Blank slate/Pool build in Maryland

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I can’t find any calcium hardener anywhere locally. There is apparently a run on it. Kmart had some deicer but not much mention of ingredients and it did not display any percentages. The pool builder is sending someone by tomorrow morning to do a “quick clean” and “check” for the holiday which was a result of me asking him if I should clean out the junk in the pump baskets. Just not sure which valves to turn to be able to take the pump lid off. My old above ground pool was a lot simpler than this...
 
Go ahead and get some from the pool store if necessary. It will cost a bit more but you really do need it. You won't be adding it very often at all.

Yes, clean out the skimmer basket often. The pump basket shouldn't need it near as often-only things that manage to sneak by the skimmers. You need to have the pump turned off to empty that basket. Do you know how to do that?? I have a outdoor master "light switch" at my equipment pad that I can use in a pinch, or just do it while the pump is normally off by the timer. Ask the pool builder if you need to turn some valves or not?

Maddie :flower:
 
We don’t have a pool store nearby. I guess I will pick some up tomorrow. I retested CH and got 175. I added some CYA last night and some more today and it still looks pretty low (though not zero anymore!). I also added acid and have the pH down to about 7.69 (I bought a meter which seems to display the same as the manual rest).

FC is about 1.5 or so so I added 14oz of bleach along with the 28 I added last night.

I did ask the builder what valves I should turn and that’s why he said he’d send somebody by tomorrow morning. He said not worry about it until pool school which is Friday. Hopefully they add some calcium hardener too, otherwise I’ll add some when I get home. Several places on the way to work (45 miles each way).

Thanks for the help!
 
Captchaos said:
We don’t have a pool store nearby. I guess I will pick some up tomorrow. I retested CH and got 175. I added some CYA last night and some more today and it still looks pretty low (though not zero anymore!). I also added acid and have the pH down to about 7.69 (I bought a meter which seems to display the same as the manual rest).

FC is about 1.5 or so so I added 14oz of bleach along with the 28 I added last night.

I did ask the builder what valves I should turn and that’s why he said he’d send somebody by tomorrow morning. He said not worry about it until pool school which is Friday. Hopefully they add some calcium hardener too, otherwise I’ll add some when I get home. Several places on the way to work (45 miles each way).

Thanks for the help!
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I ordered the below it took like 2 days to get it. Make sure you are using the speedstir with the CH test! My test came out higher when I started using it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J7L46FI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
The pool builder asked me to drop a water sample off this morning which they analyzed via computer. The pH was back up to 8.2 and I was told it needed a half a bottle of 31.45% acid, which they will add today. She also said that the rest of the chemicals "look like they are coming along, including the calcium coming up" so the rest was good. I still have not added any calcium hardener and she said they would slowly introduce it. This conflicts with what I've read here but she said they hope for a water sample every week for the first year to maintain the warranty. I can drop it off at their door as it is on the way to work and they'll let me know what to add. Of course I will still test it and monitor on my own as well. I tested the sample this morning for pH and came out with almost exactly the same so my fourteen dollar Amazon tester seems to work well.

In the meantime, on Saturday we had a proper final grade and rake done, as well as sod. I was able to get a very good price for sod using a family member's company and such a great rate for their day of labor that I could not pass it up. Now I am stuck desperately trying to keep the sod alive during this insane heat wave but it sure beats the mud. 3,000 square feet of sod covered about 60% of the dirt so we also had grass seed, fertilizer, and erosion mat (Curlex) laid. Ironically, now I can't wait for it to rain so this grass grows!

In the meantime, we've been enjoying the pool immensely. The color is absolutely perfect and I cannot imagine what it would've been like had we not sprung for the insanely overpriced dye. The water temperature is easily in the high 80s at this point and with both skimmers it is staying pretty clean. I do need to vacuum it manually and just received the vacuum today from the builder. I think I've decided on a Maytronics Active20 but obviously still can't use it so I haven't ordered it yet. The builder said to wait at least two weeks for plaster but everything else I've read says 30 days so I will probably wait.
 
I forgot a few things. The water is nice and clear now so I think I am going to stop running the pump 24x7 at an electricity consumption of 1920-1950 watts (I installed a smart switch with energy usage meter). I really like the water flowing, including the 4 jets in the tanning ledge so I went ahead and ordered a variable speed pump and the Jandy IQPUMP01 so I can create schedules/somewhat automate it. The pump was $800 after a coupon and then I have a $400 rebate from my electric company (and it can be self-installed). If I can sell my old pump for a couple hundred bucks I will be happy. It just doesn't seem like there is much market for a used pool pump though, especially a single speed.

The IQPUMP01 takes the place of the controller that comes with the new pump, so maybe I can flip that as well since I don't need it.
 
