They held off due to rain over the weekend. But it's shiny and beautiful today, and it's plaster day!!
Montgomery TX pool & patio build!
- Thread starter blay127
- Start date
Beautiful day to get plastered here in the Houston area.
Congrats!
Now show us the pics!
Congrats!
Now show us the pics!
Yes it was a beautiful day!
Everything seemed to go really well. I mentioned it in the first post but we chose Wet Edge Luna Quartz in the St. Maarten flavor. I'm no professional, but I did a ton of research on applying quartz plaster and I believe they did everything they should. I'm trying to reserve any judgement on the finish until it gets water, cured, and brushed like crazy. It was really splotchy after the acid wash. But with the acid startup coming next and lots of brushing i'm expecting it to even out. Like I said, included in our build is a month of startup/service. So hopefully the company is open to suggestions on not using too many chlorine pucks when it comes time. On to the pics!
Getting Started
Trowel Trowel Trowel
After the acid wash and starting to fill. I believe this was at about 1:45 pm
Hot Tub
Filling up. You can see the splotchy-ness. I'm I right in that it should even out with more acid and brushing?
And this was at 8 am this morning. Of course the wind has been blowing hard all evening and in the perfect direction to put tons of pine needles and seeds in the water...
PB should be by soon to cut the water off at the pool and fill the hot tub. Almost there!!!
Everything seemed to go really well. I mentioned it in the first post but we chose Wet Edge Luna Quartz in the St. Maarten flavor. I'm no professional, but I did a ton of research on applying quartz plaster and I believe they did everything they should. I'm trying to reserve any judgement on the finish until it gets water, cured, and brushed like crazy. It was really splotchy after the acid wash. But with the acid startup coming next and lots of brushing i'm expecting it to even out. Like I said, included in our build is a month of startup/service. So hopefully the company is open to suggestions on not using too many chlorine pucks when it comes time. On to the pics!
Getting Started
Trowel Trowel Trowel
After the acid wash and starting to fill. I believe this was at about 1:45 pm
Hot Tub
Filling up. You can see the splotchy-ness. I'm I right in that it should even out with more acid and brushing?
And this was at 8 am this morning. Of course the wind has been blowing hard all evening and in the perfect direction to put tons of pine needles and seeds in the water...
PB should be by soon to cut the water off at the pool and fill the hot tub. Almost there!!!
Of course the wind is blowing just right to blow that into your new pool! GURRRRR!
They did an acid wash AND they are doing a acid start up?
Kim
They did an acid wash AND they are doing a acid start up?
Kim
And Kim didn't even mention anything about the green tinge going away in short time! She must know you've done your research!
How many gallons? I ask because it seems like it filled up quick and I was going to guess about 20k gals.
Watch out for the start up guy. Mine has come in twice while I'm not around so I'm not sure what he is trying to put in other than pucks. Nothing seems to be out of whack, but I'm not a trusting guy when it comes to what they could put in the water.
By the way, great color!
How many gallons? I ask because it seems like it filled up quick and I was going to guess about 20k gals.
Watch out for the start up guy. Mine has come in twice while I'm not around so I'm not sure what he is trying to put in other than pucks. Nothing seems to be out of whack, but I'm not a trusting guy when it comes to what they could put in the water.
By the way, great color!
LOL Goob.........I forgot to say anything about it as I was so focused on the start up they are doing 
Thanks for catching that 
Kim
Thanks for catching that Kim
When they plastered, they went back over it with muratic acid and brushes. Then supposedly doing an "acid startup" next. Not sure what exactly they'll be doing, but i'll ask. Whats your concern on that?
Yes I think its about 19k gallons, and it took under 24 hours to fill. Not sure exactly because i wasnt there when it reached the tile. And i'm not sure if that volume includes the hot tub or not, i'll ask about that as well.
Yes I think its about 19k gallons, and it took under 24 hours to fill. Not sure exactly because i wasnt there when it reached the tile. And i'm not sure if that volume includes the hot tub or not, i'll ask about that as well.
Well here she is all filled up and in the evening shade
Yeah the brush and pole that we were given...huge POS. Temporarily fixed by removing the spring clips and inserting a bolt and nut.
Brushing isnt so bad when you have good help!
Yeah the brush and pole that we were given...huge POS. Temporarily fixed by removing the spring clips and inserting a bolt and nut.
Brushing isnt so bad when you have good help!
