LOTS of news! LOVE the lights and the placement and number are purrfect!;There will be NO hiding in that grotto with the lights on that is for sure!
Goodyear, AZ (EMR) O/B Pool Deliberations - UPDATE - Pool is Filled!
- Thread starter thewolf56
- Start date
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Thanks, Kim.
I was a little disappointed with the lights when they were changed to red. I could see where I would have placed one more microbrite in hindsight, but the location may have ended up pointing too much at the house. It's not a huge area of darkness, but I notice it. Every other color works well though, and I know red is the most troublesome of colors for coverage, so I won't complain.
The chlorine burns off really quickly without CYA. I added 61 ounces of 10% bleach yesterday and it was already burned off by this morning, so added the same amount this morning.
pH is slowly rising each day, but needing a little less each day to get it to the NPT startup range. TA is getting a little lower each day from the muriatic acid additions. I'll be able to add CYA tomorrow.
Lots of wind here every day depositing fine dust in the pool, so I can't wait until I can use the vacuum brush on day 7 to help with that.
When you add the CYA do NOT pour it into the skimmer. Put it in a sock (like you wear) and hang it off a stick right in front of a return with the pump running. You can also walk around in the pool with the sock squeezing it as you walk around. Just make sure there is no holes in the sock LOL
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
A couple of pictures of how the water is looking 3 weeks in. I can't wait to buy and use a robot... The dust that keeps ending up in my pool from all of the storms (lots of lightning, wind, and dust, but little rain in my part of the Phoenix area) is starting to get on my nerves. The brush vacuum I used does not move against the pebble well, so it's difficult to use in the deep end to get the dust. Almost wishing I sprang for the IFC, but we'll see once I can use something with wheels and move to the salt cell.
I keep testing daily for FC and pH. Test almost every day for TA still (pH is still rising a bit each day). CYA is holding at somewhere between 40 and 50, but I keep burning through the chlorine. CH is steady at 325. TA is usually 80, but will go to 90 every few days.
Also bought a handrail cover. don't think it is going to last more than one season as it is already fading fast. Have to get the Velcro type due to the shape of the handrail. I might need to go to Joann's and practice my sewing skills.
Weather has been cool the past few weeks from all of the storms, but it is going to be hot for the next week. Water temp fluctuates between 87 and 92 throughout the day, so not sure how hot it will actually get next July.
Still have a lot of work to do in the backyard, but trying to enjoy the pool in the evenings after work instead of working on these projects. We've been limiting it to late afternoon use when it is in the shade, but curious as to when it will be okay to start using sunscreen and going in with more sunlight.
I keep testing daily for FC and pH. Test almost every day for TA still (pH is still rising a bit each day). CYA is holding at somewhere between 40 and 50, but I keep burning through the chlorine. CH is steady at 325. TA is usually 80, but will go to 90 every few days.
Also bought a handrail cover. don't think it is going to last more than one season as it is already fading fast. Have to get the Velcro type due to the shape of the handrail. I might need to go to Joann's and practice my sewing skills.
Weather has been cool the past few weeks from all of the storms, but it is going to be hot for the next week. Water temp fluctuates between 87 and 92 throughout the day, so not sure how hot it will actually get next July.
Still have a lot of work to do in the backyard, but trying to enjoy the pool in the evenings after work instead of working on these projects. We've been limiting it to late afternoon use when it is in the shade, but curious as to when it will be okay to start using sunscreen and going in with more sunlight.
Your pool looks great! Did you do aqua blue micro with puerto rico blend glass and abalone shells? If puerto rico blend glass, did you use small or large?
Also, how deep is your pool in the shallow and deep ends, and is it clear enough to be able to see the floor?
Can you post more pictures?
Thanks in advance!
Also, how deep is your pool in the shallow and deep ends, and is it clear enough to be able to see the floor?
Can you post more pictures?
Thanks in advance!
Last edited:
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.
We went with aqua blue micro with Puerto Rico blend glass (no abalone shells). We went with small, but I think there were a few large mixed in as there are some dark blue glass beads that look a little larger. We had planned on using abalone, but our subcontractor doesn't use them because they had experienced the browning stains improperly prepped abalone can cause in the past (she called it rust, but the forum searches here seem to think its caused by the protein). We thought the abalone was low risk, but our sub thought the iridescent glass beads would be enough and I think she was right.
