My "Giant Pond" is Almost a Real Pool! And Some Questions...

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frustratedpoolmom said:
A TA level of 70 is fine and can be left as is.

If the PH doesn't go up (it may go up on it's own) in a week or so, add some Borax, to raise it to 7.6.

Retest the CH, but understand it's a tricky test to perform correctly. You MUST swirl for 20-30 second between EACH drop. The test should take a long time to do correctly. If 30 is accurate, then you may want to increase it. It's not critical, some time next week is fine.

However, isn't the pool painted? I'm pretty sure with painted plaster the level doesn't have to be as high as normal plaster. I think you can get by with 100-150ppm on the CH.

The CYA - a Nylon probably isn't the best choice for that much CYA - I would use an old tube sock next time, hopefully your's won't break. If you notice the CYA escaping thru the nylon, just be sure to brush the pool where it's dissolving. Remember to wait a week to retest - and 24 hours after the CYA has dissolved from the sock, assume your level is whatever you targeted. So if you targeted 50ppm, that's now your level, and then you start keeping your FC according to the CYA chart, with 50 as your level. Make sense?
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Thanks for all the info, poolmom!

I double-socked it in the nylon hose, but can put that inside an old tube sock easily enough for extra protection.

The good news is... the pool made the party deadline! YAY! It looks lovely. (I'll try to take some pictures later.) Thanks to all of you. :) Thank you all SO much!

Now, if I can just get the house and patio there, too. LOL :D Still working on that...
 
Buggsw said:
Have fun at your party. You sure have worked hard toward this day. I can't wait to see pics. I bet your pool looks beautiful.
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Thanks, Buggs! We had a blast, and so did our friends! The party was a hit! :D And you guys helped to make that happen. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate this. :)

We smoked some chickens and a couple slabs of Alaskan salmon (which was incredibly yummy). There were fresh garden veggies from our garden and from friends' gardens who contributed (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.). A friend from Turkey brought a Middle Eastern dip made with roasted eggplant, yogurt, black olives, and several spices that was delicious (may sound strange, but it was awesome). There were cheesecakes and fruit salads for dessert. Oh, and lots of wine and beer, of course. ;)

The pool was much enjoyed, since the temp was around 102 yesterday. The younger folks, my daughter's friends, took to the water right away and were in and out all afternoon and into the evening. One of our neighbors surprised the heck out of us right at dusk. She's in her 70s but still spry. She walked over to me and said, "Well, I've been telling myself all day that I'm going to get in this pool, and I AM going to right now!" Then, she walked over to the edge and DOVE right in. I thought she'd go down to the steps and get in, but noooo.... She dove right in (in a dress!), and swam to the other end, amidst cheers and shouts of "You GO, girl!" from the decks! LOL She's a trip.

Our dog (an older fellow of 16) even took a surprise (especially to him) dip in the pool. He was trying to negotiate around one corner where someone had put a chair too close to the edge, slipped, and IN he went. He's never been swimming before in his entire life, but after an initial panic, he started paddling away. I was on the edge about to jump in and help him, but my daughter beat me to it. She leaped right in and helped guide him over to the steps where she helped him climb out (he has arthritic hips and needed a boost). No harm done. In fact, he was extremely proud of himself and frisky as a pup after that! :D I think he especially enjoyed shaking water all over our guests (no one minded). ;)

Today, I'm cleaning up the aftermath (slowly), re-testing the water (needed to add bleach, which I expected, but pH and TA looked great), and other than that, taking a break.

Thanks much for helping this to happen! We couldn't have done it without you. ALL of you are awesome. :)
 
Holy ****! If I ever have a stain to get out, I know who to call! :cool:

Great job! It looks fantastic, and I like the improv stuff as well!

Check this out, a new avatar for you:
newandold.jpg



-Rich
 

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I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this entire thread. What a transformation and I have to say you are sure a hardworking, persevering, creative couple. What you did with that pool is amazing. I love your faux coping idea and now I'm thinking hey, some of that poly moulding in flat pieces might make a great and inexpensive tile line for someone in a pinch. Re-tiling can sure be expensive. Love your artwork remedies for the holes. I love your garden, too! Everything just looks fantastic.
 
Buggsw said:
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this entire thread. What a transformation and I have to say you are sure a hardworking, persevering, creative couple. What you did with that pool is amazing. I love your faux coping idea and now I'm thinking hey, some of that poly moulding in flat pieces might make a great and inexpensive tile line for someone in a pinch. Re-tiling can sure be expensive. Love your artwork remedies for the holes. I love your garden, too! Everything just looks fantastic.
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Wow, thanks so much for all the compliments, Buggs! I'm glad you've enjoyed this thread. So have I! I've learned soooo much here. :)
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
WaterWoman said:
Re-did TA & CH, results below:

In a day or so, perform an overnight FC Loss Test to make sure your FC is holding.
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I did the FC Loss Test last night. I had a drop of .2 between 8:30PM last night and 5:30AM this morning, so I assume that's good? It said 1.0 or less drop is OK, right?

I am still waiting for the CYA in the sock to dissolve (which is hanging near a return), but I am getting FC readings of 0 at the end of each day. I'm not sure I am adding enough bleach, but am doing what the pool calculator is telling me, provided I am using it right. It says my FC goal should be "2 to 6," and with the target set at 3 (which is where it was when I first opened it--I didn't change it) the amount of bleach it recommends I add is bringing me to the 3.4-3.6 range (it was 3.4 just now after being 3.6 last night). I assume it is all being eaten up by the sunlight since the FC Loss Test seemed OK, and the stabilizer hasn't dissolved enough to have any effect yet. Is this normal for a newly filled pool? Am I adding enough bleach? Should I raise the target on the pool calculator or is this sufficient?

The pH is holding steady at 7.4, and the TA at 70. I haven't tried retesting for CH yet, and testing for CYA seems useless until the stuff in the sock dissolves (right?). So, is there anything else I should be doing right now?

ETA: I should probably add that it's pretty hot here right now. Today's temp is predicted to be 97, and it's forecast to range anywhere from 94 to 101 over the next 10 days. The pool gets a full day of sun. The shallow end is shaded after about 3-4PM, but the deep end is in sun all day from about 7-8AM until about 6-7PM. Don't know if that makes any difference, but thought I should note it.

ETA again: One more question about the pool calculator... When I first open it, it says my FC Goal is "2 to 6" like I said above, but once I fill in my "Now" values and click "Calculate," the FC Goal changes to "1 to 3." Why is that? Is it because of the 0 CYA value? Or something else? Just want to be sure I'm getting the correct results.
 

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