Pebble done!

[brimorga]

I already hate brushing this entire pool everyday, guess that's the problem with a big pool! In the spa it just feels like I'm pushing the same small amount of plaster dust around and I can't get it out with the net or get it down the drain.

How long do I need to wait until I can use the robot? They did pebble and an acid wash the day after, I'm hoping it's soon! I don't really see much dust in the pool when I brush but at night when the lights are on there are a lot of tiny dust floaties in the water tin front of the lights.

 

[Nikilyn]

You need to wait a month before using the robot.

 

[Cena_sea]

I don't recall seeing much dust or debris in the early days but I'd lined the skimmer basket right away (I actually initially bought skimmer socks which did not fit) but found the paint filters or hair netting that's recommended here. That might help get the fine particles out and I changed them daily throughout the summer but now can leave them in for longer.

Later on I looked for a fine particle handheld pole net (for dog hair) and bought a couple--and the netting was the same as the one we already had. A solution was putting a paint bag over the netting to create a finer mesh.

 

[TampaKathy]

I already hate brushing this entire pool everyday, guess that's the problem with a big pool! In the spa it just feels like I'm pushing the same small amount of plaster dust around and I can't get it out with the net or get it down the drain.

How long do I need to wait until I can use the robot? They did pebble and an acid wash the day after, I'm hoping it's soon! I don't really see much dust in the pool when I brush but at night when the lights are on there are a lot of tiny dust floaties in the water tin front of the lights.

Yeah, my pool is only a little smaller than yours and brushing was harder and takes longer than I expected...I did not expect brushing the pool to be a workout, lol.

 

[Cena_sea]

I got it after startup but I found a brush suggestion on this site (not the whale though I looked into that) that I think makes brushing slightly easier and faster compared to the brush I had as part of an initial kit. It was the sweep ease (the full poly or nylon brush). I had a conversation about getting a new brush from one of the pool guys and he recommended a half steel and half poly brush that he said he likes to use to shine glass pebble so I bought the sweep ease version of that too but have not used. Read here that steel brushes are not recommended on new plaster (at least a year) so I am waiting til after the year mark to try.

 

[brimorga]

You need to wait a month before using the robot.

I've read a lot about this and it seems to be that is definitely the advice if you get plaster, but I've seen conflicting advice about pebble, albeit not a ton. I got some serious depression after your post so I decided to email adamspools who installed my pebble plus and here is what they said.

"Please wait at least 14 days before heating the water and monitor chemical balance more closely after you turn on your heater.

Also, wait 14 days for the pool sweep/robot cleaner."

So while 28 days is definitely the safe way to go, I guess if I want to risk it and do it earlier at least I now have a note from the pool company to warranty my surface if anything goes wrong!

One really dumb question I have about the heater is if you need to filter out the plaster dust from your pool before turning on the heater and you do that primarily by brushing and then attempting to push the dust out through the drains and skimmers, does the pool filter do a poor job at actually filtering it out and still allows a lot to pass through? My understanding is the pool heater is after the filter, so shouldn't the heater only be heating clean filtered water? I mean, the advice is pretty clear to wait on heating due to concerns about ruining it, so I guess to answer my own question, the cartridge filter must not filter out everything and it seems like the advice by Cena_sea makes a lot of sense to also try filtering at the skimmer to just increase the possible places you can catch the dust/particles.

 

[brimorga]

A solution was putting a paint bag over the netting to create a finer mesh.

Genius! Thanks for all the input and also your mail message about trying the handheld spa vacuum!

edit: I just tried this for about 10 minutes and caught more plaster debris than I had all week. Things are looking up!!

 

[Newdude]

does the pool filter do a poor job at actually filtering it out and still allows a lot to pass through?

The filter does it’s thing awesome. Until the pump runs at higher flow and forces smaller particles through the filter that it should have trapped. A dirty filter will work better to a point as the stuff it already trapped will trap smaller stuff too.

Hair nets / skimmer socks will stop a lot of it from ever getting to the filter. So you have many easy cleans (1 min hairnet swap) and much longer intervals before having to deep clean the filter. (1 hour tear down / clean/ re-install).

