And another DFW pool

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JJ_Tex said:
Day 2 of stone is done. Looks much better today.

For anyone reading this who is building, our wall steps from 12" up to 18". While we are happy with it, I think we should have done 12" to 24" instead.
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Oh my...I am going to be soooo annoying when this step comes for me, lol. I think I would have said something about the way they did the coping with the different width stones and how it's not a full stone in all the corners. I wonder if that's typical? I'll have to pull up some other builds of his.
 
They only really had to cut a few pieces, and tried to do them in inconspicuous spaces.

I officially updated our equipment to include the IC40 SWG and the Intellicenter. Hopefully that does okay with my travertine and equipment, but I'm trusting TFP. Signature is updated and equipment should be here next week. I guess I need to figure out which tests to order and get on those.
 
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Test shopping here we come. Look down at my siggy below. See the link to TF-100. Get the TF-100, speed stir (so fun and really helps with the testing), Taylor drop salt test (forget the real name of it :( sorry). You might want to also order the whale wall brush. It will make brushing the new plaster easier. The tail helps hold the brush against the wall so less work on your shoulders and back.

If you are unsure you SHOULD give the owner, Becky, a call. Leave a messg if she does not answer as she is also a full time mom! She WILL get back with your fast.

Now for a local shopping list:
-2 2 cup PLASTIC measuring cups. One is for muriatic acid only, the other for all other chemicals. Make sure it has the oz. marked on the side (I get mine from the the dollar store.
-safety glasses and gloves to keep by the chemicals. You will use these with the muriatic acid
-something plastic and vented (garbage can) to keep the m. acid in away from metal and chlorine. Needs to be in a WELL vented place. The bottle has a vented lid so you do NOT want to keep it inside. If you have kids you will want to have a way to keep them out of it. It can be in the sun so no worries about that part of storage.
-white, plastic plate (some people use a white wall or a paper plate) to hold the pH test tube in front of to help do the color match
-a good, easy to get to source for liquid chlorine or PLAIN bleach-Pool store or walmart may be your best bet. You will need to use chlorine to get the FC up to speed even with a SWG. You will also want some just in case something ewwwww happens in the pool from people or critters.

Happy shopping!!!

Kim:kim:
 
Thanks. Anything special I need for the DE when I backwash? I took care of our pool growing up, except for the MA and DE because "they were bad for you" so my dad did those.
 
Do you have the owners manual for your filter? I know you need to add some DE powder after backwashing but don't really know how much. I hope the owners manual will tell you.

Dad was right! This are things you do NOT want to breath in!!! YUCK!
 
Rule of thumb on DE filters is there is rated amount for a full load. After a backwash, you load approximately 80% of this amount.
 

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JJ,

For DE, you will need a five gallon and a stick to stir with, like an old broom handle...

Add the required amount of dry DE to the bucket.. If like most filters, it will almost fill the bucket.. Then add water from a garden hose.. It will appear that there is no place for the water to go, but trust me, there is plenty of room for the water.. Mix until you have made a DE slurry.. Then with the pump running at about 2K, slooooowly pour the slurry into a skimmer..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Not to argue with Jim, but my method is slightly different. After a backwash, I get the bucket of DE, weigh out what I need in 2-3 pound increments (because that's about a gallon bucket worth and that's almost as high as my scale will go) and then dump each bucket into the skimmer closest to my pump. I have both skimmers and the main drain all lined up, so I'm not worried about blocking the pump suction. I figure by the time it works it's way from the skimmer to the pump it will be thoroughly mixed.
 
Ok, I'm a big dork and wanted to play with my new test kit early so I tested my fill water. It is city water so I'm not too concerned but does anyone see anything I need to be concerned about, or tested incorrectly?

FC - 0.5
CC - 1.0
PH - 8.2 (drop) 8.1 (probe)
TA - 110
CH - 175
CYA - 0
Salt - 200

I also checked copper and iron on the city annual report and neither were reported. I see a lot of MA in my future for the PH and TA, but I was expecting that. Anything else?
 
JJ_Tex said:
Ok, I'm a big dork and wanted to play with my new test kit early so I tested my fill water. It is city water so I'm not too concerned but does anyone see anything I need to be concerned about, or tested incorrectly?

FC - 0.5
CC - 1.0
PH - 8.2 (drop) 8.1 (probe)
TA - 110
CH - 175
CYA - 0
Salt - 200

I also checked copper and iron on the city annual report and neither were reported. I see a lot of MA in my future for the PH and TA, but I was expecting that. Anything else?
Click to expand...

That pH and TA will be a challenge...both are high. My TA is 80, and I'm definitely battling the rising pH. Although it mostly seems to top out at 8 and hang there. After a few days there I'll add MA to lower it to 7.7 or so. Note that calcium is NOT high...the start up guy will probably tell you you have hard water.... He kept telling me how hard the water was, but I had to add quite a bit of calcium after our 10 days with him was up.
 
It sounds like you were counting down the 10 days with the startup guy. Is it an option to forego that piece? I really only need help with the equipment, especially the intellicenter.
 
JJ_Tex said:
It sounds like you were counting down the 10 days with the startup guy. Is it an option to forego that piece? I really only need help with the equipment, especially the intellicenter.
Click to expand...

He (start up guy) doesn't know much about Intellicenter. All he does is put the system in service mode and do his thing from what I can tell. Don't get me wrong, he's really nice...he's just your typical 'pool guy' and makes a lot of 'this is the way we always do it' assumptions. Doesn't do full testing, etc. Since this keeps the responsibility for start up and warranty issues with the PB, we just let PB/start up guy do their thing except insisting salt not be added at 10 days. There are some things I'd do differently now regarding start up. One you already did...test the fill water. Chris can help you with Intellicenter...we're still working on some issues but they're complications because of the in floor system.
 
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No, I'm in the slow boring period right now. I do have a new equipment pad, p-trap, and gas line. Hopefully the pad will have equipment on it later this week and a new sub-panel. Maybe those will be picture worthy.

After that it should get more exciting with the travertine decking going in and we will hit the 30 day gunite cure time next week so fingers crossed they can hurry up with the decking and do the plaster.
 
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Gotcha ?. My equipment pad was poured today. Equipment should. Be done by the weekend. I’m going with regular chlorine for now and may see the light later after owning and maintaining a first pool. Everyone my pool guy has built for has expressed how easy it is to maintain so I figure I will just let him use what he is used to and very knowledgeable about ?‍♂️?‍♂️
 

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