New Gunite pool day 7 need advice

[AZRider]

Just filled our new gunite pool Wednesday. Used Bicarb startup process Fill water was TA 120 and CH 50 pH 8.2 to get to 400 TA added 36# Baking Soda Current readings this morning

pH over scale pool store test yesterday showed 8.4
TA 300
CH 50
Cl 0
Added 48 oz 31% acid yesterday TA came down from 320
Current CSI is .71 need to get this down soon.
I have read that with TA high It will be difficult to lower pH. I need to add Calcuim Cloride to increase CH but it says I need to get pH down to 8.0 first.
What is maximum amount of acid to add at a time and how long between doses? So far I am not seeing clouds of plaster dust when I brush the pool.
Also should I start floating tabs now? It will be a salt pool after 30 days.

 

[proavia]

Do not try to lower pH more than 0.4 with any one dose of acid.
Use PoolMath with a starting pH of 8.2 and a goal of 7.8. Add the suggested dose and retest the water 15-20 minutes later. Rinse, repeat until pH is in desired range. Be sure PoolMath is setup with your pool size and other relevant info.

Maybe @onBalance can review your test results and better advise.

 

[onBalance]

Follow proavia's suggestions.
With the equipment running, the added acid will be completely dispersed and diluted in less than one hour. So wait at least one hour before adding more acid as long as the pH has raised up above 8.0.
There is no rush to add calcium chloride to raise the calcium hardness. Just slowly raise the calcium level as the TA is lowered and the pH is 7.8 or lower.
Using Tabs now is a good idea. They will help lower the pH.
Remember, as the the TA is lowered, it takes less and less acid to lower the pH to a specific number.

 

[AZRider]

Follow proavia's suggestions.
With the equipment running, the added acid will be completely dispersed and diluted in less than one hour. So wait at least one hour before adding more acid as long as the pH has raised up above 8.0.
There is no rush to add calcium chloride to raise the calcium hardness. Just slowly raise the calcium level as the TA is lowered and the pH is 7.8 or lower.
Using Tabs now is a good idea. They will help lower the pH.
Remember, as the the TA is lowered, it takes less and less acid to lower the pH to a specific number.

Thanks, I am starting to see a trend downward on pH looks like it is getting closer to 7.8 I will test again in an hour to see where I am at.

 

[Sunnydaze]

Did you use tapwater to fill the pool? If so, your calcium is much higher than 50ppm. Your water in Surprise is mostly Colorado river and some ground water which is much higher than 50ppm....closer to 225-250.

 

[AZRider]

Did you use tapwater to fill the pool? If so, your calcium is much higher than 50ppm. Your water in Surprise is mostly Colorado river and some ground water which is much higher than 50ppm....closer to 225-250.

Our water provider is Liberty Utilities I had the service guy out here several times with meter read issues. He said our community has 4 wells and does not get any Colorado river water. I tested water multiple times before filling every test was 50ppm Had Leslie test it twice they reported 51 and 31 not sure I trust the 31 but 50 is our accurate CH from the tap here where I am.

 

[AZRider]

Retested water pH is about 7.8 TA dropped to 270 CH is still 50 CSI is now .18

 

[ajw22]

CSI is now .18

You want your CSI up towards 0.5 during the curing process...

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

The normal CSI guidelines are not applicable to new plaster finishes under 30 days old. It is actually necessary, to achieve a smooth and dense surface, to have about a +0.5 CSI during the first 30 days. This is because the plaster (cement paste) surface contains about 20% calcium hydroxide, which is somewhat soluble in balanced and slightly positive CSI water and can be dissolved away. The plaster surface needs to be "carbonated" before the CSI should be lowered to the acceptable and balanced range. And that generally is achieved during the first month under balanced water.

 

[AZRider]

You want your CSI up towards 0.5 during the curing process...

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

The normal CSI guidelines are not applicable to new plaster finishes under 30 days old. It is actually necessary, to achieve a smooth and dense surface, to have about a +0.5 CSI during the first 30 days. This is because the plaster (cement paste) surface contains about 20% calcium hydroxide, which is somewhat soluble in balanced and slightly positive CSI water and can be dissolved away. The plaster surface needs to be "carbonated" before the CSI should be lowered to the acceptable and balanced range. And that generally is achieved during the first month under balanced water.

Thanks for reminding me I remember reading that. Now that the pH is below 8 I can add Calcuim Chloride to increase CH which will raise the CSI. I feel like I am back in college chemistry again lol

 

[AZRider]

Day 7 Test Results

TA 170
CH 100
pH 8.0 after adding acid
Cl 0
CYA 0

Is it time to add liquid Cl and CYA? I am also having issues raising CH. I added Calcuim Chloride several times adding recommended amounts per Pool Math. I had it to 150 yesterday but down to 100 today. I am guessing the water had not fully mixed giving a higher reading the day before. Should I wait 2 days after adding Calcuim Chloride to retest CH? Water is clear with no signs of cloudiness. Not seeing plaster dust when I brush the pool just dirt that is getting blown in with monsoon storms the last 2 days.