new member and Pool from Southeast Louisiana

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Back to the pool.......

Here's the current situation. Looks, so far, that I have fared on the better side of things. I can see the phillips head screws on the main drains clearly in the deep end this morning. Water looks like it is 3 feet deep. Hard to tell in the pictures due to the reflection of the overcast clouds this morning. FC was at 1.0ppm this morning. Added another scoop (1.5 lbs.) of Cal-Hypo (all I have right now) to hold it off. Wife is going to the store in a few to pick up liquid chlorine from Wally World. It is worth noting that this system has always run a 0.5ppm - 1.0ppm and remained crystal clear. So, I'm not too worried about it getting away from me again until I get the bleach going.

CH = 400 (Rain is Helping)
TC = 1.0
FC = 1.0
pH = 7.6
TA = 80
CYA = 40

Stairs2.jpg

Pool3.jpg
 
Great to hear that the pool is clearing up and all your cal-hypo is used up :)

Bringing the FC up to 4 ppm with chlorinating liquid as soon as you can should keep it in good shape. Hopefully the test kit arrives in the next few days.
 
Ban,

Thanks for clarifying. I guess this all illustrates how important good analyses are. When your TF 100 comes you'll be in way better shape. With 50 ppm in your tap water I think Pooldv has hit the nail on the head, must be the new plaster. By the way, I remembered south LA water being pretty soft as Pooldv indicates as well (I lived there a long time ago) so I checked and verified all of St Tammany Parrish sits on an aquifer that is only 3.5 grains per gal (~60 ppm). So this also confirms Pooldv's recollection... good memory Pool!

Chris
 
needsajet said:
Great to hear that the pool is clearing up and all your cal-hypo is used up :)

Bringing the FC up to 4 ppm with chlorinating liquid as soon as you can should keep it in good shape. Hopefully the test kit arrives in the next few days.
Click to expand...

It was short lived. Went out again this afternoon and it was getting murky again. Took a sample and the FC and TC were both at 2.0. Wife came home with the bleach so I poured in a full gallon to bring it up to 7.4ppm. I did this because I don't know if my CYA ppm is 30 or 50. They are on the same color button on the guess strip readout. I wanted to err on the side of caution in case I was at 50. We could smell the chlorimines about an hour later. So, I'm still burning off bad stuff. The devil I can't see.

Oh how I hate these test strips. They are all over the place. How can my TA shoot up from 80 to 100 in half a day? Is pH pulling it up?

This test was taken earlier this afternoon around 4:30 CST.

CH = 400
TC = 2.0
FC = 2.0 (Hit it with 128 oz. of 10% bleach. Will see where I'm at tomorrow)
pH = 7.8
TA = 100
CYA = 40

Will check again in the morning and dose some MA and another bottle of bleach.

Going to reduce pump run time to 4 hours per day as well to save on electricity and wear and tear on the pump. The PB strongly advised that I run the system for at least 12 hours a day. And, knowing what I now know, that recommendation came because they knew that the system they installed is only capable of delivering 3ppm per 12 hour run cycle. I remember thinking to myself, "why do I need to run this thing 12 hours a day? My uncle's SW pool runs 4 hours a day." I knew something was up, I just didn't know what it was at the time. Now I know. How can PBs in good conscience do this to their customers for a few hundred bucks?

I have zero trees anywhere near my yard. One of the reasons we bought this house as we planned on installing a pool immediately. So, the only thing that finds its way into this pool is sand from the deck, bugs, the occasional small frog, and bathers. I'm going to follow the Pool School recommended pump run time guide as a starting point since my pool is much, much cleaner than most from a potential debris accumulation perspective. Is it better to run the pump at night or during the daytime hours? Does it matter in terms of getting the most bang for the buck out of chlorine applications?
 
I wouldn't bother with TA for now. The TA and CH are good enough based on the test strips. Only worry about FC and PH. Keep pH between 7.2 and 7.8 And keep FC above minimum for your cya, [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. It is good to chlorinate during the day because that is when it mostly gets used. If you want to chlorinate at night make sure there is enough to last all day.
 
^^^ that dude nails it every time.

You learn fast as you take control, well done!

I'm hoping your cloudiness is coming from the calcium in the cal-hypo, but that big whiff of CC has shifted my thoughts, unless there were a lot of kids swimming in it just before you topped up the FC. When the test kit arrives, you can do an overnight chlorine loss test (OCLT) to find out if you have algae. Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) (do this test to the letter, or you end up having to repeat it)

Try bringing your pH down to 7.2 and tell us if the cloudiness reduces.

Use muriatic acid 31% and be careful. Have glasses on cause it's bad in the eye. Don't sniff it, stay upwind or hold your breath.

Stay away from "pH Down" from the pool store because it has sulfates which add nothing useful to the pool and the stuff is not recommended with a (future) SWG.

You're picking up TFPC fast.
 
Thanks,

Went out this morning and the pool is super clear. FC is above 10. Have a TC(CC?) reading of approximately 4.0 though. So, I did as instructed and added another 1/2 gal. of chlorine.

