Hello all I'm new to the forum and a first time pool owner. Our pool was built and completed late September of last year. We decided on a dark blue quartz plaster to have a lagoon type look. Overall please with the outcome of construction however I have from the get go thought there was an issue with the plaster. It projects the dark blue water color we were after but the plaster to me just looks pretty bad. It has and has always had what I would refer to as a grey film or coating on it. Some may even call it a haze of sorts. When the plaster was completed the plaster company immediately started filling the pool as they left our house. They put the hose in with white cotton rag over the end of the hose which I know is standard and believe is a recommended practice. The pool took approximately 36 hours to fill. After full the pool sat for about 12 hours before the pool builder showed up to do the start up. The builder started the equipment and we added 12 gallons of muratic acid to perform the acid start up. His instructions were to leave the pumps running and brush it at least twice daily and more if possible. We brushed pretty consistently before we left for work, when we returned from work, and before bed for several weeks. We had a some plaster dust but I did not think it was a huge amount. I always thought it just had this grey film from the get go. I mentioned it to the builder after a few weeks and his was response was it looks great! It's custom so there will be some imperfections and will continue to change over time. So I listened and nothing really ever changed that I can see.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was really able to get in the pool with some goggles and take a good look at the plaster without glares from the sun or other factors. Still think it just looks really dull. The beatuiful colors of the dark blue quartz are really just covered with the grey matter. Also noticed in several areas where the are huge spots that a slick to the touch but are just solid grey. I again mentioned to the builder my concerns and he sends out his tech and warranty person (his son) to take a look. He looks and agrees there looks like there are some problem areas and says let me talk with the plaster guys and I'll come up with a plan. So a week later he calls and says he's stopping by to take a water sample which he does and takes it to Leslie's for analysis. He text me later that evening and states that my calcium hardness is too low and that he is consulting with the plaster company and will be back in touch with a plan. Two days later he says that he has figured out the problem and has a plan to proceed. So he again tells me that I have low calcium hardness and says the water is pulling calcium from the plaster and its being redeposited onto the surface as this grey haze / film. I agree cause I have read that this is and can be an issue so we go with that plan. He did not provide me any test results other than telling me the calcium hardness was less than 100ppm. His recommendation was to add 20lbs of calcium hardness increaser and run the pumps for 24 hours. The following day he says to add 8 gallons of muratic acid and brush as much as possible after the addition of the acid while running the pump for an additional 24 hours. So I followed instructions as he told me too but before I added the acid yesterday I got in with my GoPro camera to document a before and after so to speak. I'm really just wanted to confirm what I'm being told. Of course they are not treating this as a warranty issue but a water chemistry issue on my end. My argument is that it has been like this from the get go and they have failed to address it until now unwillingly. I don't disagree that it may be calcium scaling but I believe its something that was done in initial start up that may have caused it. I'm have convinced myself that its plaster dust which I believe is still calcium? that adhered to the walls and floor. Any advice anyone can offer is much appreciated. I have added a few pictures I took with my GoPro yesterday. I read though a lot of post yesterday but never really read though one that fit my problem that I could find so I apologize in advance if this has already been discussed in the forum. Lastly my pool is a free form sport pool with deminsions of 35'x25' at the widest point. Depths are 3.5' to 5.5' to 4.5' and I live in south Texas in a suburb north of Houston.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was really able to get in the pool with some goggles and take a good look at the plaster without glares from the sun or other factors. Still think it just looks really dull. The beatuiful colors of the dark blue quartz are really just covered with the grey matter. Also noticed in several areas where the are huge spots that a slick to the touch but are just solid grey. I again mentioned to the builder my concerns and he sends out his tech and warranty person (his son) to take a look. He looks and agrees there looks like there are some problem areas and says let me talk with the plaster guys and I'll come up with a plan. So a week later he calls and says he's stopping by to take a water sample which he does and takes it to Leslie's for analysis. He text me later that evening and states that my calcium hardness is too low and that he is consulting with the plaster company and will be back in touch with a plan. Two days later he says that he has figured out the problem and has a plan to proceed. So he again tells me that I have low calcium hardness and says the water is pulling calcium from the plaster and its being redeposited onto the surface as this grey haze / film. I agree cause I have read that this is and can be an issue so we go with that plan. He did not provide me any test results other than telling me the calcium hardness was less than 100ppm. His recommendation was to add 20lbs of calcium hardness increaser and run the pumps for 24 hours. The following day he says to add 8 gallons of muratic acid and brush as much as possible after the addition of the acid while running the pump for an additional 24 hours. So I followed instructions as he told me too but before I added the acid yesterday I got in with my GoPro camera to document a before and after so to speak. I'm really just wanted to confirm what I'm being told. Of course they are not treating this as a warranty issue but a water chemistry issue on my end. My argument is that it has been like this from the get go and they have failed to address it until now unwillingly. I don't disagree that it may be calcium scaling but I believe its something that was done in initial start up that may have caused it. I'm have convinced myself that its plaster dust which I believe is still calcium? that adhered to the walls and floor. Any advice anyone can offer is much appreciated. I have added a few pictures I took with my GoPro yesterday. I read though a lot of post yesterday but never really read though one that fit my problem that I could find so I apologize in advance if this has already been discussed in the forum. Lastly my pool is a free form sport pool with deminsions of 35'x25' at the widest point. Depths are 3.5' to 5.5' to 4.5' and I live in south Texas in a suburb north of Houston.
