Balance for Fiberglass Pools

Jump to latest Follow Reply
YippeeSkippy

YippeeSkippy

Mod Squad
Gold Supporter
LifeTime Supporter
Jan 17, 2012
21,183
Evans, Georgia
I wish there were more posts or references specific for fiberglass pools as there are for plaster, etc. Today PoolMath suggests I'm at slight risk for corrosion to plaster yet I don't have any to speak of although I do have cement coping. Are there equipment concerns I am unaware of?

Today-
FC 11.5 ( SWG off since fall, autocover protecting from sun and organics, open over winter to breath occasionally but more often now- yay spring!)
CC 0
pH 7.5 (debating if raising to 7.8 is needed to make CSI numbers prettier?)
Temp 60-65
TA 80
CH 240 (seriously soft tap water)
CYA 50 (run slightly low because of protection of autocover)
NA 3400
So does anyone see anything of great concern for my fiberglass pool?

Yippee (Skippy's other half)
 
Plaster is more work that fiberglass. There is simply no point in even looking at CSI, as it has no bearing on fiberglass at all. All you need to do is keep within the recommended levels for fiberglass and you are good.
 
Well, yeah, that's another reason we picked fiberglass. But I started to wonder about the equipment and coping when my water is so soft (how much Calcium do I really need to worry about??). My pool stays so stable it's almost....boring? LOL
 
Is the equipment in contact with the water made out of concrete/plaster? :) If not it will be fine. (Just make sure your never let the PH go down below 6.8 for more than a moment.) The coping is above the water line, so it will be fine.
 
You can come and help open my pool!

Involves hard plumbing the skimmer, cleaning out the debris that made it through the mesh cover over winter, finishing filling, and balancing the water. Oh, and figuring out a better way to mount the ladder........
 
The only possible need for calcium carbonate saturation (or partial saturation) would be if you had a calcium carbonate in your gelcoat on the fiberglass. It is not a primary component of gelcoat, but it is sometimes used as a "filler", especially in lower quality gelcoat. This post describes a gelcoat that does not have calcium carbonate in it.

[EDIT]One more possibility for having some CH (say, 150 ppm) in a fiberglass pool is that it may reduce the likelihood of cobalt spotting/staining. Cobalt is used in the gelcoat and waterbear had indicated that CH might reduce the likelihood of cobalt staining. We don't know why nor do we have enough fiberglass pools reporting in to know how much CH prevents this or if it always does. [END-EDIT].
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply