New Construction: Cathedral City CA

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bdavis466 said:
The rougher the surface the better the adhesion.
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Oh, good, 'cause that's what mine looked like!

bdavis466 said:
The discoloration, was that the actual Pebbles or it was the plaster cream?

The different stonescapes colors don't come pre-mixed. There's a recipe where you add a certain amount of each color Pebble in addition to the plaster to get the different colors. if those are all the same color pebbles in the same location then the batch wasn't mixed well enough and even then I find that hard to believe that is possible.
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I suspect mixing technique or trowel technique or both. If that product had that kind of "hit or miss" results consistently, I can't imagine it would still be sold. Who would want to buy it?

When my plasterer was selling me on her services, she was touting the skill of her crew, and how they knew how to manipulate the pebbles, especially in the rounded edges, for maximum coverage and appeal. Which leads me to believe the final appearance is only as good as the applicator...
 
Yorker said:
Our yard has no exposed sand now, but in heavy wind some sand from neighbors yards to blow in, a fraction of what used to before the landscaping was completed. If some sand gets blown in the evening after they lay the pebble down. Is there anything I can do before the acid wash the next day? I would have no problem getting up in the middle of the night with a shop vac.
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Can the OP cover his pool for the first few days? Preserve the chlorine from the fill water and keep the sand out? Would that affect the cure in any way?
 
bdavis466 said:
Sand wouldn't do anything to the plaster a day after it's been installed.... Isn't sand is just very fine pebbles? :scratch:
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Well, I think you brush a new surface to keep errant plaster dust from landing back on the plaster and sticking where it doesn't belong. Could sand do that?
 
Dirk said:
Well, I think you brush a new surface to keep errant plaster dust from landing back on the plaster and sticking where it doesn't belong. Could sand do that?
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Plaster is largely calcium based so when that is coupled with high pH levels, scale is very possible. The brushing removes the dust from the surface (think of it like haze on tile after grouting) and gets in into solution where is can either be caught in the filter or dissolved by the typically low pH levels common with startups. If the pH isn't low enough, the dust just settles back on the floor and sits there until it gets vacuumed out.

Sand is basically inert so I don't see how it could cause any discoloration unless it had high iron content (but that would be pretty obvious).

Pebble pools have the entire top layer of cream dissolved with full strength acid and then its pressure washed to remove any remaining material/dust/pebbles. Most people don't see any plaster dust when brushing these pools because it has all been removed way prior to filling.
 
Thanks Brian! I think it was my plasterer that taught me the plaster dust can settle and then adhere in some way to the surface, causing issues with color and feel. Which is why you have to keep brushing often to keep it suspended so that it can get routed to the filter. Was that not true?
 
Today's Update: Meet with the Sales Rep for the PB this morning. I feel as confident as I can that this redo will be notably better. The also agreed to me doing the start-up and still maintaining the warranty. The pebble will be done tomorrow, unless they feel that the weather (sand/wind) will be a problem.

He briefly looked at the new tile work, but I don't think he looked at the deep end that still has some standing water from when the tile guy rinsed his buckets last Friday. I would have thought that the water would have evaporated by now with our heat. I just went out and broom swept some up higher on the gunite slope to help it dry out. I will continue to sweep throughout the day - I imagine it will be dry by tomorrow.

WaterAfter TilieLR.jpg
 
BTW, did you ever get the three spa-to-pool water falls straightened out (leveled)? If not, is there anything that can be done about it now that you've got things torn up and the pool and spa are empty?
 
Dirk said:
BTW, did you ever get the three spa-to-pool water falls straightened out (leveled)? If not, is there anything that can be done about it now that you've got things torn up and the pool and spa are empty?
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Thanks Dirk. I've been reviewing this massive thread, your (and everyone's help has been incredible).

I had them redo the spillway .... two times - it's much better. We really missed swimming and using the spa this past week, just a few days more!
 

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Yorker said:
I had them redo the spillway .... two times - it's much better. We really missed swimming and using the spa this past week, just a few days more!
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Yay! So sorry for all you've been through. But, yes, just a few more days and you can put this all behind you, and just enjoy your amazing pool!
 
kimkats said:
SWEET!!! Now PLEASE tell me you have this in writing!!!
Kim:kim:
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I sent the PB an email acknowledging what we discussed, included my day to day list for the first 30 days, and indicated that they were to let me know if they wanted any adjustments. They acknowledged receipt said they were passing it on to their lead pool guy and that he would come by to "show me how to do the startup".

Now - NO ONE showed up yesterday to install the pebble as they told me they would, and I was getting very little response from the PH, other than that the plasterer was not returning texts or phone calls. To say the least I was starting to get a bit freaked out that everyone was fleeing town and I was left with a chipped out pool (that's where my mind goes). Finally at 5pm yesterday I got a call that they would be here at 7am ... they showed up this morning at 6am.