 

[Newdude]

Plus there is the turnover myth for the filter. Run XX hours to ‘turnover’ your gallons through the filter. But you’re mixing the whole time too and only half (?) of your water made it through the filter. The second ‘turnover’ leaves you with 25% unfiltered water and it takes many many more to get it all.

Exactly why you see Slams dragging on at the cloudy stage trying to filter it all out. Some of it takes a week or more to be caught.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

Genius! Thanks for all the input and also your mail message about trying the handheld spa vacuum!

I'm looking at one of the handheld vacuums for my spa, too. Our robot just can't seem to get the corners

 

[ajw22]

"Please wait at least 14 days before heating the water and monitor chemical balance more closely after you turn on your heater.

Also, wait 14 days for the pool sweep/robot cleaner."

So while 28 days is definitely the safe way to go, I guess if I want to risk it and do it earlier at least I now have a note from the pool company to warranty my surface if anything goes wrong!

Why no wheeled cleaner for first 30 days? Plaster is sufficiently hard once the pool is full of water. Pool cleaners can be installed and utilized after about two days if there is no plaster dust forming. The reason that tracks develop is usually from plaster dust being "packed down" by the pool cleaner wheels and then not removed by brushing. So it can look like an "indention" (and discolored) but it is not an indention. Brushing afterwards can help prevent the plaster dust from sticking on the plaster.

One really dumb question I have about the heater is if you need to filter out the plaster dust from your pool before turning on the heater and you do that primarily by brushing and then attempting to push the dust out through the drains and skimmers, does the pool filter do a poor job at actually filtering it out and still allows a lot to pass through? My understanding is the pool heater is after the filter, so shouldn't the heater only be heating clean filtered water? I mean, the advice is pretty clear to wait on heating due to concerns about ruining it, so I guess to answer my own question, the cartridge filter must not filter out everything and it seems like the advice by Cena_sea makes a lot of sense to also try filtering at the skimmer to just increase the possible places you can catch the dust/particles.

Why no heater use for first 30 days? With new plaster there is a lot of plaster dust in the water and the pH is usually very high. When you heat water the potential for scale formation in the heater increases significantly. The actual timeframe for waiting to use the heater has no real merit. As long as the plaster dust is under control and the pH is in range there is no reason not to use it. Your risk of rushing to use the heater is scale clogging up the heater coil.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

The filter does it’s thing awesome. Until the pump runs at higher flow and forces smaller particles through the filter that it should have trapped. A dirty filter will work better to a point as the stuff it already trapped will trap smaller stuff too.

Hair nets / skimmer socks will stop a lot of it from ever getting to the filter. So you have many easy cleans (1 min hairnet swap) and much longer intervals before having to deep clean the filter. (1 hour tear down / clean/ re-install).

I would clean the filter and let it run some more before turning on the heater. We waited the 30 days for both heater and robot, and part of "pool school" was the PB guy cleaning the filter (and showing us how). If you are going to run the robot at 14 days, let him run around a few times before turning on the heater.

Why no wheeled cleaner for first 30 days? Plaster is sufficiently hard once the pool is full of water. Pool cleaners can be installed and utilized after about two days if there is no plaster dust forming. The reason that tracks develop is usually from plaster dust being "packed down" by the pool cleaner wheels and then not removed by brushing. So it can look like an "indention" (and discolored) but it is not an indention. Brushing afterwards can help prevent the plaster dust from sticking on the plaster.



Why no heater use for first 30 days? With new plaster there is a lot of plaster dust in the water and the pH is usually very high. When you heat water the potential for scale formation in the heater increases significantly. The actual timeframe for waiting to use the heater has no real merit. As long as the plaster dust is under control and the pH is in range there is no reason not to use it. Your risk of rushing to use the heater is scale clogging up the heater coil.

So... A robot that has tracks rather than wheels... could you safely run that sooner? (moot question for us, just curious)

 

[ajw22]

So... A robot that has tracks rather than wheels... could you safely run that sooner? (moot question for us, just curious)

I think tracks will pack down plaster dust the same as wheels would. So no difference.

 

[Cena_sea]

I'm looking at one of the handheld vacuums for my spa, too.

I can pm the model. It does clean corners and crevices with a narrow attachment. I’ve also used it on the steps in the pool. It has nylon brushes at the end and not wheels.

