First Time Pool Owner in NW Florida

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JohnnyRBravo

JohnnyRBravo

0
Bronze Supporter
Dec 29, 2018
17
Niceville, FL
Hi there,

My wife and I just completed a Blue Haven pool. We're first time pool owners. Our pool is a gunite shell within gunite retaining walls with a Smartbright Quartz plaster finish and waterline tile. The pool deck is rectangular "Sharkstooth" (grey) pavers with cream-colored coping. We're having a screen enclosure built, as well as connecting the gas service to the pool heater, in January.

Our routine right now (based on the advice we've been given by Blue Haven) is brushing the plaster daily, removing leaves and debris with a skimmer net and vacuum, and testing the chemical balance weekly (using Ocean Blue test strips for now). I just bought some Clorox pH Up and pH Down for balancing the water chemistry. I'm also looking for some diluted muriatic acid to remove stains caused by leaves and debris.

I have a couple of questions:
  1. Are there any suggestions for additional care or alternate techniques?
  2. The Hayward remote we received is simple but the light control is pretty flaky. Any ideas on how to better control the lights? (Pal Lights, but I don't yet know the model number).
 
Hello and welcome to the forum! :wave: It's good to hear you are brushing daily as that will be the routine for the first month or so until the dust stops. You can expect the pH to rise quicker than normal due to the curing plaster, so having muriatic acid readily available will help. Most importantly, and we can't stress this enough, you must have the right test kit. Those test strips are awful. Here at TFP, experience has shown us that you should pick either a Taylor K-2006C or TF-100 (link below). The TF-100 has Taylor reagents in it, but in larger sizes. It's the better value, but just make sure you get one of those ASAP. You can't take a risk of inaccurate results.

As for the pool care, you'll see a few industry methods used. Make sure to follow the builder's instructions for your warranty. But for FYI - here's TFP's info as a reference: Pool School - Start-up New Plaster. Also make sure to read our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry page. Save those Vital Links in my signature as well. You'll refer to them often. Welcome!
 
Hiya Johnny! Glad to have you here and good that you're here early in your pool life.

My first suggestion is to take back those two Clorox products as you'll only be needing muriatic acid. THe Clorox dry acid product (pH down) is not good for your new pool surface (nor for folks with SWGs). You want to only use the muriatic acid as it won't leave behind unwanted sulphates.

How are you adding chlorine in to your pool? I see no mention of a sanitizer?

Maddie :flower:
 
FLORIDA in the house!!! Hi and welcome! You found TFP just in time! Your plaster will last a lot longer and be Trouble Free (hehe see what I did there??) now that you have found TFP!

The others have you covered with the basics. I encourage you do some reading and test kit buying this weekend.

Kim:kim:
 
Thanks for the replies! I've done some sleuthing and there seems to be mixed opinions on test strips versus test kits. Some review sites claim the strips to be as accurate as test kits and a lot less work. Clearly, you guys think the strips are junk. How come?

I've been advised by the pool company to have a water tested professionally on a monthly basis. Any recommendations on that and where? I am planning to compare the results of my water testing with that of the professional testing to gauge accuracy.

There are also apparently digital test kits. Any feedback on them?

To answer some of the questions posed, there is a chlorinator into which I've put three 3" chlorine tablets into since the pool people started up the system. I'm a little confused as the system was sold as a non-chlorine system ("bottled water"), sanitized by UV and ozone. I don't yet have model numbers for all the equipment but I've requested that from the pool maker. Once I have those, I'll post in my signature.

I have muriatic acid now, primarily for getting the brown spots from leaves off the plaster. I can try that to adjust the pH down. Given all the rain we're having, I had to drain a couple inches of water out of the pool, which probably messes with the chemistry.

One question (of many) I have regarding pool chemistry. There is a test for pH and then a test for Total Alkalinity. These would seem to be redundant, since pH indicates either acid, neutral, or base (i.e. alkaline). Comments?
 
JB, to address your questions.....
Clearly, you guys think the strips are junk. How come?
Click to expand...
They will never be as accurate as drop-based testing. In addition, strips offer wide bands of what they call "recommended levels" for each item. No way are those appropriate to base pool chemistry on.
I've been advised by the pool company to have a water tested professionally on a monthly basis. Any recommendations on that and where? I am planning to compare the results of my water testing with that of the professional testing to gauge accuracy.
Click to expand...
The only reason to have your water tested by a pool store is to show record of testing for your pool warranty if applicable. Pool store testing will never be as accurate as home testing with one of the kits I noted above in post #2. For them to say "have your water tested monthly" also speaks to the lack of knowledge about water chemistry. A LOT can change in the water in just 1-2 weeks, not to mention a month.
There are also apparently digital test kits.
Click to expand...
There are some out there, but they jump in price quickly and typically require calibration which is why we encourage members to use one of the recommended test kits noted above.
To answer some of the questions posed, there is a chlorinator into which I've put three 3" chlorine tablets into since the pool people started up the system. I'm a little confused as the system was sold as a non-chlorine system ("bottled water"), sanitized by UV and ozone. I don't yet have model numbers for all the equipment but I've requested that from the pool maker. Once I have those, I'll post in my signature.
Click to expand...
There can be no non-chlorine" pool. The fact you have an inline chlorinator proves that. Unless your pool is indoors, the UV/Ozone was a waste of money unfortunately - something encourage by the seller/builder. Those systems are not sanitizers in themselves and will not kill all the bacteria or pathogens in water. Read this thread: Alternative sanitizers and pools--The Truth!!
Also remember that tabs/pucks add stabilizer rather quickly which will increase your CYA. It is imperative you don't over-use those items. Stick to regular bleach and read the ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry information posted above.
I have muriatic acid now, primarily for getting the brown spots from leaves off the plaster.
Click to expand...
MA is fine to lower the pH, but don't count on it to remove the stains. Organic staining should see better results with an elevated chlorine level. Based on your current CYA, refer to the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] and keep your FC about 50% higher than normal for a few days. That and consistent scrubbing should help.
One question (of many) I have regarding pool chemistry. There is a test for pH and then a test for Total Alkalinity. These would seem to be redundant, since pH indicates either acid, neutral, or base (i.e. alkaline). Comments?
Click to expand...
Another item addressed in our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry page, but absolutely not redundant. The TA serves as a buffering agent and helps to keep the pH from fluctuating too drastically. It also works with water temp, pH, and CH to produce your "CSI" level which indicates how corrosive your water is or likely to develop scale. Each much be tested regularly to maintain the proper balance.

