Are the strips really that off? New plaster start-up

[djdonte]

I just had my pool replastered with quartzscapes and the guy my plasterer subbed out the start to gave me the following numbers on his last day. He said he uses strips and did an acid start:
PH 7.2
FC 3.5
TC 3.5
CH 250
TA 80
CYA 30.

Of course he left a trichlor tab and some CYA in my skimmer so I took the tab out and put 3 tabs in a floater and tested the next day and got
PH 7.5
FC 8
CC 0.5
CH 300
TA 60
CYA 60.
CSI -.025

I double checked all my numbers and got the same. Using a speed stir too. I doubt three tabs in a floater will get me that high that quick. I lowered the floater to one tab for now. I added at bit of baking soda to bump TA to 70 and get the CSI a little close to zero. Any thoughts or tips for the next 28 days? No salt or pool cleaner I know, and I will be cleaning the filters towards the end of the 28 days. I will retest the TA later today and test a few times a week to make sure everything is in check and CSI looks good. My pool looks great and the plaster dust went away the first day of start up. I brushed yesterday and saw no dust. Stand by for obligatory plaster pictures. We went with Super Blue as we loved Tahoe Blue but I was worried spottiness would bother us.

Before


Chipped out and bond kote applied


Accents tiles and overpriced turtles set on plaster day


Close up of stairs


First fill

 

[Texas Splash]

Yes, strips are that bad. Trust your TF-100. Instead of the TA, let the pH rise a bit. That will work much quicker on your CSI. Keep the CSI in the zero - 0.3 area for the first month while everything is curing. After the first month, you can let the CSI go back down to "slightly" negative. No way to know why the CYA is what it is unless the builder added some stabilizer/conditioner and you knew exactly how much was added. Pool looks great!

 

[djdonte]

Don't know exactly how much was added but he did dump a bit in the skimmer and it was gone shortly thereafter so I'm sure its in my filter pleats slowly dissolving lol. I will need the higher CYA for when I fire up the SWG anyway.

 

[ajw22]

Keep the CSI in the zero - 0.3 area for the first month while everything is curing.

Just to be clear that is keep the CSI in the zero to +0.3 area…

After the first month, you can let the CSI go back down to "slightly" negative.

The CSI is not applicable to new plaster finishes under 30 days old. It is actually necessary, to achieve a smooth and dense surface, to have about a +0.5 CSI during the first 30 days. This is because the plaster (cement paste) surface contains about 20% calcium hydroxide, which is somewhat soluble in balanced and slightly positive CSI water and can be dissolved away. The plaster surface needs to be "carbonated" before the CSI should be lowered to the acceptable and balanced range. And that generally is achieved during the first month under balanced water

 

[djdonte]

I got it. I already added the baking soda to raise the TA to 70 but if I let the PH get to 7.8 that would but me slightly positive on CSI.

 

[djdonte]

Also, How often do I really need to brush. Water is clear and there hasnt been plaster dust since fill day.

 

[ajw22]

Also, How often do I really need to brush. Water is clear and there hasnt been plaster dust since fill day.

You need to brush at least weekly, unless you have a pool cleaner that does brushing, or more often.

Brushing breaks the biofilm on algae that you cannot see and let’s chlorine be more effective.