Pool is 15" at the shelf (need to remeasure now that it is filled), 3.5 ft in the shallow end and slopes to 6 ft in the deep end. I can definitely see to the floor if the wind would ever stop blowing around here.
I'll post more pictures soon. For now, here is the shot from the security camera with it filled. You can see the drain in the deep end clearly, but the turtles which are in a shallower part are harder to see because of the wind causing ripples in that area.
Thank you! In the latest picture, the pool looks lighter than the 3 pictures you posted a few days ago. The pool looked so dark in the pictures from a few days ago that you had me a bit worried!
This lighter color looks very similar now to Nikilyn’s, or is it my imagination?
Do you recall how many bag formula you used for the Puerto Rican glass beads?
Thank you again so much!
This lighter color looks very similar now to Nikilyn’s, or is it my imagination?
Do you recall how many bag formula you used for the Puerto Rican glass beads?
Thank you again so much!
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I don't think it's your imagination. Most of my overhead shots are done with a 4MP security camera (and it's a pretty good commercial-quality camera), but the settings on it are more to catch details and movement than for 100% color accuracy. Other photos are from my phone which has a good camera, but also defaults to HDR.
I took an overhead shot through a low-E window (which has a barely noticeable tint to it) from my phone's camera and attached it here. The security camera does not have anything in front of it to obscure the colors. I would say the true color to the eye is in between the 2 photos, but leaning much closer to the phone camera.
Lighting, depth, and reflection has a huge impact on the color. Overcast days and it leans greyish, dusty skies and there's a hint of green. Clear blue skies, light beautiful blue. Shadow from the grotto gives that area a green hue (I've read it's because of the brown color of the rocks, but aqua blue has a few pieces of brown aggregate in it). Angle of the sun hitting it also seems to change the color.
I know this doesn't really help, but overall I am happy with it.
I've also attached a couple of night pics from overhead so you can see that it doesn't absorb a lot of the light like darker colors will.
Edited to add Nikilyn has a micro color that wasn't offered in micro at the time we selected, but it is a beautiful color.
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
So, today was salt day. I spent a little bit of tie reading the various threads on which type of salt to buy. Thanks to this forum, I knew to avoid the Clorox pool salt like the plague. I ended up ordering 11 bags of the Morton water softener crystals (the blue bag, not the yellow) from Sam's Club yesterday as it was the best price for high purity salt crystals that weren't Clorox (Clorox pool salt was the cheapest by far around here). Thanks to curbside pickup, my wife was able to go pick those up for me.
I ordered 11 bags as Pool Math had told me I needed a little under 10 bags to raise my pool from 800 to 3600, but the last time I had measured the salt was right around the time I filled. I measured the salt again before adding any bags and the reading was 1200! The salt had gone up 400 ppm in 30 days. So with the new calculation, it called for 7 bags plus 39 pounds, so I threw in all 8 bags and brushed it around the deep end to dissolve it.
After that, I went to install the salt cell. I turned off the breakers at the pad first, then flipped the breakers off at the house main panel for the pool. I uninstalled the dummy cell, lubed up the o-rings on the unions, and installed the salt cell. I double checked that the wires were connected inside the panel per the Intellicenter installation manual, ran the wire from the salt cell to the panel, and plugged it into the socket on the bottom of the Intellicenter panel.
After I flipped on the breakers at the main panel, I turned on the breakers inside the Intellicenter and waited for it to boot. I entered settings and added the Intellichlor under "Chemistry" I waited a few minutes and no lights were on on the IC40... I checked the socket connection and opened the panel again to trace the wires and everything looked good, but no LEDs were on for the SWG... I looked around more in the settings at the panel and couldn't figure it out. At that point, I decided to go inside were it was cooler to read through the installation manual and read the IC40 manual to troubleshoot.
After reading the manuals again, I checked the Intellicenter app and still nothing under Chemistry for salt production or salt water measurements. I decided I was going to go open up the panel again and retrace all wires to make sure they were all connected correctly inside the panel by the electricians. When I walked to the pool pad, the salt cell was lit up green for status and chorine production (50%). Not sure what fixed it, but it was there working. I checked for leaks ( I was running the pump at a high RPM to add more pressure to the union in order to test). No leaks, so I was happy with that. I had planned on running some 1" conduit for the run back to the panel, but that isn't big enough for the plug at the end, so now I will have to check and see what size PVC will allow for that run to be made and be easy enough to remove for cleaning and what not. I think 2" is overkill, but I don't think 1 1/4" is big enough. I'll have to check.
