Pool resurface start up

[rgkpool]

hello all

I’m in process of resurfacing my pool with an aggregate quartz surface (super blue). The final plaster is being completed by my installer this Friday. It has been difficult to get clear answers from my installer as English is his second language, and also I think he is very busy with so many projects.
As such I have questions about the startup process and how to balance the water.

I have found some links, but also many seem to have varying information. I believe I’ll need to add muriatic acid, but how much and how fast is unclear to me. Also I’ve seen to add nothing for 48 hours. And to brush 3 times a day for the first week. Also to bypass a heater (which I can’t). And to not do a slam.

I was hoping people her could I’m either direct me to other useful threads or help me know what to expect, and what actions I should take.

Thanks so much to anyone who has time to respond

 

[Texas Splash]

You've got the TF-100 so you're off to a good start. Checkout the guides below if you haven't already. If you still have questions, post back and we'll try to PM a plaster expert to assist.

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Start-up New Plaster

The first few months are the most criticle for a newly plastered pool. We're here to share best practices to ensure the plaster will last for many years.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[rgkpool]

Hello - I've been moving forward with my pool startup process based on the contractors directions, but now have run into an issue as this morning the pool was extremely cloudy after being clear for the first 5 days. This is going to move into the realm of water balancing rather than construction so maybe this post should be moved.

Let me back up a little first, before posting my test results. After the plaster work was completed I had water delivered by 2 truck loads. They told me the water was "balanced" though I admittedly did not test the water to confirm what that meant. I followed the installers directions and added 4 cases (16 gallons) of muriatic acid and brushed the pool for 5 days. I never had substantial plaster dust when I brushed but there was some dust while brushing. Come day 5 the pool water was still clear, so at that point my direction was to raise PH and balance the water. I tested the PH and it was off the charts low, and I tested the TA and it seemed to be zero. So I added a couple things I had on had 1. Baking Soda (maybe 6 lbs) 2. some PH Increaser pool store product (I think 8 lbs), and 3. 20 Mule Borax (soda ash I think). The next morning the water was still clear. I had no more products on hand so I went to the store to buy a few more. I tested the PH and it was still a bit on the lower side (I think in the 6.8 area) so last night I added (8lbs I think) of the "pool store" PH increaser (Sodium Bicarbonate I think). This morning I woke up and it was completely cloudy.

Also I have been having a bit of problems with the filter pressure going higher. I backwashed once and it was fine. Then this morning I noticed it was high again, so I removed the filter grid and did a full cleaning. This time of year we do have a lot of pollen here so it is a bit normal for me to need to do that at least once.

After cleaning the grids, I waited 2 hours and saw no improvement in the cloudiness. Thinking I may have started to have an issue with no chlorine yet, I added 1/2 gallon of liquid chlorine and 1 "packet" (1lbs?) of calcium hypochlorite (58% I think).

After about 4 hours I have seen no improvement so I finally (shame on me) got out my full test kit to test everything. Here is what I got:
FC: 3
CC: 0
PH: 7.2
CYA: 0
TA: 130
CH: 400+

I may need to rerun these as I'm out of practice, but I feel like they are close to correct. My biggest surpirse here is that Calcium CH was SO high. Did anything I add make it go so high or do you think it came from the water delivery like this. It was crystal clear from the delievery and only went cloudy after adding the last round of PH increaser. Would the PH/Calcium relationship cause an issue with the new plaster and potentailly make it cloudy? Im a bit concerned Im causing damage to the new plaster.

I hope someone here can help! Thanks. I can also rerun my testing to see if it is accurate.

 

[rgkpool]

Just realizing I added Calcium Hypochlorite to a pool that already had high CH apparently I really should have started testing the water earlier. The issue only came up when I added the PH increaser though, so this is not the real source of my issue, though maybe added to it?

Anyway it sounds like the only way to lower CH is to replace some water in the pool.....I question if this is the source of the cloudiness however as it was crystal clear for the first 5 days.

 

[Texas Splash]

Cal-Hypo does add calcium. I doubt that you added 400 ppm worth, so I suspect your local water must be somewhat hard. I don't know because there is no location listed in your profile. But it's still okay for now. Also keep in mind the water is saturated with calcium from the dust, so that could explain it as well and that number might change over time.

As for the cloudiness, i may just be a coincidence because you are long overdue for algae with no CYA or chlorine for so long. Your pH and TA are fine right now. Even if it is algae, you can't do anything about it right now (SLAM Process) because the pool isn't 30 days old yet. You can't do a SLAM Process for 30 days on a new pool. But what you can do rights now is add enough stabilizer to get the CYA up to at least 30 right now. If you're in a hot area go to 40. Then increase the FC to about 7-8 ppm and keep it there for a couple days. After a couple days of keeping the FC elevated like that, consider doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test if the water gets worse. Use only liquid chlorine or regular bleach.

 

[rgkpool]

Thanks for the feedback Texas Splash. I have added about Stabilizer/Cyanuric Acid. I will retest CYA and then keep FC at a normal level for a couple days and will post back afterwards. The water temp is still very low so I had not worried about an algae bloom. In retrospect I should have been adding a small amount of Chlorine.

My location is north of Boston, though the water may have come from NH - Im not sure as the plaster installer arranged the water delivery. Either way, I do believe we may have hard water in this area. It does seem like the timing may be coincidence - as, like I said, it was delivered crystal clear and I had added NO calcium to the water before it suddenly went cloudy overnight.