It's 11 now and they are done it looks great (but it looked great at this point the last time). The father (the actual owner of the company) was the supervisor this time, not his son I was told was the owner and did the pebble the last time. I asked what time tomorrow (Thursday) they would be by to do the acid wash and he said they might do the acid wash later today.

So I might be filling later today.

Some back notes: I cleaned the filters a few days ago (when the pool was empty). This was the first time I did this, the pool guy did it a few months ago. I'm unsure if I tightened the belt/bolt tight enough and have told the PB that their guy should check it before I turn the filter back on (after the fill).

It looks like they will not be sending their pool guy out until sometime tomorrow, which could mean that after the pool fills tonight, the water will be stagnate for 9 or more hours. They say that is OK. Should I be concerned about that?

I'm sure their pool guy will not have reviewed my list before he arrives tomorrow. I intended to put the sequestrant (The Magenta Stuff ((protects from staining & scaling)) right after the pool was filled and I turned the filter on ... which might be tonight.

Should I hold off adding the seguestrant? If I do, I have a feeling that tomorrow the pool guy will say "It's not needed for city water".
... Or should I just add it tonight and tell him tomorrow that he should have read my list earlier.

If I remember correctly, I thought he told me he put chlorine in the pool the day after the original fill. So I'm uncertain if I should try the turning on the filter tonight after the fill - if all is good, then add the sequestrant.

Thoughts?
 
Follow the start up card unless a TFP expert tells you otherwise. Check in here, like you're doing, if you're not sure. Chlorine doesn't go in right away. Neither does CYA. The card spec's about the sequestrant (Day 1).

I like your take about dealing with the pool guy. He is not in charge now, you are, as agreed to by the boss. You don't need to get into it with him. Just nod your head when he talks. Take notes if you want to ask about his advice here. If he tries to pour anything into your pool, that's where you'll need to jump in. Just say, "No thank you, I'll take care of that," and hope that he complies. Insist he does if not. It's going to be this first meet that's going to set the tone for the next month, and how the startup will be handled.

I'd want to start my pump the minute the water was halfway up the skimmer. Remember, you're no longer taking advice from the PB like "They say that is OK." Follow the card (pump start is on there), and check in here if the card doesn't have what you need.

You're biggest issue is that filter. They can be extremely dangerous if they're not reassembled correctly. Like blow-the-lid-off-over-your-roof-and-hope-you're-not-in-the-way-of-it dangerous. Can you post a picture of the bolt? And another of the band? Is there a spring? Mine is on tight when the spring is fully compressed, but let's take a look at what you have before you turn on the pump. You need to be ultra confident you have it on right before you start your pump, and before anyone else does.

Stay strong. This is your pool!!
 
Thanks Dirk,

Here are some photos, it looks like the belt can go closer/tighter. The side where the bolt is - is already touching the lip of the lid/lower portion of the filter. the other two sections of the belt are about 1/8" away. I used a mallet to tap/hit those sides closer, then tighten the bolt more, but they did not seem to get closer to the rim. Should I loosen it some, then try again. If so would I need to apply more Magic Lube?

IMG_2955.jpgIMG_2954.jpgIMG_2956.jpg
 
I only know it has to be done right, not how to do it!! ;) I haven't cleaned my filter since I fired the pool guy!! Stand by on those questions...
 
Your filter clamp is on such that it will not do the fly over the roof thing Dirk said! Tap it like Brian said and tighten. Be aware that once the spring is compressed it is as tight as you should need to go.

It might still leak -- Depends on how clean and how well lubed the gasket and mating surfaces were.

If it does leak, be sure it fully depressurized prior to loosening the clamp to try again --
 
Thanks guys for bailing me out on that...


bdavis466 said:
Add the sequestrant while the pool is filling

Start the pump as soon as the water level is where it should be.

The filter, take a mallet and smack the perimeter of the band clamp all the way around, retighten, and repeat
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mknauss said:
Your filter clamp is on such that it will not do the fly over the roof thing Dirk said! Tap it like Brian said and tighten. Be aware that once the spring is compressed it is as tight as you should need to go.

It might still leak -- Depends on how clean and how well lubed the gasket and mating surfaces were.

If it does leak, be sure it fully depressurized prior to loosening the clamp to try again --
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Update (to the UPDATE :)
They postponed the acid wash until tomorrow, so someone will be by in the morning to reinstall the pool/spa lights (either before the acid wash, or while the pool is filling), and they can check the filter. I'll be here and intend to make sure they take off their shoes before getting in.

Thanks Marty, I did some more pounding and tightening, the the coils of the spring looks as tight as it will go.

IMG_2957.jpgIMG_2958.jpgIMG_2960.jpg
 

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