But I am also hesitant to recommend this particular model because to fully charge it takes a long time. That being said I can vacuum debris in the spa pretty well.

 

[KCNM]

I have just a little Catfish Ultra vacuum that I use for spot cleaning and stairs and such. Used to use it more, but now I have a big boy robot vacuum so it's been downgraded.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Tech-Blaster-Catfish-Ultra/dp/B000HX1HLG

 

[brimorga]

Pool is balanced, most of dust is removed and it should be swim ready next weekend. Pool is at 65, kids don’t care, they are going to swim anyway. I have 500sq ft of east facing solar pool heating but autocover not installed for a few more weeks. Will it be worth it at all to run the solar panels this week, weather will be mid 70’s but cold at night? I’d like to heat the pool some, this pool has been a long time coming, even willing to blow a good chunk of change on the gas heater but if I can save some money with the solar, I’d like to.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

View attachment 381085Pool is balanced, most of dust is removed and it should be swim ready next weekend. Pool is at 65, kids don’t care, they are going to swim anyway. I have 500sq ft of east facing solar pool heating but autocover not installed for a few more weeks. Will it be worth it at all to run the solar panels this week, weather will be mid 70’s but cold at night? I’d like to heat the pool some, this pool has been a long time coming, even willing to blow a good chunk of change on the gas heater but if I can save some money with the solar, I’d like to.

If it's balanced, it's swim-ready. Let those crazy kids jump in! I would think that any solar use would be better than nothing, and offset some of the cost of the gas heater.

 

[KCNM]

View attachment 381085Pool is balanced, most of dust is removed and it should be swim ready next weekend. Pool is at 65, kids don’t care, they are going to swim anyway. I have 500sq ft of east facing solar pool heating but autocover not installed for a few more weeks. Will it be worth it at all to run the solar panels this week, weather will be mid 70’s but cold at night? I’d like to heat the pool some, this pool has been a long time coming, even willing to blow a good chunk of change on the gas heater but if I can save some money with the solar, I’d like to.

Huh... I never really considered that there might be a point where running the solar panels might be detrimental? Benefits of living in Florida, I guess...

Tried to do some reading right now and didn't find anything specific on a temperature break point. Apparently it's definitely a bad idea to run it during rain. Do you have any kind of control that could monitor the output and ensure it's not cooling the water?

However, I would guess that with highs in the 70's there should be plenty of heat to extract into the pool water.

 

[brimorga]

Huh... I never really considered that there might be a point where running the solar panels might be detrimental? Benefits of living in Florida, I guess...

Tried to do some reading right now and didn't find anything specific on a temperature break point. Apparently it's definitely a bad idea to run it during rain. Do you have any kind of control that could monitor the output and ensure it's not cooling the water?

However, I would guess that with highs in the 70's there should be plenty of heat to extract into the pool water.

You're lucky and you get to run those panels year round! Like an idiot I started to run my pump at night instead of during the day and I think that contributed to dropping the pool temp down to 59. Ran the panels for a few hours today to see how well they work and got it back up to 61 before cloud cover came in.

Apparently the Onmi PL is supposed to monitor the temp of the solar panels and adjust accordingly but I can't find much documentation in the manual about exactly how it works so I'm still figuring it out, but I think that is supposed to be automated. The guy who set up the pool equipment said you want it at least 7 degree warmer air than pool water for the solar to work but I don't know if you configure that or how it works.

Over the weekend I did mess around with what it means to winterize the solar panels and opened the drain attached to the bottom of the panel array on the roof. I couldn't believe how much water was in there considering I'd never used them, but maybe they got switched on during setup. Anyway, I drained it completely cause it was probably stale water, closed it up when it was done, then tested it again the next day to see if I got it all and surprisingly there was a ton more water in there even though I never turned it on. Does the valve system for the solar heating still allow some water to go up there even if it's turned off?

 

[Cena_sea]

I’m not sure. Our solar is still enabled. We never turned it off. When the filter first goes on a ton of water gushes into the pool (very shortly after pool is on it seems) so it makes me think there’s always water in the pipes except you didn’t turn it on so not sure how water was repumped in.

I was going to contact the solar company soon to ask questions re:winter use. I didn’t think about emptying the pipes.

Edit: read here most solar systems are self draining but I really don’t know.