Next, I'm going to run the calculator here to see what output I should use for my pool.
Also have my Dolphin Active 30 on order from Marina Pool and Spa and should be arriving this week. The staff there was awesome to work with .
Still more work to do in my backyard (including testing the waterslide), but I have been enjoying the pool almost every evening with the kids. I think after this week, it will be a lot easier to keep maintained.
I ordered 11 bags as Pool Math had told me I needed a little under 10 bags to raise my pool from 800 to 3600, but the last time I had measured the salt was right around the time I filled. I measured the salt again before adding any bags and the reading was 1200! The salt had gone up 400 ppm in 30 days. So with the new calculation, it called for 7 bags plus 39 pounds, so I threw in all 8 bags and brushed it around the deep end to dissolve it.
After that, I went to install the salt cell. I turned off the breakers at the pad first, then flipped the breakers off at the house main panel for the pool. I uninstalled the dummy cell, lubed up the o-rings on the unions, and installed the salt cell. I double checked that the wires were connected inside the panel per the Intellicenter installation manual, ran the wire from the salt cell to the panel, and plugged it into the socket on the bottom of the Intellicenter panel.
After I flipped on the breakers at the main panel, I turned on the breakers inside the Intellicenter and waited for it to boot. I entered settings and added the Intellichlor under "Chemistry" I waited a few minutes and no lights were on on the IC40... I checked the socket connection and opened the panel again to trace the wires and everything looked good, but no LEDs were on for the SWG... I looked around more in the settings at the panel and couldn't figure it out. At that point, I decided to go inside were it was cooler to read through the installation manual and read the IC40 manual to troubleshoot.
After reading the manuals again, I checked the Intellicenter app and still nothing under Chemistry for salt production or salt water measurements. I decided I was going to go open up the panel again and retrace all wires to make sure they were all connected correctly inside the panel by the electricians. When I walked to the pool pad, the salt cell was lit up green for status and chorine production (50%). Not sure what fixed it, but it was there working. I checked for leaks ( I was running the pump at a high RPM to add more pressure to the union in order to test). No leaks, so I was happy with that. I had planned on running some 1" conduit for the run back to the panel, but that isn't big enough for the plug at the end, so now I will have to check and see what size PVC will allow for that run to be made and be easy enough to remove for cleaning and what not. I think 2" is overkill, but I don't think 1 1/4" is big enough. I'll have to check.
Next, I'm going to run the calculator here to see what output I should use for my pool.
Also have my Dolphin Active 30 on order from Marina Pool and Spa and should be arriving this week. The staff there was awesome to work with .
Still more work to do in my backyard (including testing the waterslide), but I have been enjoying the pool almost every evening with the kids. I think after this week, it will be a lot easier to keep maintained.
Well done! It will take a bit of tweaking to find what works best for your pump and cell to have a true TFP! Quite a few people run their pumps on low 24/7 so there is always some chlorine being made. @Newdude is a good example of this.
Oh yeah. At 'pool school' day, being entirely green, the service tech lost me about 2 sentences into his spiel of pump runtime and SWG %. He kept talking for a while and sensing I was LOST he said out of frustration: 'or just run the dang pump on low all the time and always make some FC, rarely having to touch anything'
*record scratch*
I UNDERSTAND THAT !!!! Let's do the easy way !!!!
*record scratch*
I UNDERSTAND THAT !!!! Let's do the easy way !!!!
- Sep 3, 2018
- 1,340
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I haven’t been on here for a long time and am just seeing your finished pool. It looks beautiful 
! What a wonderful mistake to get 3 bags of glass for the price of one 
. I wish we’d have gotten more bags. At first I wondered if you had gotten the same color we did, aqua white, but then saw the 3 pics and knew it had to be aqua blue. I think they look like the same color only the blue is darker. Is your finish smooth? Ours is but our friends got it too with their builder and I stood on their top step and it wasn’t as smooth as ours 
. Glad you got a couple months to enjoy it.
