- Oct 18, 2009
- 3,638
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Pool build - Southwest FL - Tampa
- Thread starter sehrmude
- Start date
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,980
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
This might have been covered, but worth saying again if it was: knowing what I now know about TFP, pool builders and pool maintenance companies, I would analyze carefully what is learned in their "pool school." It's important to balance what you're builder teaches you (in terms of maintaining warranties) against what TFP teaches. I would run by TFP anything/everything you're taught elsewhere, to get their take. The mis-information circulated by pool professionals can potentially cause anywhere from mediocre water quality to outright eventual destruction of your beautiful, new pool. Only took six years for my first pool guy to destroy my pool's plaster. And the builder that replaced it recommended a guy to help me with pool start up who could not test water accurately. Buyer beware, or perhaps more appropriate: the famous Russian proverb, "Доверяй, но проверяй" {Doveryai, no proveryai} (trust, but verify)!
Congrat's on your pool!
Congrat's on your pool!
My favorite human is getting a little helper - I called a local, family owned pool supply store and purchased a Dolphin S300. They were a little skeptical about someone calling from Afghanistan to pickup a robot in Tampa....but after explaining the situation they really took care of me! Hopefully the robot makes my wife's life a little easier - without a cage/screen around the pool, she is dealing with daily leaf duty..
Make sure to tell us what she names her new friend! So nice of you to take care of her like that as far away as you are!
Yeah the wind FL has been getting is CRAZY right now!
Want another idea to make her life easier when the pollen starts? Do you think she would be willing to change skimmer basket socks? If so here are the ones to get:
Amazon.com: 100 PCS--21 Personal Care
Kim
Yeah the wind FL has been getting is CRAZY right now!
Want another idea to make her life easier when the pollen starts? Do you think she would be willing to change skimmer basket socks? If so here are the ones to get:
Amazon.com: 100 PCS--21 Personal Care
Kim
Thanks Kim! I just ordered those and explained to the wifey how they will help reduce the pump/filter maintenance... She's definately up for changing a hairnet every day or two in exchange for not having to take the cartridge filter out and rinse that as often! Seems like a really really easy daily maintenance item. We have an open pool and the neighbor's oak tree is dropping a lot of leaves right now. If she was going away for more than a couple days, should she leave the hair net out?
Well. Wife went to Leslie’s and did exactly what I told her not to do. We now own Perfect Weekly and “Fresh N Clear”...
Are either of these completely terrible?
Are either of these completely terrible?
- May 3, 2014
- 59,133
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I strongly recommend not using either product. Return them.
Perfect weekly is phosphate remover. You do not need that.
Fresh in Clear is MPS - or non-chlorine shock. You do not need 'shock' with TFPC and the MPS messes up your CC readings for weeks.
Return them.
Take care.
Perfect weekly is phosphate remover. You do not need that.
Fresh in Clear is MPS - or non-chlorine shock. You do not need 'shock' with TFPC and the MPS messes up your CC readings for weeks.
Return them.
Take care.
Has your wife been on this site? She needs to get a proper kit and learn the TFP way.
My hubby is retired AF (retired in 2016 from MacDill), and is now an airline pilot, so I understand your wife’s position being the one at home. We decided I needed to be the one in charge of the pool since his schedule is so irregular. As brand new pool owners having never had a pool before it was super overwhelming to me. The first couple times doing it all myself was scary (I didn’t want to mess up our brand new pool!). But, after those first few times it was very easy. Encourage her to come here and do some reading. Honestly, if I can do it, anyone can. I’m now teaching my young teen girls to do it as well.
My hubby is retired AF (retired in 2016 from MacDill), and is now an airline pilot, so I understand your wife’s position being the one at home. We decided I needed to be the one in charge of the pool since his schedule is so irregular. As brand new pool owners having never had a pool before it was super overwhelming to me. The first couple times doing it all myself was scary (I didn’t want to mess up our brand new pool!). But, after those first few times it was very easy. Encourage her to come here and do some reading. Honestly, if I can do it, anyone can. I’m now teaching my young teen girls to do it as well.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,212
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
How'd that go?
Some of the most interesting (and frustrating for the pool owners) threads here are when spouses are on different pages/different books, when it comes to how to maintain the pool.
We have the TF-100XL kit with salt test add-on, speed-stir, etc.... Since the pool was not completed "on-time" and I was deployed prior to the time it was filled, neither of us had a chance to perform most of the tests...she has performed chlorine and PH tests using the TF-100, but she hasn't read the pool math nor looked at the calculator to know what to add to make adjustments. Heck - she sent me the results of a full test and I didn't figure out the pool math and I have read through the pool school at least twice... couldn't figure out what "sanitization method" to use in the Pool Math calculator (iPhone App), given we are using a salt water chlorine generator.
With her just starting a new job that keeps her really busy, the 9.5 hour time difference between she and I and lack of reliable communications from me to her, it has been difficult for me to assist her. She trusted the pool store - even though I had told her several times not to buy any of their gimmicks (magic potions).