I gotta tell ya, this is the clearest this pool has ever been and I'm merely in the middle of trying to determine how much algae I have, or if I have any left. I can only imagine once I do the OCLT and then get the pool dialed in how clear it will remain. You guys made a believer out of me for sure. You guys saved me from losing control of the pool. I'm so glad i found this site. As soon as I get my life in order, donation on the way.

Anyone in doubt of the TFPC method should try it. It most certainly works. Thanks for the help. As soon as I get my kit I will report back.

CH = 400
TC = 4.0
FC = 10.0+ (Added another half gallon to keep it up.)
pH = 7.6 (Dropping slightly)
TA = 40 (This alarms me. From 100 to 40 overnight. Keeping an eye on this. Could be test strips)
CYA = 40
 
Could be test strips? You aren't convinced that they are inaccurate yet??? :) Most of our members prefer to read them upside down in the trash can. :mrgreen:

You haven't seen clear yet! Just wait. Look at the pics in my signature.
 
So, they came out and fixed the tile issue on one of the skimmers. That guy made a little mess and had the pool startup guy came out to clean the pool. He was all ears on TFPC. I told him straight up that the system on my pool was not adequate. He knows.

So, the water is so clear now, I cannot see the water line on the waterline tiles looking down at them. I had to stoop to see where the water starts. Can't wait to get the water trued up and borated. Have to wait until the test kit before I can make a move. Arrrrggg! Armed with the knowledge I've gained thus far from this site, I'll be looking like Pool Travolta soon.

This experience might help me get back in good with the wife too. Heheheh! It gave me the opportunity to demonstrate to her my academic prowess and my ability to solve random, complex problems with confidence and aplomb! What every woman wants in a man. Mwahahhaa! Don't bother telling me I'm not right. I already know. :p
 
hahaha, that's funny. Glad it's working and you're gaining ground :)

Early on, you mentioned the slippery honed/polished travertine coping. I asked around and the best suggestion I've heard so far is sandblasting. Best chance for a uniform result. Then I assume vacuum the sand out of the pool.

The other idea which is strictly just an idea without experience behind it, is muriatic acid. Our deck is limestone and when a drop of MA is splashed it sizzles briefly. I wash it off and see no damage, but obviously it's dissolving a bit of stone. So the idea is to probably start with a dilution (try 1:4) and gradually go stronger depending what it does. Another idea is to leave the MA on the stone for a while and follow it up with baking soda. You could play around with this on a piece of waste stone if you have some. It might work but I'm sure would take multiple treatments. Our limestone was acid washed after laying and before I sealed it, and it was hard to detect much impact on the stone from the MA (other than a lot of sizzling, haha).

Hope your test kit comes soon!
 

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We were told the coping tile would be slick. Were also told the tumbled travertine would not be. That's not the case. In fact, I just spoke to my Dr. today. My efforts in attempting to go without surgery have failed. Doc says he doesn't expect it to get any better until he goes in a scopes my knee. So, I twist my knee on this deck, have to have surgery, tell the PB's son (he's a super with the company) what happened, he comes over, wets the deck, takes his socks and shoes off and slides his foot across the tile two or three times and tells me, "My dad has this kind of tile and he doesn't have any slipping issues." Really? That's great, pal. This put me out of work for 2.5 weeks thus far. I lost all vacation time and now my employer is angry at me. Based on his response, he couldn't care less.

At this point, my wife and I are concerned that we can be held liable if someone slips on the pool surface because we are aware of it. Don't get me wrong, we don't want anyone to get hurt. It's just that, all we need right now is a lawsuit filed against us because of this deck.

Due to my situation at work, we cannot afford have any type of service completed to add adhesion coatings to the surface right now. Heck, if I'm slipping on it and am aware of it, how bad is it going to be for someone who is not aware of it? We've watched no less than 8 people thus far (children and adults) slip and lose their footing on the deck just by walking across it slowly. One of our family members slipped and fell completely down with pool shoes on? It's bad. At this point, we regret not sticking with the concrete pavers. Would have been cheaper and less slick.

Perhaps someone that has gone through this and has a long-term solution to it may chime in. Might be a topic for a different thread.
 
Sorry that hear about your issues. I sent you a PM and am willing to bet I I know who your builder was.

SWG will make things super easy. Even with all the rain we get my pool remains rock solid. I maintain FC at around 7. Only issues with all of the rain has been loss of salt and CYA. I just had to add a couple of bags of salt and need to bring CYA up some. I've followed the TFP recommendations from day one and have had crystal clear water and have never had to shock or slam the pool.

surprised you find the travertine slippery. I have tumbled travertine and find it to be no more slick than wet concrete.
 
Hi Wyatt,

The travertine we have is Noche. We were told it would be tumbled. Apparently it is tumbled and filled. They installed it filled side up which makes the deck look like it was splattered with white paint because the fill is mostly off white looking with some tan in it. It's not bad, but we were under the impression it would have holes in it when we ordered it. When they came to install the deck, the installers said they had never seen it filled like that before and asked me if I wanted the smooth side up. I said, "sure." I don't know if this stuff is different or truly tumbled. The edges don't look too beat up like tumbled would be. We're not sure. I've seen on the internet where there is a honed and filled (not honed and polished like our coping) paver, but have yet to find anything about tumbled and filled.

