First test (on my fill water)...

[texasAUtiger]

Ok, the pool is very near 100% full after starting to fill it yesterday morning. My first test using the TF-Pro test kit with SpeedStir resulting in the following:

pH: 8.2++ meaning the color was considerably pinker than the 8.2 color on the comparator block
Cl: 0 (no surprise, this is fill water and nothing has been added to the pool yet)
TA: 340 (is this even reasonable? At 20 drops there was no color change and I thought I must have messed something up but I followed instructions exactly. So I kept going and got a stable color change at 34 or 35 drops.)

Should I even test the others if this is just fill water with nothing added yet?

 

[Texas Splash]

Does you builder plan on returning to add anything, or are they waiting until Monday (3 day period)? You can't add CYA until day 3. PH will rise for a while, so you do want to control the pH in the 7.8 - 8.0 range while the surface cures for the first 30 days. For now, I would add about 1/2 gallon of liquid chlorine per day until they come back out. Don't worry about the TA right now until we know more about your builder's plans. Did they add a sequestrant as insurance for metals??

 

[texasAUtiger]

PB says a pool water company will manage the water for the first 30 days and they will be here Monday to start the water chemistry. PB has added nothing and I have added nothing.

 

[Texas Splash]

Okay, so I would just add that little bit of chlorine each day to keep a handle on organics. Monday you can expect stabilizer (or conditioner) and lots of acid to get dumped in there. Companies aren't very careful about it, so keep good notes. They will give you their 10-min pool school and expect you to go from there. We'll help you. Sunday evening or Monday morning you might run a full set of test results so you can see what they "should" be controlling.

 

[texasAUtiger]

Will do. Thank you!

If they don't mention sequestrant, is that something I should do myself?

 

[Texas Splash]

If they don't mention sequestrant, is that something I should do myself?

You can ask. It's not always used, but some builders do it just in case there is any iron in the fill water that might react once chlorine is added so it doesn't stain in the plaster. Speaking of chlorine, I know I said above to add some, but with no CYA it won't stay long, and it would also be quite strong at first with no stabilizer. Perhaps just leave that alone for now as well until they add the CYA and determine if they wish to add the sequestrant.

Below is our link for your general reference of what to expect.

Start-up New Plaster

The first few months are the most criticle for a newly plastered pool. We're here to share best practices to ensure the plaster will last for many years.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[pjt]

Ok, the pool is very near 100% full after starting to fill it yesterday morning. My first test using the TF-Pro test kit with SpeedStir resulting in the following:

pH: 8.2++ meaning the color was considerably pinker than the 8.2 color on the comparator block
Cl: 0 (no surprise, this is fill water and nothing has been added to the pool yet)
TA: 340 (is this even reasonable? At 20 drops there was no color change and I thought I must have messed something up but I followed instructions exactly. So I kept going and got a stable color change at 34 or 35 drops.)

Should I even test the others if this is just fill water with nothing added yet?

Similar fill water in the Houston area. Here's my measurements:

pH: 7.8
TA: 330
CH: 75

 

[Newdude]

Ok, the pool is very near 100%

Congrats taut!!!!!!