I hired a pool company to refinish my pool with a pebble finish (cl industries), their communication is terrible and I’m not sure how to handle this start up. On day 1 they came and added 5 gallons of muriatic acid and told me to add another gallon every week for 2 wks and to keep pucks in the skimmer. I have been brushing the pool every day and know not to use the auto vacuum for 28 days. I had the water tested today (1 wk since fill and 5 gal acid) and the ph is 7.4 but the alkalinity is at 30. The pool supply store said to add alkalinity increaser but contact the guy who refinished first. However, he doesn’t respond so I am turning here to get everyone’s thoughts. Thank you,
Pebble finish startup...please help!!!
- Thread starter Jimmynicks
- Start date
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi Jim!
Just bumping your thread so a TFP expert can maybe happen along sooner (but they'll be here sooner than later, they love to help)!
I can tell you what they'll probably start with. So you might want to get a jump on it:
Add as many details as you can about your pool and equipment to your signature, something like mine, so TFP can see at a glance what they're dealing with.
Go get either of these test kits, so they can help you based on what's actually going on with your pool water. They won't trust pool store test results, and they'll tell you that you shouldn't either: a Taylor 2006C Test Kit or a TF-100 Test Kit, which you can buy here.
And stay out of the pool store. Seriously, that will only lead you down the wrong path.
You're in the right place. Stand by, they're usually as quick as they are helpful and knowledgable...
Just bumping your thread so a TFP expert can maybe happen along sooner (but they'll be here sooner than later, they love to help)!
I can tell you what they'll probably start with. So you might want to get a jump on it:
Add as many details as you can about your pool and equipment to your signature, something like mine, so TFP can see at a glance what they're dealing with.
Go get either of these test kits, so they can help you based on what's actually going on with your pool water. They won't trust pool store test results, and they'll tell you that you shouldn't either: a Taylor 2006C Test Kit or a TF-100 Test Kit, which you can buy here.
And stay out of the pool store. Seriously, that will only lead you down the wrong path.
You're in the right place. Stand by, they're usually as quick as they are helpful and knowledgable...
Our pool builder suffers from the same communications issues your finish installer does... We had a scary moment that made us believe our pool was falling apart - and it ended up being "normal" debris flushing out of the main drain plumbing. If the pool builder had prepared us for this, we would have avoided a lot of stress. What we have learned since then has been essential - here are some links we used that might help you.
Pool Surfaces Care Instructions - Pebble Tec
Pool School - Start-up New Plaster
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Recommended Levels
PoolMath
Pool Surfaces Care Instructions - Pebble Tec
Pool School - Start-up New Plaster
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Recommended Levels
PoolMath
So my alkalinity is at 30....should I be adding alkalinity increaser even though it’s only been filled for 1 week?
Your TA is probably that low because of the acid start your Pebble guy recommended. Our TA was high and I know, from learning how to lower it, that dumping lots of acid will lower your TA (and pH).
Baking soda will raise the TA back up. From the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry: "It is often best to make large TA adjustments in a couple of steps, testing the water after each one, as adding large quantities of baking soda can raise the PH a little and you don't want the PH going out of range."
I'd use the Pool Math calculator and it will tell you how much to add.
Baking soda will raise the TA back up. From the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry: "It is often best to make large TA adjustments in a couple of steps, testing the water after each one, as adding large quantities of baking soda can raise the PH a little and you don't want the PH going out of range."
I'd use the Pool Math calculator and it will tell you how much to add.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The pool supply store....I went 3 times last week and had the same result with 3 diff people. I don’t know how to do it myself
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
If you want to:
- take care of the pool yourself and save some money
- get advice about your pool's chemistry from this website
- ensure the longevity of your new surface
- ensure the quality of your and your family's swimming experience
- maintain the best pool water possible
then you need to learn to test the water yourself.
If you're interested in any of those things, then I'm leading you to how: first buy a proper test kit, which I described above.
No one here will (or should) be giving you any advice about what to do about your water, or any specific test result, without first seeing a comprehensive set of test results, and more information about your pool. The experts here greatly prefer those tests be performed by you, with one of the recommended kits.
For example, the various chemicals that are monitored in a pool can be dependent on each other. So asking about your alkalinity of 30, or going off and adjusting that on your own, without first understanding what the other chemicals are doing together, can cause more trouble than it might solve. The construction type of your pool, the size of your pool, the equipment, etc all can play a part in obtaining the best answers to your questions.