Wow, that's a great deal and price on the pump! Good going :goodjob:

Maddie :flower:

<sidenote: my father kept his sail boat down at Cobb Island, MD, and we had always called him affectionately Capt.Klutz. Every time i see your name I think of him>
 
Test results today:
FC is 6 (pool people must’ve just dumped a bunch in without testing yesterday but we’re having a party so it will drop)
CH is still 175 (obviously pool people are not adding calcium)
CYA is 25
pH is 7.6

I think I’ll add a little acid now and increase the CYA later after testing the water later to see how much chlorine was consumed in the hot sun and party goers today.
 

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Pictures of your new sod please!

That must make you feel so much better about the yard now. But that is funny about wanting rain! Sadly the forecast doesn't look like it will be bringing us any. When my neighbor built their pool 5 years ago the PB tore up a large chunk of our yard. I think my neighbor had to duke it out with his PB to get him to sod it. My neighbor didn't think it was fair to just seed our yard and I agree. But it was also put down in the heat of the summer. My husband put out the sprinkler and luckily that did the trick and it took very nicely.

So get your sprinkler out and water that sod!
 
I will get some up, I just wanted to fly the drone and I've been too busy watering this stupid sod. Baaaad idea installing sod before the hottest several days of the year. I am absolutely drenching it twice a day and some is still turning brown. Fortunately it had some topsoil so I'll be able to revive it with overseeding in the fall if it doesn't survive. Some spots are doing well (in the shade) but others no so much. The grade change isn't helping either as all of the water wants to run down the hill. We did have a brief thunderstorm this morning but it didn't rain long. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so hopefully I get a break, it's not easy doing this before and after work every day.

I've installed some CaptChaos pool automation (synonymous with cheap) with more to come. So far I've used an Aeon Labs Heavy Duty Zwave Switch connected to my Vera Edge and created some schedules for the filter pump. I actually bought two of these intending to use one for the filter pump and one for the waterfall pump, but they are so large that they both will not fit in the enclosure. This was part of my motivation to return one and buy the variable speed pump and IQPUMP01 to gain additional benefits as well. Once I get that pump and controller in, I will move the Zwave switch to the waterfall pump and my wife won't have to walk over to the panel to turn on the breaker anymore, and can just ask Alexa (who will turn it off automatically after some set period because it costs $0.125/hour to run :D)).
 
To keep my warranty, I'm supposed to drop off a sample to the pool builder's storefront once per week where they test and let me know what to add. I've been doing this just to check myself (and the TFP method I'm following) and so far I've been pretty on but today they told me I had "phosphate" and that I need a "phosphate treatment" because it is "not holding much of anything, chlorine level is 0.7." I won't make it to their storefront to see what this is all about before they close so I need to figure out what to add. I asked about my other numbers and she said "phosphate throws all of your numbers off so you need a phosphate treatment first." I have not really seen any mention of phosphate around here in new builds so I'm pretty confused. They are suggesting that I add algaecide and shock every week which also seems to conflict with what I read here.

Any thoughts on "phosphate treatment?"

- - - Updated - - -

I should mention, the water level was low on Sunday so I had to put a couple of inches of water in from my well. That may have thrown things off but Monday night I was at pH 7.6, FC about 1.5, CYA 30. I added a little CYA, 1/3rd of a bottle of acid, and about 28oz of chlorine.

- - - Updated - - -

One last thing, I have been watering my new sod like crazy and some of the sprinkler water is getting in the pool because of the shape around the pool. I can't imagine this is affecting it significantly though because it's just not that much water.

- - - Updated - - -

And now I'm reading about phosphates here and it seems it's snake oil. It appears I just need to maintain my FC. I am finding it pretty hard to maintain FC honestly.
 
Thanks Kim, I will check that tomorrow night. I just tested it myself before I saw your message and with my TF-100 kit did the following:

pH was 7.8, put in about 70ish oz of 31.45% acid
CYA was 25, put in about 36oz of dry stabilizer (in two socks in skimmers, pool math said add 44oz to get to target of 40)
FC was 0.7 (according to the pool store), put in about 80oz of bleach (10%)

And yes of course they want me to buy the phosphate treatment from them. :D
 
No, I did not get a SWG. The pool builder actually talked me out of it. He said he would happily sell it to me, but did not recommend it. He has concerns with the salt and the steel. He said it wouldn't happen right away but after 15-20 years who knows. It was also another $2500 I didn't want to spend so it made sense at the time. I had two Intex Ultra Frame pools over 7 years and went with the Intex saltwater chlorine generator from the get-go on that one and I did almost nothing to it every year except add salt (I took it down every year and had the water trucked in). Another minus for the saltwater was that the Intex pool frames rusted badly, particularly the second one. But the water was always clear.

This experience with chlorine so far is making me think I need to add it. I figured I would add it at some point down the road, but I didn't expect to be wanting it this soon.

That being said, the TFP method hasn't failed me yet.


 
This experience with chlorine so far is making me think I need to add it. I figured I would add it at some point down the road, but I didn't expect to be wanting it this soon.
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I was going to say if you had one then you'd probably be good to go after adding the salt but I guess not! I've never heard of problems with the steel w/SWGs...so we're getting one. At least if we ever get a pool, that is.

Wow, that water looks so inviting! And that color!
 

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