JB, be cautious about info from your local pool store, product sales, or even a builder. Often times they ramble on about certain chemistry levels without really understanding what they mean or the consequences. We see it often. Your #1 best tool to keep the water clear & sanitized is one of those recommended test kits noted in post #2. We don't care here you get one, but you need one. We recommend TFtestkits.net simply because of their proven track record for customer service and quick shipping, but you can shop on Amazon as well. You'll see why when you start testing your own water and take control of the pool for good.
 
Test kit VS test strips (aka "guess" strips)-You will see the drop test kits we recommend have a smaller range for the results where the strips have a much greater range.

I have tested the strips right next to my drop kit and it was not even close :( Yeah the strips were faster and easier but the results were so wrong it was not worth the little bit of time it took to do the strips. I tried to use different ways of hold and dipping the strips and nothing helped.

Own test kit VS Pool Store testing-I tested my own water at home and it was spot on and looked awesome. I then took the same water to 3 different pool stores to be tested. Two had the same name but were in different parts of town. All three had widely different results from my testing AND each other!!!! The "fixes" ranged from $50 to $125 to fix even though I told all three shops my water looked great.

Digital testing-the machine has to be calibrated quite often. They also don't do all of the tests your pool will need to keep your pretty, new plaster looking great for long time.

pH+TA-they work hand in hand in a pool. The pH level helps to keep your eyes and skin irritation free. The TA helps "balance" the pH. When you find the "sweet" spot for the TA and pH you will not have to worry about these two most of the time.

UV and ozone-I will let you do a search in the white box at the top of the page as there are SOOOOOOOOOOO many hits on this subject. I will tell you that you can get "free" UV from the sun so there is that if the pool is outside.

Here at TFP solid science was used to come up with this method of pool care. I can post some of the science articles if you want a deep read on this subject.

Ask as many questions and concerns as you have and we will help you understand the whats and whys.

Kim:kim:
 
Hello again and thanks again for your comments and advice. Since the last messages, I have purchased a Taylor Service Complete Pool Water Test Kit K-2006C and have been testing and treating my pool water. It took me a couple weeks but I'm now down to the following numbers: FC: 1.2, CC: 0, pH: 8 (adjusted down to 7.4), TA: 70 ppm, CH: 310 ppm, CYA: 30 ppm. The FC is a little low, as is the TA. I'll be addressing that in the next test/treatment cycle.

A couple of questions about testing:
1) The test kit talks about the need to test within a minute of sampling from the pool. They claim that time can influence the test results. However, given the number of tests and the time it takes to conduct each, this seems unattainable. Comments?

2) The test kit also talks about the need to get the exact amount of pool water for each test (down to the drop!). I can see that the wrong amount of water would affect the test, but to the drop! Really? How sensitive are these tests to a drop's difference in the pool water?

3) As I have reduced the pH over the last couple of weeks (using muriatic acid), the TA has gone down (obviously, since lower pH is more acidic). Is there a way to increase the TA without increasing the pH?

4) I've spent some time estimating the pool volume. Since it's an irregular shape with varying depths, I've broken it down into four circles and calculated the volume based on that. There's still an area (of varying depth) that's not covered by the circles, so I'm still working on a better estimation. My volume turns out to be approximately 11.6K, so I've scaled the lookup tables provided in the kit. I interpolated the values between 10K and 15K using linear scaling. I hope that is an appropriate scaling. Comments?

A little more news on the pool. The enclosure is now complete; it's 10 feet high on the far side of the pool up to the roof edge on the house which is two levels above the pool deck. It's gorgeous! I need to get some lights strung over the patio area, but otherwise it's complete. Also, the heater has been connected to the gas line and fired up. We have been using the Spa for the last 5 days and I went into the pool, which is now about 78F while the air is between 42F and 57F. A bit chilly for swimming but the water is great.
 
I forgot to respond to one question that was asked. I did a chlorine shock using a chlorine powder dissolved in a bucket of pool water. After that, I've been putting 3 x 3oz tablets of Trichloroisocyanuric Acid into the chlorinator (that is inline with the pump/filter) and (manually) adjusting the amount discharged. I'm refilling the chlorinator when the tablets dissolve. It's too soon to predict the frequency but it takes at least a week, if not longer.
 

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