Intro Greetings New Pebbletec and requests for advice

[FLAKPA]

Greetings Forum! By way of introduction we have just semi retired to SW Florida from a life in Alaska (wife born there, 35 years for me). Pools, Central Air and Lawn Irrigation Systems are completely foreign concepts.

First: THANK YOU to all for being here. This resource is just wonderful!

I have read Pool School twice now, printed out most of it and placed the pages into sheet protectors for use poolside. The resurfacing has been ongoing, along with the rest of a complete house remodel. The pool will be resurfaced tomorrow with PebbleTech so I thought I better get on here and get this intro done. I will try to get a few before and after pics posted later today. Will continue to take pics as the process unfolds. Equipment was placed Friday. Electrician comes this week along with the resurfacing crew. I’m told there will be eight in the pool with trowels. Pebbletec pumped in by hose.

I’ve been told by the contractor the first 30 days will be chlorine and then “I” go to the SWG system. I’m unsure just how far they are going to go to get the pool water stabilized and the plaster dust rmoved before handing it over to me and walking away. Any ideas on what I should expect to have them complete before handing over the last 5% payment would be appreciated.

Please see sig for specifics. I ordered a Taylor K2006 which should be here this week. I am also having a SolarTouch panel installed to the Pentair VS so I can utilize the 8 solar panels on the roof.

Again, thank you for being here and helping all us clueless new pool owners. It is very much appreciated!

Robert & Kerri, SW Florida

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum.

You are off to a flying start. Getting a good test kit is of primary importance and often overlooked.....nice work.

Your kit will help you learn what needs to be done. As soon as the pool is filled, you should do a complete set of test results and then post them under this thread for comments.

Get with your PB very soon and ask him what he expects of you. He will likely ask you to brush often and run your pump 24/7 to filter out the plaster dust. He may or may not ask you to control pH but that is really very important to do so.....he may even tell you not to worry about it. I would have a couple of gallons of muriatic acid on hand for lowering the pH in case he doesn't do that for you.

Each builder is different with some having excellent knowledge of pool water chemistry and some almost none at all.

I would hold onto that 5% as long as possible. Money is the only simple leverage you have and it can be very effective in getting timely answers to your questions.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Your builder should give you instructions how to care for the finish while it cures. Ask for written instructions or ask if you can video them showing you how the equipment works. Be sure and follow the builder's instructions so you don't void any warranty you may have. Find out specifically from them if they will come back to check on the pool or if they only come if you contact them and request them to come during the 30 day curing time.

You have ordered a good test kit. Test the water daily and keep a log of test results. Try to keep the water balanced in the parameters they advise during the curing period. If they don't tell you what parameters they recommend be sure and ask. Your pH and Calcium levels will be especially important during the curing period. You may want to consider ordering a speed stir for your test kit. The calcium test involves a lot of swirling and the speed stir will do that for you.

Clean and re-charge the DE filter when there is a 20% rise in pressure above the clean pressure reading. We can walk you through that process when it is time to clean the filter.

Keep coming back to TFP if you have additional questions. It is our slow time of year but you can still get an answer in a reasonable amount of time. We can walk you through setting up the SWG when the curing period is over.

Congratulations on your new home and pool! From Alaska to Florida must be quite a bit of culture shock!

 

[Patrick_B]

Welcome to the forum!

That was a great intro and congratulations on getting warm in FL. Smart move if you ask me.
It does sound like you're off on the right foot and you've gotten great advice so far. Hope you enjoy the forum and your "new" pool.

 

[pwrstrk]

Welcome to TFP !! Good luck on your new pool. Any more questions you have ask away. Lots of great people here to help you out.

 

[FLAKPA]

Here are some pics of the project. They finished the resurfacing this morning. A 10 man crew took less than 3 hours from pulling into the yard to driving out. We are quite pleased.

Thank you for the advice already posted. I ordered a Taylor Spin Kit this morning and sent off an email to the PB about what to expect for the next week or two as far as pool cleaning and chemistry.

Cheers,

Robert & Kerri

[attachment=2:2bqe9nhr]1-Pool 1.JPG[/attachment:2bqe9nhr]

[attachment=1:2bqe9nhr]1-Pool 2.JPG[/attachment:2bqe9nhr]

[attachment=0:2bqe9nhr]1-Pool 3.JPG[/attachment:2bqe9nhr]

 

[FLAKPA]

Here are the rest.

[attachment=2:3kwi21du]1-Pool 4.JPG[/attachment:3kwi21du]

[attachment=1:3kwi21du]1-Pool 5.JPG[/attachment:3kwi21du]

[attachment=0:3kwi21du]1-Pool 6.JPG[/attachment:3kwi21du]

 

[pwrstrk]

Looks great. I'm sure it's going to see a lot of use !!

