- Nov 20, 2008
- 30
Hello everyone!
I have a 12,000-gallon, in-ground SWG pool, with spill over spa, in South Florida. I never really took intensive care of my pool and hence the old marcite finish was greatly deteriorated and a resurface was imperative. Thirty days ago, my friend (an experienced tile man who has done dozens of pools), his son and myself, resurfaced my twenty-year-old pool with ceramic tile and grouted with diamond brite.
My friend’s technique of tiling around the perimeter, reducing the rows of netted tile as we approached the pool’s floor, yielded a magnificent finish. He told me the tile would shimmer at night with the underwater light on but the hazy water would never clear completely. I would shock the pool and it would clear for a day and then get hazy again. After reading this forum, I learned the BBB method and also the purpose and procedure of shocking.
I shocked for five days with 10% liquid chlorine from Home Depot.
Ran the filter 24/7, changing the cartridge once.
I kept the SWG at 100% output.
Brushed the walls, floor and skimmed the surface daily.
Tested water twice daily (AM/PM)
Compensated for FC loss by adding liquid chlorine.
Finally achieved no FC change from day to day.
While shocking, I could not check CC accurately with the K-2005 so I focused on keeping the FC level at 15 using the pool calculator and testing FC by diluting sample as per Taylor’s instructions.
PH stayed high 7.8 –8.0 throughout shocking but I only added acid once to drop from 8.0 to 7.6
I also needed to:
Increase TA from 20 to its current level
Increase CH from 40 to its current level.
Increase CYA from 20 to its current level
Current levels:
CL – 9.5
PH – 7.8
TA – 60
CH – 120
CYA – 60-70
It took about a week to get things in harmony.
FC has been steady for two days with filter running normal eight-hour cycle and testing before and after the cycle. Today I turned the SWG down to 75% and will monitor the FC level to attain a level of 5-6 ppm. After attaining my target FC, I will adjust the PH to 7.5 if it does not lower on it’s own. My question is regarding CH. I have read the level should be between 200-300 but the diamond brite grout has me puzzled. I was warned by the pool store that if not cured right, it could turn into a ‘peanut butter’ consistency. There are no signs of that now and the diamond brite grout is very firm. Would increasing the CH help me now or should I allow the grout to cure for 90 days and then raise it?
I now have stored in my garage, a gallon of 10% liquid chlorine, a 20# bag of baking soda and a box of Mule Team Borax. I feel I have the necessary tools on hand to ensure levels may be maintained.
Next trip to the pool store, I will stock a small bucket of stabilizer as well.
I have never had cleaner water or a more striking appearance to my pool. The tiled floor truly does sparkle.
This is a great forum promoting great advice. Your stealth contributions to my success are appreciated.
Regards,
-Gary
Test kit -> K-2005 (awaiting K-2006 kit which should arrive any day).
SWG -> Auto Pilot Soft Touch
Hayward Star-Clear Plus Cartridge Filters
I have a 12,000-gallon, in-ground SWG pool, with spill over spa, in South Florida. I never really took intensive care of my pool and hence the old marcite finish was greatly deteriorated and a resurface was imperative. Thirty days ago, my friend (an experienced tile man who has done dozens of pools), his son and myself, resurfaced my twenty-year-old pool with ceramic tile and grouted with diamond brite.
My friend’s technique of tiling around the perimeter, reducing the rows of netted tile as we approached the pool’s floor, yielded a magnificent finish. He told me the tile would shimmer at night with the underwater light on but the hazy water would never clear completely. I would shock the pool and it would clear for a day and then get hazy again. After reading this forum, I learned the BBB method and also the purpose and procedure of shocking.
I shocked for five days with 10% liquid chlorine from Home Depot.
Ran the filter 24/7, changing the cartridge once.
I kept the SWG at 100% output.
Brushed the walls, floor and skimmed the surface daily.
Tested water twice daily (AM/PM)
Compensated for FC loss by adding liquid chlorine.
Finally achieved no FC change from day to day.
While shocking, I could not check CC accurately with the K-2005 so I focused on keeping the FC level at 15 using the pool calculator and testing FC by diluting sample as per Taylor’s instructions.
PH stayed high 7.8 –8.0 throughout shocking but I only added acid once to drop from 8.0 to 7.6
I also needed to:
Increase TA from 20 to its current level
Increase CH from 40 to its current level.
Increase CYA from 20 to its current level
Current levels:
CL – 9.5
PH – 7.8
TA – 60
CH – 120
CYA – 60-70
It took about a week to get things in harmony.
FC has been steady for two days with filter running normal eight-hour cycle and testing before and after the cycle. Today I turned the SWG down to 75% and will monitor the FC level to attain a level of 5-6 ppm. After attaining my target FC, I will adjust the PH to 7.5 if it does not lower on it’s own. My question is regarding CH. I have read the level should be between 200-300 but the diamond brite grout has me puzzled. I was warned by the pool store that if not cured right, it could turn into a ‘peanut butter’ consistency. There are no signs of that now and the diamond brite grout is very firm. Would increasing the CH help me now or should I allow the grout to cure for 90 days and then raise it?
I now have stored in my garage, a gallon of 10% liquid chlorine, a 20# bag of baking soda and a box of Mule Team Borax. I feel I have the necessary tools on hand to ensure levels may be maintained.
Next trip to the pool store, I will stock a small bucket of stabilizer as well.
I have never had cleaner water or a more striking appearance to my pool. The tiled floor truly does sparkle.
This is a great forum promoting great advice. Your stealth contributions to my success are appreciated.
Regards,
-Gary
Test kit -> K-2005 (awaiting K-2006 kit which should arrive any day).
SWG -> Auto Pilot Soft Touch
Hayward Star-Clear Plus Cartridge Filters
