- Aug 3, 2015
- 175
- Pool Size
- 34000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hi all,
My gunite pool was finished mid-August of last year. The pool was closed mid-October. Upon opening it this year, there was a lot of calcium that the pool's robot vacuum cleaned up. The water is looking good now, but the walls are quite rough. I'm assuming that this is scaling, right? (I've never had a pool before, so I'm learning as I go)
I did some searching online and it seems like a bunch of people run into this type of issue upon their first opening if they closed their pool not too long after finishing the plastering. I'm thinking that this is happening because the plaster didn't finish curing, but as a result of closing the pool nobody was brushing it and the pH was rising.
Since opening, I've been brushing the pool using a nylon brush for a few days now, and I do think that the scaling is slowly getting better. If I rub my hand along the walls, some of the crystals pop right off. Would I get better results if I switch to a nylon + stainless steel brush? Or a all stainless steel brush? Or, is my plaster still too new to do that? I don't want to cause further issues, and I'm willing to be patient and stick with the all nylon brush if that's the best way to go.
In case you're wondering how the chemistry of the pool is looking:
My initial readings, the morning after opening, were:
pH = way above 8.2
FC = less than 0.5
CYA = 25
CH = 200
TA = 60
The following day they were (after starting to shock and adding chemicals):
pH = 7.5
FC = 12.0
TC = 12.5
CYA = 30
CH = 200
TA = 80
Yesterday they were (after adding more chemicals):
pH = 7.4
FC = 9.5
TC = 10.0
CYA = 30
CH = 300
TA = 80
Today, it's the same, except the FC is 8.5 (and TC is 9).
Thanks in advance for any advice!
My gunite pool was finished mid-August of last year. The pool was closed mid-October. Upon opening it this year, there was a lot of calcium that the pool's robot vacuum cleaned up. The water is looking good now, but the walls are quite rough. I'm assuming that this is scaling, right? (I've never had a pool before, so I'm learning as I go)
I did some searching online and it seems like a bunch of people run into this type of issue upon their first opening if they closed their pool not too long after finishing the plastering. I'm thinking that this is happening because the plaster didn't finish curing, but as a result of closing the pool nobody was brushing it and the pH was rising.
Since opening, I've been brushing the pool using a nylon brush for a few days now, and I do think that the scaling is slowly getting better. If I rub my hand along the walls, some of the crystals pop right off. Would I get better results if I switch to a nylon + stainless steel brush? Or a all stainless steel brush? Or, is my plaster still too new to do that? I don't want to cause further issues, and I'm willing to be patient and stick with the all nylon brush if that's the best way to go.
In case you're wondering how the chemistry of the pool is looking:
My initial readings, the morning after opening, were:
pH = way above 8.2
FC = less than 0.5
CYA = 25
CH = 200
TA = 60
The following day they were (after starting to shock and adding chemicals):
pH = 7.5
FC = 12.0
TC = 12.5
CYA = 30
CH = 200
TA = 80
Yesterday they were (after adding more chemicals):
pH = 7.4
FC = 9.5
TC = 10.0
CYA = 30
CH = 300
TA = 80
Today, it's the same, except the FC is 8.5 (and TC is 9).
Thanks in advance for any advice!