You haven't mentioned anything about chlorine, or how your pool is being sanitized, so that's another very important thing to know, and do.
Further, the first 30 days of a new pebble finish are very critical to how it will perform: how it will feel, how long it will last, how nice it will look, etc.
The first 14 days are more important than the 2nd.
The first week more important than the 2nd.
The first hours more important than the rest.
So your clock is ticking and the longer you wait to get your water balanced, the more risk you are taking with your finish. That's why I encouraged you to get your test kit sooner, rather than later, so that you could start right in as soon as a TFP Expert finds your thread and your questions.
I cannot speak for your pool store, or the quality of the advice you'll get from there, but TFP has a long track record of people who come here after problems arise from following pool store advice, and using pool store test results. Your mileage may vary. But in your particular case, you're also gambling with your very expensive finish, not just whether your water is green or not.
Again, I'm not a TFP expert. And I'm merely trying to get you involved with one, knowing ahead of time as I do what they're going to need from you. You are absolutely free, of course, to find your own path here.
Best of luck to you.
- take care of the pool yourself and save some money
- get advice about your pool's chemistry from this website
- ensure the longevity of your new surface
- ensure the quality of your and your family's swimming experience
- maintain the best pool water possible
then you need to learn to test the water yourself.
If you're interested in any of those things, then I'm leading you to how: first buy a proper test kit, which I described above.
No one here will (or should) be giving you any advice about what to do about your water, or any specific test result, without first seeing a comprehensive set of test results, and more information about your pool. The experts here greatly prefer those tests be performed by you, with one of the recommended kits.
For example, the various chemicals that are monitored in a pool can be dependent on each other. So asking about your alkalinity of 30, or going off and adjusting that on your own, without first understanding what the other chemicals are doing together, can cause more trouble than it might solve. The construction type of your pool, the size of your pool, the equipment, etc all can play a part in obtaining the best answers to your questions.
You haven't mentioned anything about chlorine, or how your pool is being sanitized, so that's another very important thing to know, and do.
Further, the first 30 days of a new pebble finish are very critical to how it will perform: how it will feel, how long it will last, how nice it will look, etc.
The first 14 days are more important than the 2nd.
The first week more important than the 2nd.
The first hours more important than the rest.
So your clock is ticking and the longer you wait to get your water balanced, the more risk you are taking with your finish. That's why I encouraged you to get your test kit sooner, rather than later, so that you could start right in as soon as a TFP Expert finds your thread and your questions.
I cannot speak for your pool store, or the quality of the advice you'll get from there, but TFP has a long track record of people who come here after problems arise from following pool store advice, and using pool store test results. Your mileage may vary. But in your particular case, you're also gambling with your very expensive finish, not just whether your water is green or not.
Again, I'm not a TFP expert. And I'm merely trying to get you involved with one, knowing ahead of time as I do what they're going to need from you. You are absolutely free, of course, to find your own path here.
Best of luck to you.
I understand and agree with everything you said and will learn how to care for the water myself. However, as you said, the clock is running on a brand new pebble finish. I don’t think that’s a great time to go though pool chemistry 101. Unfortunately for me I did not anticipate my pool refinisher to never show up again after day 1 with no explanation of what I should be doing. I been trying to take the information I am getting from the pool supply store, internet and from this site to make sense of what I should be doing. I did not realize asking if it’s safe to put some alk increaser in a new finish was a complicated question. Apparently it is, based on all the factors that play into it like you said. Thank you for your feedback
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,848
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I've asked one of the TFP experts to check on you. Hopefully she'll be along, or point someone else here.
Mixing and matching advice from multiple sources can actually be worse than following just one of them. So beware of that too. I can totally relate to where you are right now. I, too, was abandoned by my PB during startup, and had no one to turn to. Just like you I started at the pool store, then ended up here. I also endured the interim period of trying to use both resources at the same time, deciding for myself on the fly which made more sense. The short of it is: I learned the hard way the advice I'm now paying forward to you.
Pick one mentor. If it's to be TFP, order the kit. That's what ultimately worked for me.
For what it's worth, I figured out enough of what needed to be done in a day. The rest a day or two later. So while you're probably as intimidated by all this as I was when I was in your shoes, I took a leap of faith with TFP, and they came through for me. Their methods are far easier, and simpler, than you might think, and certainly better for your pool than other resources I tried...
