Not a new member but been awhile

[ac130loadmaster]

Hello again,

Just wanted to say hello to everyone again and update everyone with my new pool renovation that was just completed. I have a few questions and hope to get some great input as I have in the past. About four years ago I had a horrible pool guy to a re-plaster and paint job on the pool. Needless to say it was a sh...y job to say the least. Long story short, I have had a new gunite shell installed 8 inches thick all around the pool. I also had a blue quartz diamond brite aggregate put in. There was some streaking in a few places and a few spots that the pool builder will be fixing, but overall not a bad job at all. It has been four days since the pool was filled. I put a stain remover in it the first day and have been keeping the pH at around 7.2. I am brushing pool twice a day to circulate the loose plaster. I actually put flocculent in last night and vacuumed to waste this morning which helped get rid of some of the loose plaster. But upon brushing again tonight it is stirring up again. I suppose this will be a battle for a couple more weeks or so. Anyway, was wondering if anyone has any suggestions in speeding up this process and any other recommendations I may need to do to break in the diamond brite properly. Here are my current water chemistry as of tonight:

pH = 6.8 (put in 8 lbs of borax to raise to 7.3)
TA = 70 (put in 7 lbs of baking soda to raise to 100)
FC = 3.0
CC = 0
TC = 3.0
cH = 120 (can I start using calcium hypochlorite to raise this in a new plaster pool?) Not sure how to approach this
CYA = 0 (but am currently using trichlor pucks in chlorinator to raise CYA)
Water Temp = 88

I run filter continuously during the summer. It is a 1 hp Hayward pump that is very old. Ran out of funding to get new pump right now. Had to get a bigger filter so hope the pump is big enough. I have also added a very small amount of hth algae preventer. Its the 3x concentrate.

I want to make sure I am doing this correctly so any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

Al

 

[jblizzle]

You need to get the CYA up faster than the tablets are going to. Add about 20-30ppm and then use the pucks to raise it more if needed.

I suppose you could use cal-hypo to raise the CH. Make sure you do not let the different forms of chlorine come in contact with each other.

No need to run the pump that much ... read the article in the how to section of Pool School.

Stop wasting money on algaecide.

 

[ac130loadmaster]

Will do. I have some stabilizer and will put some in a sock and stick it in the skimmer. Ill quit buying algecide. I never used it much anyway. Thanks for the input

 

[BoDarville]

Welcome to TFP!

Jblizzle has you covered. Will just second the notion to read the Determine Pump Run Time article. This article was updated earlier this year. I have reduced my pump run time to about 45 minutes a day on average with no loss in water clarity. Of course, I make adjustments for things like pool parties and unusually high debris that may get blown in from time to time.

 

[ac130loadmaster]

Thanks for the welcome. Minus getting the plaster dust out of the pool, I believe I have the pool ready for the kids to swim. Once I get my CYA level to 30ppm, I will be switching to great value brand or Clorox brand bleach for my sanitizer. I haven't added borates yet but will do that once the plaster dust is filtered out. I will also have a fountain in the shallow end of the pool. Will running the fountain have a significant impact on pH and TA? I will post pics soon. As always, I appreciate all the feedback and advice. You guys have saved me money over the years and I have learned a great deal about pool chemistry.

pH = 7.5
TA = 100
FC = 2.5
CC = 0
CH = 190 (Just added another 12 lbs of calcium chloride)
CYA = 20? (Haven't checked it yet, but put 4 lbs of stabilizer in yesterday and running trichlor through chlorinator)

Thanks again

Al

 

[jblizzle]

Why do you want to add borates?

The fountain will contribute to the pH rising.

 

[ac130loadmaster]

I thought borates helped keep pH and alkalinity changes at a minimum and also made the water feel better and look clearer. I used borates before and it made a difference. But I've never had a fountain before, so wasn't sure if this would have a significant factor on pH and TA and if the borates would reduce the dramatic swings in either of these.

 

[jblizzle]

The TA should not be swinging. The fountain may drive the pH up and the borates could help with that if you got the TA set low enough.

 

[ac130loadmaster]

Ok great. I'll be switching to liquid bleach in the next few days and shutting off my chlorinator. I am currently raising my CYA to 30 or so. Ive already added some stabilizer the other day, but gonna use up the last 5 or 6 trichlor pucks first which will raise CYA to about where I want it. My TA is currently at 110. Should I lower it back to 80 or 90 when I go to strictly using bleach? or leave it where its at?

pH = 7.4
TA = 110
FC = 2.5
CC = 0
cH = 250
CYA = 30ish (based on stabilizer ive added and the residual from the pucks)

 

[JohnN]

As you adjust the pH down, TA will come down on its own. There isn't really any need to actively lower it.

 

[ac130loadmaster]

Ok. So can I maintain the TA at 110 when I stop using trichlor or do I need to allow it to go down some as I add acid to maintain pH?

 

[JohnN]

When you add acid to lower the pH (which will naturally rise) the TA will come down with it. Keep lowering pH to around 7.2 when it gets to 7.8, and your TA will also come down.