jatkinson, is there something specific that we should do to the edge? If I remember correctly, it's important to keep the edge squared. I also remember something about creating a groove on the underside and/or using silicone (?). I don't remember the specifics though.
Let the wild rumpus start! (new Houston build underway)
- Thread starter schwimmen
- Start date
jatkinson, is there something specific that we should do to the edge? If I remember correctly, it's important to keep the edge squared. I also remember something about creating a groove on the underside and/or using silicone (?). I don't remember the specifics though.
RoyR
Bronze Supporter
With that rounded edge, the water will want to hug the contour....make it more square, to break the viscosity.
The coping has a bullnose, but the stone in the waterway does not. One of the subs did start to round the edge, but my husband noticed and had him stop. So for the most part, that stone is squared off. I’m not sure that we’d be able to get the edge much sharper? That’s why I’m assuming any adjustment would be on the underside, to break the water tension. Is that easy to do when there’s already water in the pool?
If you have a variable speed pump you may want to increase the speed of the pump see if you can get it to move quicker which will help it flow over better. Water will always follow the path of least resistance so any round will cause it to follow that path.
Additionally my spillway is 7ft wide and requires an additional pump that drains from main drain in pool to spa return to flow over.
If you have additional shears you may try shutting those off to see what happens to the flow too.
Additionally my spillway is 7ft wide and requires an additional pump that drains from main drain in pool to spa return to flow over.
If you have additional shears you may try shutting those off to see what happens to the flow too.
Thanks! Will begin to play around with the equipment settings this weekend once I finish reading all the manuals.
I believe our spillway is approx. 5’, but it’s the only water feature. I did notice that the water coming over the spillway looked impressive when the PB was playing with the valves and pump the other day.
Now that the pool is designed and built, it’s time to figure out how it actually works ��
I believe our spillway is approx. 5’, but it’s the only water feature. I did notice that the water coming over the spillway looked impressive when the PB was playing with the valves and pump the other day.
Now that the pool is designed and built, it’s time to figure out how it actually works ��
Update:
The stone pavers have been sealed (need to make sure they sealed the ledger stone, too), and the Fastlane is in. They need to do final electrical hookup before we can turn it on. Water is clearing nicely. Can’t wait to get a vacuum in there though.
I’m happy with the AquaBlue PS but I noticed that the color is a bit uneven. There are areas that almost look as if there are whitish patches and other areas where the blue seems extra vibrant. The light areas are around corners and edges. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal (maybe just the way the different colored stones were distributed?), I just want to make sure that the light patches aren’t due to some weird calcium build up (vaguely remember reading about this) or water chemistry.
We’ll be taking over water chemistry readings this weekend (will post).
It’s really hard to capture it in pictures, but here is one. The dark patch on the bottom is my shadow.
The stone pavers have been sealed (need to make sure they sealed the ledger stone, too), and the Fastlane is in. They need to do final electrical hookup before we can turn it on. Water is clearing nicely. Can’t wait to get a vacuum in there though.
I’m happy with the AquaBlue PS but I noticed that the color is a bit uneven. There are areas that almost look as if there are whitish patches and other areas where the blue seems extra vibrant. The light areas are around corners and edges. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal (maybe just the way the different colored stones were distributed?), I just want to make sure that the light patches aren’t due to some weird calcium build up (vaguely remember reading about this) or water chemistry.
We’ll be taking over water chemistry readings this weekend (will post).
It’s really hard to capture it in pictures, but here is one. The dark patch on the bottom is my shadow.
What you are seeing is very normal. It is hard for them to get the plaster cream off in those areas so the pebbles don't show through as much.
Plaster cream? Okay, I will not worry about obsessively brushing it. Thanks, kimkats.
That's exactly it.. I have some white patches and brown patches as well. I went under water and observed them very closely, and the brown spots randomly had more brown stones showing. If you keep brushing, those "plaster creams(?)/more intense blue spots" will go away gradually.
Happy New Year, all.
