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A brief update -- Got the pool filled back up after draining about 40 to 50 percent of the water. After getting the pump going again and letting it run for about 90 minutes, I did a partial test with these results: pH 6.8 TA 70 CH 950 So this is the first time pH has even registered on the...

Borax it shall be. I so appreciate all of your help!

Thanks, pooldv! Once I get the pool refilled on this first go-round, I'll immediately address the pH. Now, how best to do that? I have a bucket of Clorox Pool & Spa pH Protect, which is 100% sodium hydrogen carbonate. (Baking soda, right?) Should I use that to start working on the pH?

Next question, please: Pool Math tells me to drain 72% of the water based on the CH numbers, which of course matches what pooldv recommended. I don't want to go quite that far, however, due to our water table -- we had six well points running 24/7 for two weeks between the dig and the shotcrete...

Thanks, Pooldv. When you're new to pools, everything feels a little scary :)

So we have started our partial drain now and have a new question: Are we harming our 33-day-old finish by exposing it for awhile or do you think it's pretty hardy by now?

Thank you, Dave. We'll be doing the water replacement as soon as we can (maybe today), and will closely monitor the refreshed water for TA and pH. Looks like we're already realizing one of the advantages of having such a small pool! I'll stay in this thread :)

Thanks for the reply. No, the small amount of stuff that we added did not move the TA needle. What do you think of the CH? Are we looking at a partial refill?

Wow, do I need your help! We have a brand-new pool and a lot of things going on. I’ll try to explain all of them since I’ve already learned enough here to know that one thing affects another then another. OVERALL: The pool was filled 9/30/16. The builder said his crew would be responsible for...

Good question. I thought maybe it has something to do with our particular finish?

Okay, just redid the TA test, and also read this in Pool School: "The solution should turn green or blue. If the sample turns red, pink, or yellow, you are done, your TA is zero, and your PH is very very low (4.5 or lower)." My sample never had any green/blue; it turned pink right away, so it...

Thanks! Spending the remainder of today picking up thousands of sticks and branches :) If the rain holds off, I'll repeat the TA and calcium hardness tests before sundown and report back. Meanwhile, I'll email the builder with questions about taking over the chemicals and about warranty (and...

Quick background: Our small 8,000 gallon pool was filled 16 days ago. The builder is taking care of the water for the first 30 days, which so far has consisted of people stopping by to pour in muriatic acid and throw pucks in the skimmer. No actual testing of the chemistry has been done that...

It’s hard to say! My process is somewhat labor-intensive: Crush glass scraps into bits, sprinkle those on sheets of glass and fuse together, slice the thick fused slabs into 1x1 chunks on a tile saw and smooth out all of the edges on a grinder, then fire them in the kiln again to polish the...

Just for fun (and off-topic), here are some I made that I thought we might use on the edges of the steps, but I think we'll be able to see the steps without markers. These are about one square inch. Sorry for the lousy iPhone photo :)

I've been fusing glass for more than 20 years and had considered making my own pool tiles. After some research, I decided against it, but I have the article below bookmarked. The article is a few years old, but knowing the nature of glass, there may not yet be any definitive answers. Special...

Thanks!

Thanks! TF-100, K-1766, and SpeedStir it shall be.

Good morning, pool people! I’m about to order my TF-100 test kit, and I see some optional items listed for salt testing. Do you recommend getting the Taylor K-1766 Salt Test and/or Aqua Chek Salt Test Strip options? Or will the basic test kit itself be sufficient?

Wow! Is that algae? Could algae turn that much water green overnight?

The University of Florida is a great resource for just about everything having to do with Florida :) ENH5/LH010: St. Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns Edited to add: Make sure you never mow St. Augustine grass too low. It will stay much healthier (and more dense, crowding out weeds) if you...

Thanks! (Off to read all of the recommended members' stories!)

Thanks for the reply! Thinking at this point that we don't want that first step from the top of the coping to be any higher than 10" but we'll see.

Especially for those with smaller pools, what are the dimensions of your steps? Our plan is so small that we don't want to sacrifice much space to the steps, but they still need to be safe and functional, of course. The water depth where the steps will go is 3'6". Also relevant: I am 5 feet...

I asked our soon-to-be PB for references and he provided three. I asked them if they'd describe their experience overall; what, if anything, went wrong and how it was resolved; and whether they would use him again if they had it to do over. I heard back from all three, and all pointed out some...

Well, we met with the PB today to start setting things into motion and it turns out he doesn't do Pebble Tec. I think I saw "pebble" in his rough estimate and my brain added "tec." So, he's speccing Premix Marbletite's Marquis or Freestone series. We now have the address of a local showroom we...

Okay, I think I'm starting to feel better about Pebbletec products :)

Thanks, Matt! What kind of price difference was there on the Pebblesheen?

Thanks for the replies. I'll ask our builder if he can direct us to some existing pools that we can check out. Our pool will be tiny, so no one will be playing volleyball in it for hours :) and no small kids here, so it's really just a concern about how rough it feels even without running...