! What a wonderful mistake to get 3 bags of glass for the price of one . I wish we’d have gotten more bags. At first I wondered if you had gotten the same color we did, aqua white, but then saw the 3 pics and knew it had to be aqua blue. I think they look like the same color only the blue is darker. Is your finish smooth? Ours is but our friends got it too with their builder and I stood on their top step and it wasn’t as smooth as ours . Glad you got a couple months to enjoy it.
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Thank you, Niki. We were very pleased with that mistake also.I haven’t been on here for a long time and am just seeing your finished pool. It looks beautiful
Our steps to the baja ledge and the baja ledge are very smooth. I remember watching them sand that and the bullnose with a round abrasive cloth when they did the acid wash. Other areas are kind of rough in transition areas, but not really anywhere someone would step or lean a bathing suit against. The walls are fairly smooth as is the pool floor, but not as smooth as the baja ledge and top 2 steps. Those areas definitely got the most attention with the sanding pad.
I was sick for almost 2 weeks after my birthday, so my wife and daughter got to use the waterslide before me. We're still using the pool almost every evening, but started using the heat pump (I had to redo the Intellicenter installation for that myself, so thank goodness for decent manuals) because apparently 85 degrees is too cold over here to swim
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- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
So, I want to thank this website again for providing so much guidance to the new pool owners.
About 1.5 weeks ago after a big storm blew a bunch of my neighbors' desert willow flowers and bougainvillea flowers into my pool during a storm, I noticed a stain on my baja ledge. Over the next day, I noticed 3 more stains develop on the finish throughout the pool (2 on my baja ledge, 1 on the wall of the bench in my shallow end, and 1 on the wall of the bench under the grotto (about 5 feet underwater)). Due to the surface reflection, it was pretty much impossible to get a photo of the stains on the bench walls. The picture of the stain at night with white light that I took last night was the first time it clearly looked like rust. Even the techs at the pool store I (local pool supply and service store) couldn't tell what it was from the picture alone.
Because the timing of the stains coincided with the storm debris, I originally thought it could be an organic stain (and they were more yellowish than rust colored when they first appeared). Brushing did not help at all, so I tried the tips found here (Stains in Your Pool). I tried to find a small amount of tri-chlor tabs (don't use the tabs, so I didn't want to spend $50+ on a 5 pound bucket), so I eventually found a 1 lb container of 1" tabs at Walmart. tried using that on one of the baja ledge stains and absolutely no change to the stain.
So, I decided to try testing for rust stains. Bought a bottle of 100 non-chewable Vitamin C tablets and last night I decided to test the stains after the kids went to bed. Threw 25 tablets into a sock (I probably now have more non-holey socks dedicated to pool chemicals than in my sock drawer) and crushed the with a hammer. I went outside, changed all of the pool lights to white for visibility, set the sock on the first stain on the baja ledge, and set the timer on my phone for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, I lifted up the sock, and the stain was gone! I proceeded to do this for the next 3 stains and they all disappeared! Holding the sock for the stain under the grotto was difficult because it was 5 feet underwater, so I ended up holding it with my foot...
Now, I need to figure out how to get the stains off my waterfall already (CSI is currently at -0.07 and is normally under 0.30 since I have been running it)... In person, some of them almost look like cement or plaster dust that has hardened on the surface. Would love any tips for that (didn't see it in the articles.)
And one of the grotto inside LED lights went out last Thursday. The uplighting microbrite still lights it up quite well, but now I have to get the waterfall guy out to fix that also.
We're still using the pool almost every evening as long as there isn't a storm (hope I don't get a big shock on my electric bill from the heat pump), and now that it is starting to cool off around here, I might start to work on the rest of the backyard again.
About 1.5 weeks ago after a big storm blew a bunch of my neighbors' desert willow flowers and bougainvillea flowers into my pool during a storm, I noticed a stain on my baja ledge. Over the next day, I noticed 3 more stains develop on the finish throughout the pool (2 on my baja ledge, 1 on the wall of the bench in my shallow end, and 1 on the wall of the bench under the grotto (about 5 feet underwater)). Due to the surface reflection, it was pretty much impossible to get a photo of the stains on the bench walls. The picture of the stain at night with white light that I took last night was the first time it clearly looked like rust. Even the techs at the pool store I (local pool supply and service store) couldn't tell what it was from the picture alone.