Our final inspection(s) should happen this week. The light at the end of the tunnel! Turns out we needed to have all of our grading done around the pool for the inspection, which meant we needed to get the new side fence in asap. Luckily my other/better/calmer half had a bunch of vacation over the holidays, and we got it done. Still want to cap it and stain it, but it looks great.
We had three yards of planting bed soil delivered this morning. The driver told us he could dump it in the driveway or the back alley. The back alley was closer, but it still meant an hour plus of shoveling the pile out of the alley and into the yard. Doesn't sound like a lot of dirt, but it sure felt like it. Ready to get some plants in the beds, but may wait a couple of months. We've had a freeze the last two winters, so it may be better to wait until the 'cold weather' passes. Probably going to be some trial and error when it comes to figuring out which plants will be able to handle salt water, the kids, the cats, and the hellacious summers.
It's also going to take some experimenting with the kayak. Project-Kayak-in-the-Pool didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. I spent twenty minutes flailing around in the Fastlane current before I gave up for the day. If you aren't straight in the current, it whips you around into the wall. But once you are aligned, it's too easy to paddle to the current generator. Husband said he would help me rig up some kind of drag anchor, and I'll try again. Haven't tried being normal and just swimming in the Fastlane yet. Too cold for me right now. Kids were pretty happy with it though.
And the PB has officially turned pool water over to us. A good thing. The chlorine is still at 5/5+, but we've gotten the pH down to 7.5. It seemed too high for too long, and I was starting to worry that it was causing build up or scale to form. On cloudy days especially, the Pebble Sheen seemed like it had a coating over large areas. Looked a bit better today. The SWG is also on now, but the water is too cold for it to actually generate anything. Here are our first two sets of readings from the kit. Still trying to figure out what the numbers mean. Since the SWG only just came online, should we be looking at the ideal values for salt pool or manually chlorinated pool?
Our final inspection(s) should happen this week. The light at the end of the tunnel! Turns out we needed to have all of our grading done around the pool for the inspection, which meant we needed to get the new side fence in asap. Luckily my other/better/calmer half had a bunch of vacation over the holidays, and we got it done. Still want to cap it and stain it, but it looks great.
We had three yards of planting bed soil delivered this morning. The driver told us he could dump it in the driveway or the back alley. The back alley was closer, but it still meant an hour plus of shoveling the pile out of the alley and into the yard. Doesn't sound like a lot of dirt, but it sure felt like it. Ready to get some plants in the beds, but may wait a couple of months. We've had a freeze the last two winters, so it may be better to wait until the 'cold weather' passes. Probably going to be some trial and error when it comes to figuring out which plants will be able to handle salt water, the kids, the cats, and the hellacious summers.
It's also going to take some experimenting with the kayak. Project-Kayak-in-the-Pool didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. I spent twenty minutes flailing around in the Fastlane current before I gave up for the day. If you aren't straight in the current, it whips you around into the wall. But once you are aligned, it's too easy to paddle to the current generator. Husband said he would help me rig up some kind of drag anchor, and I'll try again. Haven't tried being normal and just swimming in the Fastlane yet. Too cold for me right now. Kids were pretty happy with it though.
And the PB has officially turned pool water over to us. A good thing. The chlorine is still at 5/5+, but we've gotten the pH down to 7.5. It seemed too high for too long, and I was starting to worry that it was causing build up or scale to form. On cloudy days especially, the Pebble Sheen seemed like it had a coating over large areas. Looked a bit better today. The SWG is also on now, but the water is too cold for it to actually generate anything. Here are our first two sets of readings from the kit. Still trying to figure out what the numbers mean. Since the SWG only just came online, should we be looking at the ideal values for salt pool or manually chlorinated pool?
Dec. 30
FC 9.5
CC 0.5
TC 10.0
CH 175 ppm
TA 80
CYA ~55
CC 0.5
TC 10.0
CH 175 ppm
TA 80
CYA ~55
Jan 4
FC 7.5
CC 0
TC 7.5
CH 175 ppm
TA 70
CYA ~50
Aside from using muriatic acid to keep the pH is check (is 7.5 a good place or should we bring it lower?), are there other chemicals we should be using?