Every slip I've had and we've seen thus far goes like this. Keep in mind, this is walking very carefully. Foot is planted, weight transfer begins on the planted foot. Just as the other foot begins to be brought forward to take the next step, the planted foot slides anywhere from 4 - 8 inches. It is unnerving to say the least.

I talked to my uncle about this as he has a stained and sealed concrete deck. He found that people putting on spray sun block was causing people to slip, so we've never allowed the application of chemicals like that on the deck. We have to tell people to step out into the grass to apply sun block.

This is when it was first installed. Most of the polymeric sand has since been ejected from between the pavers by rain.

trav1.jpg
 
The filled is definitely contributing to it being more slick. Mine is not filled so has varying degrees of pits, holes and divots. My coping which isn't true coping but 2x2 travertine "pavers" is filled and is substantially more slick than the rest of the deck which is not filled.
 
Thanks for the insight Wyatt. I thought about having them come back out and flip the tiles, but they would have to re-cut the perimeters around the coping and deck edges. That would make for one fine mess since the pool is already filled.

BTW - I read your pool build thread. Your pool came out really nice. Great design! I was wanting to go with a geometric shape as well. First design from the PBs that bid the job were all geometric. Then my PB showed my wife and daughter the free-form design, which ours is loosely based on. They both picked that over the geometric. So.....I had to acquiesce to their desires even though I knew I had a battle for price on my hands as free-forms are cheaper and easier to build for the PB. It took me a while, but we got in close to where we wanted to be price wise. Although I don't suspect that I will ever feel as though I didn't pay too much. :)
 
Pool is crystal clear this morning. Been maintaining about 8 ppm FC the last three days and boost it with half gallon of 10% every day as instructed. Water burns the eyes when we went swimming last night. I can never tell what the true pH/TA is with these Aquachek strips. Can't wait for my K-2006 kit to get here.

Do you guys recommend I get an OTO kit as well? Was thinking of buying the TF-100 kit too as it comes with it. Since pH and FC should be checked daily, I suspect this kit would make more sense?

Now that the water has been clear for 2 days, I pulled the Nature2 canister out of the loop this morning. Checked the Rainbow inline chlorinator, only have about 4 pucks left in it. Have it wide open to dissolve them as soon as possible and will not add more pucks once these are gone. After that, it's getting on my feet and installing a SWCG.
 
Basically your travertine is acting just like racing slicks on a car. You'd be better off with all-seasons. The filled travertine is not allowing any of the water to be forced into the grooves/divots and you are hydroplaning. Honestly, between getting better traction and not having to see the white/light fill material on the travertine, having them flip is isn't such a bad alternative. Messy while it happens, but could be great in the end.

As for the SWCG, you will love it. I haven't added anything chemically to my pool at all in a few weeks (and then just a little M.A.) My pH has mostly stabilized after three years. I just tweak my salt cell setting to maintain a consistent FC level. Easy peasy. Just brush and throw in the vac once a week and test every few days (because I know my pool and it's so dialed in). Full testing once a month.
 
The K-2006 will run out of reagents over time, so you will use up the reagents in both kits eventually. As long as you store them inside, the reagents last a long time. Duraleigh swears by the handiness of the daily OTO, and I trust his judgment on that. Main thing is the supplies don't get wasted either way.

I got the sandblasting suggestion from bdavis466 and maybe you can't do it right away, but in the long run for both looks and traction, I think that's a good suggestion. It would likely soften the white splatter effect a bit as well. In the meantime, I think you'll see the white stuff darken over time as fine dust gets ground in a bit. Filled travertine is relatively common down here, either filled wherever the stone is cut, or done with grout at installation.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. As far as the travertine goes. I was intrigued by WyattEarp's comment that his coping is filled travertine and he noted a marked difference in adhesion between that and his decking. So, I grabbed a piece of unused travertine, wet it on both sides and sure enough, the non-filled side had much more adhesion when wet. The difference was tremendous. I think I'll be calling the builder and asking them to flip the deck. That ought to go over well. I'm sure they are going to fight me on it. Bottom line is, they are supposed to know what they are doing. My fear is that they are going to be irritated about having to redo the job and it'll be a sloppy fix.

My daughter slipped on it tonight and went to the ground. Being young, she was able to catch herself with her hands. It's a matter of time before someone else gets seriously hurt besides myself. I'll contact the builder tomorrow and the decking contractor to give them the scoop. There's no way this can be left like this. No way.


Oh, and my K-2006C arrived this evening as well as my PoolProof. Was going to use the borax method and couldn't find any. Walmart.com wanted 13 dollars and some change for a box online and Sam's was reasonably priced but wanted 100+ bucks to ship it. So, I ordered the PoolProof. The next day, my wife is at Walmart and tells me that the Borax is $3.96 a box and not 13+. Nothing like realizing you just threw away $200.00 bucks. Arrrgggghhh!
 
Borates is reserved for last, once everything else is settled in. Looking forward to seeing your test results. Have fun with the mad scientist handle your wife and kids will give you in a week or two :)
 

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