Pucks are OK during the startup period. They will provide a low dosage of chlorine and start to build up your CYA. Keep track of how many pucks are used as you can do a quick calculation on your CYA based on number of pucks.
I see Kim's green tinge is showing. Don't let it bother you. It will take almost 30 days for the true color to become established.
Time to add details into your signature including which test kit you are planning to use.... hint hint
I see Kim's green tinge is showing. Don't let it bother you. It will take almost 30 days for the true color to become established.
Time to add details into your signature including which test kit you are planning to use.... hint hint
Your pool looks great. The waterline tile goes well with the rocks and natural stone.
No concern just asking as it is not the norm to acid wash and do a acid start up. A acid start up takes some daily management so wonder about how the PB is doing it. I am sure he knows what he is doing and your pool will look great with the awesome help you have there. Such a cute worker!
Kim
Kim
they didn't do a crazy acid wash with my quartz. it was very watered down. i actually call it a water wash. if you look at my pics of before the wash and after a huge amount of quartz came out. i some good comparisons. after brushing for a month a lot more did come out also. i could see it coming out week by week. a lot of mine came out later feel cause of the light acid wash. i also didn't get an acid start up so my ph was a huge pain to control in the beginning and still is up out of range after 5 days at a time. but you will see more quartz come out for sure. mine showed a lot more too cause my base was white/grey vs urs being blue so every little spec shows in mine. i will say you were able to see blotches in mine at first also but that all faded nice. is it still there. think so but with a white/grey base it isn't noticeable.
urs looks really nice though. keep an eye on those guys with the chemicals for that month. most important time. i personally wouldn't let them use pucks cause this way you know exactly what is going in to the T. u can add CYA easily by hanging it over the side in front of a return. its dirt cheap to buy. hang it out a bit s the sock doesn't touch the plaster. i made a plank like on a pirate ship to get it out there. dose with liquid chlorine with pool math on ur phone and drop ur own liquid acid. when it's time they can add CH solid and they can add baking soda for ur TA if needed based on fill water.
have them aim in the safe ranges for ur start up so you don't overshoot and make it harder to knock down.
jim
ps. maybe if u fee comfortable you can see if he will let you maintain also if u write everything down for when his guys come. i was suppose to have a few weeks of service also and i literally started it on my own before my builder came back after my last truck of water. he said i had a better control of it already than he did. he actually let me run with it. i had a great coach though. she was my angel on the sidelines walking me through everything whenever needed her. i would also text my builder to make sure each move i made was ok. even my closes suppose to be him but i took over for the chemicals and he is doing the hardware.
it's all cause of everyone here that i had the confidence to do it myself and i never owned a pool or lived in a house with a pool.
urs looks really nice though. keep an eye on those guys with the chemicals for that month. most important time. i personally wouldn't let them use pucks cause this way you know exactly what is going in to the T. u can add CYA easily by hanging it over the side in front of a return. its dirt cheap to buy. hang it out a bit s the sock doesn't touch the plaster. i made a plank like on a pirate ship to get it out there. dose with liquid chlorine with pool math on ur phone and drop ur own liquid acid. when it's time they can add CH solid and they can add baking soda for ur TA if needed based on fill water.
have them aim in the safe ranges for ur start up so you don't overshoot and make it harder to knock down.
jim
ps. maybe if u fee comfortable you can see if he will let you maintain also if u write everything down for when his guys come. i was suppose to have a few weeks of service also and i literally started it on my own before my builder came back after my last truck of water. he said i had a better control of it already than he did. he actually let me run with it. i had a great coach though. she was my angel on the sidelines walking me through everything whenever needed her. i would also text my builder to make sure each move i made was ok. even my closes suppose to be him but i took over for the chemicals and he is doing the hardware.
it's all cause of everyone here that i had the confidence to do it myself and i never owned a pool or lived in a house with a pool.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,287
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Here is the pole I got - very happy with it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MAHAV0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MAHAV0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks everyone! I will finally get around to doing some initial water testing today. First day of startup is supposedly today, i'm excited to get some flow and start filtering this junk.
Jim, I just read your thread, well the startup part of it anyway. Wow what a battle, and you killed it. Thanks for the tips, especially the two even scoops of powder vs one "heaping" scoop. I'm an engineer (a black and white guy, as you say), and that part of it was sketchy to me in order to get consistent results.