CC 0
TC 7.5
CH 175 ppm
TA 70
CYA ~50
Aside from using muriatic acid to keep the pH is check (is 7.5 a good place or should we bring it lower?), are there other chemicals we should be using?
Here is a set of links I put together for new pool owners. This should help you manage your pool.
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool Math
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.
Know that you will need liquid chlorine to get your chlorine level up. The SWG is great at keeping the FC level where you want it but not so good at getting it there. For now shut the SWG off and treat your pool as a non SWG pool. What is your water temp at?
I want you to look at the link that talks about the recommended levels first. You will see your CH is low. Now look at the recommended chemicals link to tell you what to use to push it up.
Now go to the Pool Math link. Look for the csi part. Play with the numbers there to find out how it works. Note that water temps plays a big part in csi. The csi will help your plaster stay as nice as it is now.
on the kayak test run. PLEASE tell me you have a video of the first one LOL Hope it did not knock you or the kayak up too hard.
Kim
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool Math
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.
Know that you will need liquid chlorine to get your chlorine level up. The SWG is great at keeping the FC level where you want it but not so good at getting it there. For now shut the SWG off and treat your pool as a non SWG pool. What is your water temp at?
I want you to look at the link that talks about the recommended levels first. You will see your CH is low. Now look at the recommended chemicals link to tell you what to use to push it up.
Now go to the Pool Math link. Look for the csi part. Play with the numbers there to find out how it works. Note that water temps plays a big part in csi. The csi will help your plaster stay as nice as it is now.
on the kayak test run. PLEASE tell me you have a video of the first one LOL Hope it did not knock you or the kayak up too hard.Kim
Thank you, kimkats!
I've read through all the docs and downloaded the PoolMath app. I'll do an updated test of all values this afternoon and plan to add chemicals accordingly.
I spoke to the PB yesterday about the discoloration (for lack of a better word). It's like a haze over large areas of the pools and especially near corners. I've been brushing regularly, and it doesn't seem to do much. After looking at it, he suggested I lower the pH into the 6.8-7.2 range and brush like crazy. If it doesn't help, contact the finishers and see what they recommend. I'm worried about damaging the finish if the pH is too low. I'm also thinking it may be better to get the finishers in up front and have them work with the PB to address it. Not sure if it's hardened plaster dust, some kind of calcium buildup, etc. Any thoughts or suggestions on best route to take?
- - - Updated - - -
I'll have to check with husband. He may have some clips of the kayak test. I was too busy trying not to ram into the walls LOL.
I've read through all the docs and downloaded the PoolMath app. I'll do an updated test of all values this afternoon and plan to add chemicals accordingly.
I spoke to the PB yesterday about the discoloration (for lack of a better word). It's like a haze over large areas of the pools and especially near corners. I've been brushing regularly, and it doesn't seem to do much. After looking at it, he suggested I lower the pH into the 6.8-7.2 range and brush like crazy. If it doesn't help, contact the finishers and see what they recommend. I'm worried about damaging the finish if the pH is too low. I'm also thinking it may be better to get the finishers in up front and have them work with the PB to address it. Not sure if it's hardened plaster dust, some kind of calcium buildup, etc. Any thoughts or suggestions on best route to take?
- - - Updated - - -
I'll have to check with husband. He may have some clips of the kayak test. I was too busy trying not to ram into the walls LOL.
I would contact the Pebble company right away.
Also, looking at your test results above, maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in, but is that CH level too low?
Also, looking at your test results above, maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in, but is that CH level too low?
The hazy areas could be where they did not wash/get all of the plaster cream off. Their idea to lower the pH is common to do at the START of a plaster start up. It MAY help some. Do you think your brush can get in those areas? If not look at this kind of brush:
Amazon.com : Maximumstore Corner Brush Swimming Pool Hot Tub Spa Corner Step Outdoor I have found this at Home Depot in my area.
The acid wash should have taken then cream up and off. They can use their skills and a diver to to clean up these areas if it comes to that.