 

[FLAKPA]

Pool is now full. PB did first set of chemicals. He is coming back this am to do second. I understand I'm on my own after that. I may choose to hold of the final 5% payment pending a few days of getting the system functioning near normal for a few days.

I'm off to the stores today to buy Clorox, Baking Soda, Borax, Muratic Acid, Calcium chloride dihydrate and solid CYA cakes and a Christmas Tree! My Taylor 2006K kit and whirrly gig mixer are here. Pool water temp now just under 70. Solar Touch to be installed next few days. Read Taylor Kit manual and reread pool school.

I'll post some test results over the next few days to see where we are and what direction we need to head in.

THANK YOU for the comments and help.

We are thinking of buying a $325 roll out pool cover to help keep the water temps up. My neighbors tell me they are a PITA. Any thoughts??? Do I need to roll and unroll it daily?

Cheers,

Robert

 

[duraleigh]

Don't buy anything except Clorox until you test your water. You don't need other chemistry UNLESS you need to make some adjustments. You don't know if you need to make any adjustments until you get accurate test results.

So your first job is to do a complete battery of tests and post your results.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

The covers are nice, and are not difficult to manage if you get a reel too. It shouldnt be $325 though! Where are you shopping for it?

 

[FLAKPA]

Thanks Dave and John,

I stopped by Pinch a Penny down here and ended up buying 4 gallons of Muratic Acid. I can use it to clean my driveway cement if I don't use it in the pool. The pool turned crystal clear about 5 hours after the second dumping of chemicals this morning. It LOOKS real nice. They also put in DE earth and started the pump to run on 12 hour cycles at 1750. I'm taking a sample in Monday morning and should be able to post it mid day Monday.

The PB reminded me this is Pebbletec and the usual precautions of plaster for the first 30 days don't apply. No daily brushing. I should NOT have any excess plaster dust.

The store wanted about $189 for the solar cover and $275 for the reel. Any other shopping suggestions?

Cheers,

Robert

 

[duraleigh]

I'm taking a sample in Monday morning and should be able to post it mid day Monday.

We would have a lot more faith in your own testing. Did your kit not get in? another day or two wouldn't hurt

 

[Patrick_B]

I'm taking a sample in Monday morning and should be able to post it mid day Monday.

We would have a lot more faith in your own testing. Did your kit not get in? another day or two wouldn't hurt

+1 Wait a day or so and get some solid results to work with.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

The store wanted about $189 for the solar cover and $275 for the reel. Any other shopping suggestions?

Not sure how big your pool is but that is a lot...I've bought from solarcovers.com before with good results, I know there are many similar sites you could check!

 

[FLAKPA]

Okeedokeee... I get the hint. :lol:

My first Taylor 2006K test results. I even went to Youtube and watched the "howto" Taylor video. Must say it wasn't too difficult. (We shall see!)

FC = 3.2ppm
Combined = .6ppm
PH = 8
Total Alkalinity = 180
Calcium Hardness = 110
CYN Acid = 35ppm
IF I'm reading my dial correctly at 71F the Saturation Index reads .1

Let's see if I'm in the realm of reality here.

Thanks Folks!

Robert

 

[duraleigh]

Let's see if I'm in the realm of reality here.

Yes, those numbers make good sense.

1. Lower your pH using muriatic acid down to around 7.4 - 7.6. Use PoolMath to calculate the dosage.

2. Your CC's test is a little high and we would typically suggest you SLAM the pool but I would like you to try something that is easier for now.

Elevate your FC to 10 ppm and when it gets back down to 5 or so, elevate if back up to 10 ppm again. Rougly a day or so after your last FC addition, perform the FC and CC's test again and report the results. You can use a 10 ml sample of pool water instead of 25 ml.....it'll save on reagents.

 

[FLAKPA]

Thanks Dave.

If I read pool math and your instructions correctly I added 30oz muratic acid to bring down the PH to 7.5. Done.

I need to add 196oz 6% bleach or 14OZ trichlor to get the FC up to a reading of 10. I'm assuming that will take place in about 24 hours. My variable speed pump is cranking at 1800rpm steady for 12 hours a day at this time.

Time, as in days, will bring FC back down to 5, I should keep daily testing until FC gets back down to 5. I should then repeat what I did, let's say 14OZ trichlor (or whatever poolmath says based on test results) to get the FC BACK up to 10. Once FC is back to 10, say the next day, I should test all and post results??

Is this what your saying?

Cheers,

Robert

 

[duraleigh]

Is this what your saying?

Pretty much. You may not even need to bump the FC back up, since it will take some time for it to come down.

What we're trying to accomplish is to get the elevated FC to burn off some of the CC's and get your test result on CC's down to .5 ppm or less.

Sunlight helps do that and elevating your FC helps do it as well.

My guess is if you perform the FC and CC's test in a couple of days, the CC's will have been reduced (to that .5 or less ppm target) and you can then maintain your FC around 3-5 ppm which is ideal with your CYA of 35 ppm.