With your pool temp being low right now I am not sure you SWG will work. Some of them don't work if the water is under 60, others if the water is under 50. I think your best bet right now will be using chlorine/bleach (same stuff really just different %).
Ask you wife is she would like talk to me on the phone. We are in the same time zone and I talk "female" real good LOL just as my poor husband when he is trying to figure out what I am saying
Kim
Ask you wife is she would like talk to me on the phone. We are in the same time zone and I talk "female" real good LOL just as my poor husband when he is trying to figure out what I am saying
Kim
With your pool temp being low right now I am not sure you SWG will work. Some of them don't work if the water is under 60, others if the water is under 50. I think your best bet right now will be using chlorine/bleach (same stuff really just different %).
Ask you wife is she would like talk to me on the phone. We are in the same time zone and I talk "female" real good LOL just as my poor husband when he is trying to figure out what I am saying
Kim
Kim,
Thank you so much for the offer to help! Our pool is heated, water temperature is around 80 I think.
I re-read a lot of the pool school information last night, and sent my wife relevant links as well as cliff notes pertaining to our specific pool.
I’ll ask her if she is willing to talk to you on the phone for advice and information see if she’s willing to learn from an expert like you!
What I can do is walk her through doing the tests. I have done this a couple of times and that seemed to do a lot of good in taking away the scary part of it. We also have videos showing how to do the tests she can watch. They are here: https://www.youtube.com/user/tf100testkit?feature=results_main
I would love to talk to her to help in any way I can....daily pool care or just being there as someone to talk to!
Kim
I would love to talk to her to help in any way I can....daily pool care or just being there as someone to talk to!
Kim
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,980
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
What I can do is walk her through doing the tests. I have done this a couple of times and that seemed to do a lot of good in taking away the scary part of it. We also have videos showing how to do the tests she can watch. They are here: https://www.youtube.com/user/tf100testkit?feature=results_main
I would love to talk to her to help in any way I can....daily pool care or just being there as someone to talk to!
Kim
TFP at its finest...
Well - we have experienced our first major issue... When the pool store which inappropriately sold us a Demo Dolphin S300 decided to "make it right" by sending us a new consumer model, they asked that we box up the Demo and return it. When my wife took it out of the pool, it was covered in a hard white substance with certain flecks of color in it....it was covered in Pebblesheen pool finish.
As you may recall, the pebbletec installer put the coating on during the coldest day of the year in Tampa - it was 29° that morning and barely over 35° when they shot the finish coat. I had seen on PebbleTec's website that the temperatures must be above 40° that day and at least 3 days prior to applying the PebbleTec coating... The installer called his supervisor who told him, since it would be over 40° later that day - they were to proceed. We called the pool builder and ensured that the "lifetime" warranty would not be affected. They said to let them proceed.
Pool builder filled the pool the next day. Our security cameras show that the builder's maintenance guy then returned 3-4 days later to start adding chemicals and startup the equipment...I belive he brushed the pool that day also...but did not leave a brush for my wife to use (as it was stated in the contract that they would provide the brush and net) and made no mention that someone should be brushing it. It was another 5 days before the pool company's maintenance guy came back to check water, add more chemicals and brush/vacuum the pool again. This time he left the brush, net and a manual suction side vacuum....but no instructions on when/how to brush or how to connect the vacuum and set pump speeds. (this was all 2 weeks before "pool school"). I again reached out the to pool builder who said "Walt is taking care of your pool - you can brush more if you want to, you can't hurt it by brushing more often".
Walt came 1 more time in the two week period and then scheduled 'pool school'...which obviously failed to give my wife enough information.. For example, my wife too the water to Leslie's to test it - because she was not comfortable with the TF Test Kit. Leslies sold her Muriatic Acid and said to add 15oz. She wasn't comforatble with the acid - so, three days later, she had her father add 15oz of acid. (apparently, it was not explained during pool school that pool water chemistry changes quickly and if you can't use 3-day old data - you must re-test.)
My mother-in-law was over swimming with the wife and asked if the pool could be a little warmer....so wifey cranked the 400,000btu NG pool heater up and got the water to 90° - and left it there for a few days...until the heater reported error code HS (Water Temperature Sensing Error). Again - maybe something the pool builder may have wanted to discuss with the wife during pool school? But maybe Walt figured no one would ever try to heat 10,500 gallons to 90+ degrees? (p.s. - I can't wait to see the gas bill)
It was the next day that the wife found EVERYTHING was covered in loose Pebblesheen finish. It was all over the Demo robot, in the skimmer, pump, filter.......
Pool builder was not responsive, so Wife called PebbleTec directly. They told her that it MUST be due to water chemistry.
That was ~3 days ago.. Pool Builder has still been non-reposnsive. We have not yet made final payment to the builder, nor have we had the final inspection. I told the wife not to use the pool and believe that the PB should be responsible for fixing anything that needs fixed...but I conceede that, due to ignorance of pool care, my wife did allow the water chemistry to get and stay out of acceptable levels for several days.