Kim
Amazon.com : Maximumstore Corner Brush Swimming Pool Hot Tub Spa Corner Step Outdoor I have found this at Home Depot in my area.
The acid wash should have taken then cream up and off. They can use their skills and a diver to to clean up these areas if it comes to that.
Kim
The haze seems like something that's been building up/becoming more noticeable as opposed to something that's been there since the start. Our neighbor's pool guy is going to come by this week. We figure it's something he's seen before, so he can weigh in on it.
I may pick up that brush. I've been brushing the areas, but it doesn't seem to have much effect. The pool guy and the finisher both recommended a nylon/metal combo brush, but the PT literature says to use a nylon brush. Don't want to damage the surface.
I picked up some muriatic acid, brand name baking soda, and calcium chloride last night. Added the MA and BS last night. Added half the CC this morning. The pool store guy said to wait two days before adding the other half. Yes scdaren, our CH reading is low - and even lower when we rechecked last night. It was only about 150ppm, so we're having to add 16lbs of CC. Maybe the haze issue will resolve once we get the water balanced? Or at least it may keep it from getting worse.
I may pick up that brush. I've been brushing the areas, but it doesn't seem to have much effect. The pool guy and the finisher both recommended a nylon/metal combo brush, but the PT literature says to use a nylon brush. Don't want to damage the surface.
I picked up some muriatic acid, brand name baking soda, and calcium chloride last night. Added the MA and BS last night. Added half the CC this morning. The pool store guy said to wait two days before adding the other half. Yes scdaren, our CH reading is low - and even lower when we rechecked last night. It was only about 150ppm, so we're having to add 16lbs of CC. Maybe the haze issue will resolve once we get the water balanced? Or at least it may keep it from getting worse.
Here are yesterday's readings (pre-chemical addition):
Jan. 8
pH 7.6
FC 7.5
CC 0.5
TC 8.0
TA 50
CH 150
CYA 40
Jan. 8
pH 7.6
FC 7.5
CC 0.5
TC 8.0
TA 50
CH 150
CYA 40
We will work on fine tuning your water as your CH comes up and we see what that pool guy has to say.
Kim
Kim
Help, kimkats!
We added 2 lbs of sodium bicarbonate on Tuesday on 8 lbs of calcium carbonate on Wednesday. The guy at the pool store said to wait two days to add the other half of the calcium carbonate. When I retested the values yesterday, here's what I got:
pH 7.6 (7.8 this morning)
FC .5
CC 0
TC .5
TA 70
CH 250
CYA 30
Seems like whatever we did to improve TA and CH managed to kill our chlorine.
When I enter the new values in to the app, it says I need to add chlorine, muriatic acid, sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride, and stabilizer. Do I add them all at once? Do I focus on getting one set first? Should I start a new thread in the chemical section or keep it here?
Thank you!
We added 2 lbs of sodium bicarbonate on Tuesday on 8 lbs of calcium carbonate on Wednesday. The guy at the pool store said to wait two days to add the other half of the calcium carbonate. When I retested the values yesterday, here's what I got:
pH 7.6 (7.8 this morning)
FC .5
CC 0
TC .5
TA 70
CH 250
CYA 30
Seems like whatever we did to improve TA and CH managed to kill our chlorine.
When I enter the new values in to the app, it says I need to add chlorine, muriatic acid, sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride, and stabilizer. Do I add them all at once? Do I focus on getting one set first? Should I start a new thread in the chemical section or keep it here?
Thank you!
Looks to me like all you need is some liquid chlorine and you'll be looking great. That should be the low end of the CH range which is fine because it will come up on it's own over time.
When the weather warms and your swg starts running get that cya up. In fact you could even use pucks for awhile to move that cya number up slowly, and that will help keep your ph down - it's going to want to rise with the new plaster. Right now pH looks good to me.
Thank you, scdaren! Last question... PB was here mid-week. He turned the SWG back on and poured a bunch of salt in the pool. Didn't know he was going to do that b/c he had turned over water maintenance to us. Now that we have a pool full of salt, do we need to run the SWG for a time or turn it off and continue treating it like regular chlorine pool?