The guy that has the plaster part of the company that did our remodel is trying to convince me that with fresh plaster, it is a good idea to keep pH lower than normal, between 6.9-7.2. Won't keeping it that low eventually cause other issues to arise such as scaling (I can't recall if it was high or low pH that causes that).
He did a product that is quartz based for our plaster...supposed to keep the darker colors looking better than regular plaster. It is nice and smooth to walk upon...more so than the Pebble Tec a friend had installed. He referred me to the NPT website, which is run by the National Plaster Council. But even there, I can't find anywhere it suggest keeping pH that low. I think he is trying to make excuses for why our plaster is already discolored (it has two very large areas, mostly covering the bottom of the pool...one on the shallow end and one on the deep end) that are faded looking and a very light blueish grey...bordering on white. The steps and seat are absolutely perfect and look just like the sample they gave us. The walls aren't quite perfect, but a little mottled in color, but close to the look of the sample. I don't expect the entire pool to look like the sample exactly, but it also shouldn't have large areas that are a different color altogether.
He also tried to blame the other chems (that I keep very balanced according to the BBB method) but I pointed out that it would be odd if this were caused by chemicals, but it didn't affect the entire pool. The remodel company (ASP) had someone do the initial 28 days when the plaster was fresh (or they wouldn't guarantee it the same)...but their guy didn't seem reliable to me...although they insisted he was their best and always did a great job. This color oddity began under his watch...and I tried to tell them that he would be here for literally about 5-10 minutes, max time on a good day. I may not know everything when it comes to our pool, but I do know that unless you are a very large octopus, there is simply no way one can brush the entire pool in that short of a time. And this time was also for testing and balancing my chemicals!
They say they want to drain and do an acid wash to fix it. Then if that doesn't do the trick, then they will take more drastic measures. Does this sound right to anyone? And if so, should I insist that they cover at least part of the cost to refill the pool with water and get the chems back in balance? After all, had it been done correctly the first time, this would not need to be done, right? Please feel free to let me know if I am being unreasonable or if this is OK for me to pursue. Initially, it seemed like they did a good job overall...but now I can't help but to think this is an issue they could have avoided by taking a little longer to complete the plaster. Or if it is a build up of plaster dust, then the pool caretaker is responsible for not brushing properly. If you are still reading this, please let me know your thoughts
Brian in Richardson, TX
He did a product that is quartz based for our plaster...supposed to keep the darker colors looking better than regular plaster. It is nice and smooth to walk upon...more so than the Pebble Tec a friend had installed. He referred me to the NPT website, which is run by the National Plaster Council. But even there, I can't find anywhere it suggest keeping pH that low. I think he is trying to make excuses for why our plaster is already discolored (it has two very large areas, mostly covering the bottom of the pool...one on the shallow end and one on the deep end) that are faded looking and a very light blueish grey...bordering on white. The steps and seat are absolutely perfect and look just like the sample they gave us. The walls aren't quite perfect, but a little mottled in color, but close to the look of the sample. I don't expect the entire pool to look like the sample exactly, but it also shouldn't have large areas that are a different color altogether.
He also tried to blame the other chems (that I keep very balanced according to the BBB method) but I pointed out that it would be odd if this were caused by chemicals, but it didn't affect the entire pool. The remodel company (ASP) had someone do the initial 28 days when the plaster was fresh (or they wouldn't guarantee it the same)...but their guy didn't seem reliable to me...although they insisted he was their best and always did a great job. This color oddity began under his watch...and I tried to tell them that he would be here for literally about 5-10 minutes, max time on a good day. I may not know everything when it comes to our pool, but I do know that unless you are a very large octopus, there is simply no way one can brush the entire pool in that short of a time. And this time was also for testing and balancing my chemicals!
They say they want to drain and do an acid wash to fix it. Then if that doesn't do the trick, then they will take more drastic measures. Does this sound right to anyone? And if so, should I insist that they cover at least part of the cost to refill the pool with water and get the chems back in balance? After all, had it been done correctly the first time, this would not need to be done, right? Please feel free to let me know if I am being unreasonable or if this is OK for me to pursue. Initially, it seemed like they did a good job overall...but now I can't help but to think this is an issue they could have avoided by taking a little longer to complete the plaster. Or if it is a build up of plaster dust, then the pool caretaker is responsible for not brushing properly. If you are still reading this, please let me know your thoughts
Brian in Richardson, TX