Could 5 days of water chemistry (Per Leslie's Pool store) with high Ph and "high phospates" cause Pebblesheen to separate?
Below are the results of Leslie's test ( I know - use the TF 100 test kit...but I can't from Afghanistan and the wife is stressed / frustrated beyond belief )
FC: 4
TC:4
Salt: 3200
CH: 260
CYA: 80
TA: 120
pH: 8.0
Acid Demand: 15
Copper: 0
Iron: 0
Phophates: 200
As you may recall, the pebbletec installer put the coating on during the coldest day of the year in Tampa - it was 29° that morning and barely over 35° when they shot the finish coat. I had seen on PebbleTec's website that the temperatures must be above 40° that day and at least 3 days prior to applying the PebbleTec coating... The installer called his supervisor who told him, since it would be over 40° later that day - they were to proceed. We called the pool builder and ensured that the "lifetime" warranty would not be affected. They said to let them proceed.
Pool builder filled the pool the next day. Our security cameras show that the builder's maintenance guy then returned 3-4 days later to start adding chemicals and startup the equipment...I belive he brushed the pool that day also...but did not leave a brush for my wife to use (as it was stated in the contract that they would provide the brush and net) and made no mention that someone should be brushing it. It was another 5 days before the pool company's maintenance guy came back to check water, add more chemicals and brush/vacuum the pool again. This time he left the brush, net and a manual suction side vacuum....but no instructions on when/how to brush or how to connect the vacuum and set pump speeds. (this was all 2 weeks before "pool school"). I again reached out the to pool builder who said "Walt is taking care of your pool - you can brush more if you want to, you can't hurt it by brushing more often".
Walt came 1 more time in the two week period and then scheduled 'pool school'...which obviously failed to give my wife enough information.. For example, my wife too the water to Leslie's to test it - because she was not comfortable with the TF Test Kit. Leslies sold her Muriatic Acid and said to add 15oz. She wasn't comforatble with the acid - so, three days later, she had her father add 15oz of acid. (apparently, it was not explained during pool school that pool water chemistry changes quickly and if you can't use 3-day old data - you must re-test.)
My mother-in-law was over swimming with the wife and asked if the pool could be a little warmer....so wifey cranked the 400,000btu NG pool heater up and got the water to 90° - and left it there for a few days...until the heater reported error code HS (Water Temperature Sensing Error). Again - maybe something the pool builder may have wanted to discuss with the wife during pool school? But maybe Walt figured no one would ever try to heat 10,500 gallons to 90+ degrees? (p.s. - I can't wait to see the gas bill)
It was the next day that the wife found EVERYTHING was covered in loose Pebblesheen finish. It was all over the Demo robot, in the skimmer, pump, filter.......
Pool builder was not responsive, so Wife called PebbleTec directly. They told her that it MUST be due to water chemistry.
That was ~3 days ago.. Pool Builder has still been non-reposnsive. We have not yet made final payment to the builder, nor have we had the final inspection. I told the wife not to use the pool and believe that the PB should be responsible for fixing anything that needs fixed...but I conceede that, due to ignorance of pool care, my wife did allow the water chemistry to get and stay out of acceptable levels for several days.
Could 5 days of water chemistry (Per Leslie's Pool store) with high Ph and "high phospates" cause Pebblesheen to separate?
Below are the results of Leslie's test ( I know - use the TF 100 test kit...but I can't from Afghanistan and the wife is stressed / frustrated beyond belief )
FC: 4
TC:4
Salt: 3200
CH: 260
CYA: 80
TA: 120
pH: 8.0
Acid Demand: 15
Copper: 0
Iron: 0
Phophates: 200
From my reading here - with CYA of 80 and a salt cholorine system, the FC should be higher than 4 to be effective, right? Obviously the pH is high and MA needs to be added more frequently.
We are hiring a pool service to take care of things until I return from deployment - my wife really thought this was something she could do on her own, but, considering her new job keeps her working late into the evening nearly every day and having absolutely zero understanding of pool water chemistry, this is probably the best solution for now. I have much more knowlede of chemistry (in general) and more "free time" than my wife does - I will take care of the pool when I get home.
We are hiring a pool service to take care of things until I return from deployment - my wife really thought this was something she could do on her own, but, considering her new job keeps her working late into the evening nearly every day and having absolutely zero understanding of pool water chemistry, this is probably the best solution for now. I have much more knowlede of chemistry (in general) and more "free time" than my wife does - I will take care of the pool when I get home.
This ^^^^^^ Please tell me you have this in writing of some sort-text, email, ???
I will tell you a weekly pool service is not going to do your pool much good. The PH will be so high by the time they get there it will have already done some more damage
Can you talk to your FIL man to man and see if he can step in with the PB in your place for a face to face?
I hate that this has happened. Let me know what your FIL says and is willing to do.
Kim (NO cheering on this one)