug some numbers into PoolMath (you can do that as well) and we can look at your CSI value which is the calcite saturation index. That will tell us if your water is balance (as opposed to creating calcium scale or causing calcium etching).
For the moment, don't do anything until you can post corrected values. Then we go from there.
On a personal note, if I offended you in previous posts, then I apologize to you. You sound like you've got enough on your life's plate without having to deal with pool problems and a snarky forum poster. I'd like to help, but I'll say up front that all we can do really is help you make sure your water is clean and clear. If there's been damage to the plaster, that's not going to get fixed by posting water test results. Best we can do is help prevent any further damage.
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1. You should be measuring free chlorine (FC) and combined chlorines (CC) separately. Total chlorine (TC) is not that helpful
2. Your calcium hardness value (CH) seems awfully low for a plaster pool. It should be up higher at 250-350ppm, not 120ppm
3. Your CYA is 100ppm but that is the upper limit of the CYA test. In order to get an accurate read of CYA, you going to need to redo the test with a pool water sample that is diluted in half. So one part pool water, one part bottled water, measure CYA and multiply results by 2. With your CYA so high, your FC may not be adequate to hold off an algae bloom.
4. Need to know your pH value.
Once you have all this info, we can plug some numbers into PoolMath (you can do that as well) and we can look at your CSI value which is the calcite saturation index. That will tell us if your water is balance (as opposed to creating calcium scale or causing calcium etching).
For the moment, don't do anything until you can post corrected values. Then we go from there.
On a personal note, if I offended you in previous posts, then I apologize to you. You sound like you've got enough on your life's plate without having to deal with pool problems and a snarky forum poster. I'd like to help, but I'll say up front that all we can do really is help you make sure your water is clean and clear. If there's been damage to the plaster, that's not going to get fixed by posting water test results. Best we can do is help prevent any further damage.
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ewkearns
0
Hi,Re-tested.
FC=8ppm
CC=0
CH 200
CYA I used 1/2 pool and 1/2 bottled water. I thought the black dot disappeared at 50 but saw it a little and added to 40. So, somewhere in there.
Now, I paid a lot for this test to find out what is wrong with my plaster AND NOW you're telling me you won't be able to tell me?
Re-tested.
FC=8ppm
CC=0
CH 200
CYA I used 1/2 pool and 1/2 bottled water. I thought the black dot disappeared at 50 but saw it a little and added to 40. So, somewhere in there.
Now, I paid a lot for this test to find out what is wrong with my plaster AND NOW you're telling me you won't be able to tell me?
What is your pH?
And, from what you have posted so far, your CYA is near or over 100ppm which is way too high. You're likely going to need to drain half your pool water at some point to deal with. High CYA means you need very high FC levels to keep algae at bay. Your current FC of 8ppm with a CYA of 100ppm is not adequate for sanitation.
Please post pH ASAP.
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OOPS, the ph is 7.2
I don't understand what you are saying has to do with the plaster.
I don't understand what you are saying has to do with the plaster.