Jim, I just read your thread, well the startup part of it anyway. Wow what a battle, and you killed it. Thanks for the tips, especially the two even scoops of powder vs one "heaping" scoop. I'm an engineer (a black and white guy, as you say), and that part of it was sketchy to me in order to get consistent results.
no problem man. you might still get +- but it is very more rare for me now. the 2 scoop thing is right in the online tips for testing so I didn't make it up. just wanted you to know.
should help u a bit.
good luck man! just keep testing and make sure they get that PH in line quick. i would deff talk to them about you dropping chemicals. the ph is going to jump every few hours possible, maybe not but deff overnight and i bet my pants they aren't coming every day multiple times. maybe i'm wrong, but . . . my builder lives a few blocks away so he was always popping in but he was just checking on me. lol i kept saying nothing to see here move along. . . lol he is a great guy though. great builder.
should help u a bit.
good luck man! just keep testing and make sure they get that PH in line quick. i would deff talk to them about you dropping chemicals. the ph is going to jump every few hours possible, maybe not but deff overnight and i bet my pants they aren't coming every day multiple times. maybe i'm wrong, but . . . my builder lives a few blocks away so he was always popping in but he was just checking on me. lol i kept saying nothing to see here move along. . . lol he is a great guy though. great builder.
They (a service company, not the builder) came by to start things up. They told me they dropped about 8 gal of acid in and brushed everything. Told me to brush twice a day and they'd be back Tuesday.
I tested my fill water from my faucet. Seems awfully strange but I did each test twice to verify
FC: 1
TA: 240 (wth? Freak out now or wait?)
CH: 225
PH: 7.2
High TA and low PH? What am I up against here?
I tested my fill water from my faucet. Seems awfully strange but I did each test twice to verify
FC: 1
TA: 240 (wth? Freak out now or wait?)
CH: 225
PH: 7.2
High TA and low PH? What am I up against here?
That is something you will want to print out and put in the top of the test kit for future reference.
High TA is normal for some areas. The good news is TA is the last thing we worry about for water balance. We have a process for you to bring it down.
For right now you need to find where your local Lowes or Home Depot keeps their 31% muriatic acid. Most of the time they have them in pack of two.
Once you find it think about where you are going to store it. It has to be in a well vented area AWAY from the chlorine/bleach/pool tablets. M.A. and chlorine do not play well together. Most people store their m.a. outside. If you have kids you can get something like this:
https://www.target.com/p/sterilite-174-2-shelf-garage-or-utility-storage-cabinet-flat-gray/-/A-11861497?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Storage+Organization+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Storage+Organization&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9011572&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhc_W_KOT1wIV2FmGCh2RjgZxEAQYAyABEgIaj_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
This is lockable to keep the littles out.
Here is the link to lowering the TA. It is process that will take some time do the first time. Once you get the main water in balance you know you will need to do a little bit of work every time you have to add water.
Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity
For right now let it ride. Work with your PB and whoever he sends to get things in line. Once your PB says you can take over let us know and we will hit it hard.
I will tell you that several people have been able to take over their water balance when they showed their PB their neat test kit. See what he says when you show him you know how to test your water and know what is what.
Kim
High TA is normal for some areas. The good news is TA is the last thing we worry about for water balance. We have a process for you to bring it down.
For right now you need to find where your local Lowes or Home Depot keeps their 31% muriatic acid. Most of the time they have them in pack of two.
Once you find it think about where you are going to store it. It has to be in a well vented area AWAY from the chlorine/bleach/pool tablets. M.A. and chlorine do not play well together. Most people store their m.a. outside. If you have kids you can get something like this:
https://www.target.com/p/sterilite-174-2-shelf-garage-or-utility-storage-cabinet-flat-gray/-/A-11861497?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Storage+Organization+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Storage+Organization&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9011572&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhc_W_KOT1wIV2FmGCh2RjgZxEAQYAyABEgIaj_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
This is lockable to keep the littles out.
Here is the link to lowering the TA. It is process that will take some time do the first time. Once you get the main water in balance you know you will need to do a little bit of work every time you have to add water.
Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity
For right now let it ride. Work with your PB and whoever he sends to get things in line. Once your PB says you can take over let us know and we will hit it hard.
I will tell you that several people have been able to take over their water balance when they showed their PB their neat test kit. See what he says when you show him you know how to test your water and know what is what.
Kim