Finally getting new plaster!

[onBalance]

Your husband is correct about the hard tap water. It will not damage the plaster. Since the water is hard and will eventually get too hard, you could rent a typical water softener (for homes) and run it for part of the filling process. That can be a cheaper way to go to soften the tap water.
Soft water is the concern, so don't lower the CH below 250 ppm, which probably means using the soft water unit during the last third of the fill. Good luck.

 

[Birdie.jen]

It has begun! Yay!

 

[kimkats]

OH YEA!!!

Kim

 

[Birdie.jen]

My husband gave me stick instructions to "leave the pool guys alone" before he left for work...BUT I CAN'T, IM EXCITED AND SO WORRIED AT THE SAME TIME! Why doesn't he understand this? Lol. Current progress:

 

[Birdie.jen]

Ugh...head pool guy (who isn't here of course, just his workers) says fill immediately. "Don't believe everything you read on the internet" what do I do?

 

[Birdie.jen]

And of course, husband is saying just to trust them, they do this all the time. My instinct is that sure they do it all the time, take your money and then that's it. I doubt if I have an issue in a few years, they'll actually fix it.

 

[Birdie.jen]

Finishing it up now...stressed out here. Almost wish I didn't know all the things that can go wrong. Unfortunately husband said let them fill when they want, pray nothing gets ruined!

 

[kimkats]

I am so sorry you are feeling this stress I will tell you that quite a few pools are done the way yours is being done and they turn out okay. It will be fine. I just wish they would take the time to learn the best practices instead of "this is how we have always done it".

 

[Birdie.jen]

I agree Kim, I'm thinking it will probably be fine, but I'm a worrier. On another note, we're half full! Suuuuper excited to start brushing 2x a day. Lol!

 

[kimkats]

That water color is AWESOME already!!! I forgot to tell you the water might look a little green BUT I don't see it in your water!! SWEET!!!

You go ahead and post your worries here and we will let you know if there is anything to really worry about and what you can do about it! We got ya!!

Kim

 

[Birdie.jen]

The guy is supposed to come out and "start" it when it's completely full. I am going to interrogate him on what he's putting in and if it's dumb I won't let him. I have acid and sequestrant ready if they don't have it. No chlorine 72 hours from when we started to fill? Or when it's done filling?

 

[Birdie.jen]

Looking good here. "Start up" from PB is just acid and CHLORINE so I said don't worry about it, I'll handle the chemicals. Going to test the water soon, throw the sequestrant in as soon as the pump can run and focus on the pH for the next few days. Current progress:
(Is watching a pool fill kinda like watching a pot that supposed to boil? Yes, absolutely, except it's more satisfying)

 

[kimkats]

I say from when it is done filling as that way all of the plaster will have been covered for the 72 hours or more.

That water color................wow! It is so pretty!!

Kim

 

[Birdie.jen]

Isn't it!? I love the color we got from our quartz mixture

 

[Birdie.jen]

Ok...my numbers are everywhere with water and completely not what I was expecting. Here are the tests I did. The first one is with a brand new set of TF-100 refills, the one below it is with my chemicals from last year.

 

[kimkats]

The pH might be higher than that. Just how orange is it? You will want to get in a "battle" with it. This "battle" will also help lower the TA. Is your pump and filter running yet?

I would not use the TA regents again. They show age bad.

Kim

 

[Birdie.jen]

I ended up chucking all the old stuff except the chlorine chems because I use so much of them. Just now got the pump running and added the sequestrant. Going to go get chems to up Calcium Hardness (how ironic) in the morning. Then I plan on starting the PH battle. It was very very pink/red. Also, brushed for the first time and I'm amazed at how much dust was there and how different the plaster looked after!

 

[mknauss]

A CH of 175 is abnormally low for Las Vegas water. Be sure you have a good test before adding calcium.

 

[Birdie.jen]

I definitely plan on testing again in the morning. It is boggling my mind because like you said...this is not normal for us. And I confirmed that my neighbor does not have a water softer which was the only reason I thought I would get these kind of numbers.

 

[kimkats]

pH battle:
-Pool Math-how much acid to add to get it down to 7.8
-Add said amount with the pump running on high and brush at least that area
-wait about 15 mins and test again
-rinse and repeat until you get a reading in the 7s!

Good luck and use great care while handling the m.a. Make sure to have something over your eyes. Take your time and don't spill any on anything. Have a hose standing by to rinse anything off just in case there is a spill or such.

Kim