Because the timing of the stains coincided with the storm debris, I originally thought it could be an organic stain (and they were more yellowish than rust colored when they first appeared). Brushing did not help at all, so I tried the tips found here (Stains in Your Pool). I tried to find a small amount of tri-chlor tabs (don't use the tabs, so I didn't want to spend $50+ on a 5 pound bucket), so I eventually found a 1 lb container of 1" tabs at Walmart. tried using that on one of the baja ledge stains and absolutely no change to the stain.
So, I decided to try testing for rust stains. Bought a bottle of 100 non-chewable Vitamin C tablets and last night I decided to test the stains after the kids went to bed. Threw 25 tablets into a sock (I probably now have more non-holey socks dedicated to pool chemicals than in my sock drawer) and crushed the with a hammer. I went outside, changed all of the pool lights to white for visibility, set the sock on the first stain on the baja ledge, and set the timer on my phone for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, I lifted up the sock, and the stain was gone! I proceeded to do this for the next 3 stains and they all disappeared! Holding the sock for the stain under the grotto was difficult because it was 5 feet underwater, so I ended up holding it with my foot...
Now, I need to figure out how to get the stains off my waterfall already (CSI is currently at -0.07 and is normally under 0.30 since I have been running it)... In person, some of them almost look like cement or plaster dust that has hardened on the surface. Would love any tips for that (didn't see it in the articles.)
And one of the grotto inside LED lights went out last Thursday. The uplighting microbrite still lights it up quite well, but now I have to get the waterfall guy out to fix that also.
We're still using the pool almost every evening as long as there isn't a storm (hope I don't get a big shock on my electric bill from the heat pump), and now that it is starting to cool off around here, I might start to work on the rest of the backyard again.
See how the waterfall "stains" react to a VERY light muriatic acid/water mixture and spray some on it. Start with 10% m.z to 90% water. Have a hose or something with straight water in it ready to rinse it off. Maybe have a stiff brush to scrub it a bit.
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
- Aug 3, 2015
- 245
- Pool Size
- 15900
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I'm pleased to report that the muriatic solution worked wonderfully (thanks @kimkats ). I bought a cheap 0.5 gallon sprayer from Harbor Freight (along with a set of brushes that included nylon brushes), mixed a solution of 10% muriatic acid, put on my gloves and eye protection, and tested it on the backside of my waterfall first (because if there was any damage, it would not be noticeable from the pool area. It was interesting to watch the bubbles forming in the almost the exact spots of the stains. I lightly scrubbed and immediately hosed off the area until I was pretty sure the area had been thoroughly diluted. I let it dry and could see the stains I tested were were gone. I then treated the rest of the area behind the waterfall (stairs area)for the plaster dust/calcium/scaling/etc. stains using the same method.
After I was satisfied with the back of the waterfall, I started treating the stains on the grotto waterfall. I had to do this in sections due to reach and my desire to not let any of the acid dry on the surface (it's still warm out here in AZ). Some areas were a little precarious (the column right next to the slide was very difficult to reach), but I managed to finish without falling into the pool this time. Because of the amount of water I used to rinse off all of the acid, I could not tell if I was able to clean everything off until everything dried. It took a while to dry, so by the time I finished cleaning my sprayer and brushes, it was still a little damp. When it did dry, I could still see a few areas I will start with first next time around (it was impossible to see stains if they were wet from the rinsing), but I thought it looked significantly better.
Back of Waterfall - Before and After
Front of Waterfall Before and After
View from Pool After Cleaning
After I was satisfied with the back of the waterfall, I started treating the stains on the grotto waterfall. I had to do this in sections due to reach and my desire to not let any of the acid dry on the surface (it's still warm out here in AZ). Some areas were a little precarious (the column right next to the slide was very difficult to reach), but I managed to finish without falling into the pool this time.
Because of the amount of water I used to rinse off all of the acid, I could not tell if I was able to clean everything off until everything dried. It took a while to dry, so by the time I finished cleaning my sprayer and brushes, it was still a little damp. When it did dry, I could still see a few areas I will start with first next time around (it was impossible to see stains if they were wet from the rinsing), but I thought it looked significantly better.Back of Waterfall - Before and After
Front of Waterfall Before and After
View from Pool After Cleaning
SO glad it worked and a shame you did not fall in the pool after all of that sweaty work LOL