Mixing and matching advice from multiple sources can actually be worse than following just one of them. So beware of that too. I can totally relate to where you are right now. I, too, was abandoned by my PB during startup, and had no one to turn to. Just like you I started at the pool store, then ended up here. I also endured the interim period of trying to use both resources at the same time, deciding for myself on the fly which made more sense. The short of it is: I learned the hard way the advice I'm now paying forward to you.
Pick one mentor. If it's to be TFP, order the kit. That's what ultimately worked for me.
For what it's worth, I figured out enough of what needed to be done in a day. The rest a day or two later. So while you're probably as intimidated by all this as I was when I was in your shoes, I took a leap of faith with TFP, and they came through for me. Their methods are far easier, and simpler, than you might think, and certainly better for your pool than other resources I tried...
Hi! I am SO sorry to hear you plaster guy ghosted on you like that! NOT NICE! BUT you have found TFP and we will get your pool back on track. Dirk and Sehrmude got you off to a good start. Here is a check list for you to do:
-Order test kit right now----do not read anymore, go to this link and order it now please: Test Kits add in the salt test kit if you are going to use a SWG This is the one Dirk linked to you.
-brush your pool good
-read this link: Pool School - Start-up New Plaster Your start up was the acid one. This is one of the ones Sehrmude shared with you
-Here is a good start up card. The back part is the one you want. Start-up Cards - National Plasterers Council Act as if you just put water into your pool and start at step one and follow the steps.
What kind of testing does your Pool Store do? drops? Sticks? Computer? I will wait for you answer before I go any further. Until then please do not go back to them.
Kim
-Order test kit right now----do not read anymore, go to this link and order it now please: Test Kits add in the salt test kit if you are going to use a SWG This is the one Dirk linked to you.
-brush your pool good
-read this link: Pool School - Start-up New Plaster Your start up was the acid one. This is one of the ones Sehrmude shared with you
-Here is a good start up card. The back part is the one you want. Start-up Cards - National Plasterers Council Act as if you just put water into your pool and start at step one and follow the steps.
What kind of testing does your Pool Store do? drops? Sticks? Computer? I will wait for you answer before I go any further. Until then please do not go back to them.
Kim
Ok, I ordered the tf-100 kit just now. The pool store uses a drip method I believe. I give them a sample of water and they start adding drops into it and putting it through some sort of process that looks like a chemistry set. I have been brushing the pool every day. I will be taking the water to get tested again today until my kit gets here
Make sure they rinse the tube before they do the TA test this time. Same for the Ph test. I really don't care about any of the other tests. At least with the drop test they have half a chance of getting those two right IF they rinse the tube and take their time.
Kim
Kim
Ok, today they said the alk was 20 and the ph was 7.0....I put a gallon of acid in on Saturday per pool refinisher instructions before he disappeared. I added 2 pounds of alk increaser as I was not comfortable with it being so low
Jimmy I have a great link for you: Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals Most of this stuff you can buy at Walmart and Target. The rest is at Lowes or Home Depot. All MUCH cheaper than the pool store or even pool stuff at Walmart and Target.
So how is your water looking? Do you see much dust coming off when you brush?
Your test kit will be there in a couple of days then we will really get things dialed in! Keep the FC up until then!
Kim
So how is your water looking? Do you see much dust coming off when you brush?
Your test kit will be there in a couple of days then we will really get things dialed in! Keep the FC up until then!
Kim
The water looks great...not much dust coming off when I brush anymore...looking forward to getting this kit
Jim, while you wait for you test kit can you fill out your signature please??? Go to settings (upper right of this page), edit signature (middle left of that page). Put in kind of pool, size in gallons, equipment, any special features, what test kit, etc. That will help us help you in the future because that info will be on all of your posts. THANKS!
Kim
Kim
Jim,
Even though you don't see much coming off. Keep Scrubbing and maybe do a backwash. My pool was just built in November and I got the diamond brite pebble finish. The only time my TA has ever dropped is after a good rain(Rain in SE is very acidic) or when the system needs to be back washed from all the scrubbing. Normally when scrubbing the TA climbs back in line for me. Best thing to do is get a TF-TEST KIT. Then you can monitor everything yourself. You really most likely did not need 1gl of acid every week if they dumped 5gl in from the start.
Might I also suggest getting the pool math app. Pay the couple bucks and you can keep all your logs right there. Then transfer if you want to whatever it is you want to use.
I test the levels once a week and add accordingly. The biggest issue I had starting out was with getting my Calcium in line.