New gunite pool - trying to get it right
- Thread starter Sotex
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Maybe these will help...
www.troublefreepool.com
www.troublefreepool.com
Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
Sorry about that - it submitted before I was done and then when I went to edit, my phone locked up.
Yesterday morning I tested FC and pH and was shocked by the results. My FC dropped to 0.0 and pH was up to 8.0! So I tested TA, CH, and CYA just to get all the numbers. TA was 220! CH was a little low and CYA is at 20 (maybe even lower).
The pool guy the PB provides for the first month seems to follow TFP principles. However, he doesn't care about low CYA at all - only CYA build up. He's a liquid chlorine guy. When he was here Thursday, the numbers were all right on target. I know having a new pool can be a challenge to "dial in", but I was surprised at how CH had dropped to 0.0.
Now that I added 12.5% liquid chlorine and muriatic acid from HD (1 gallon each). Here are my numbers:
FC: 5.0
pH: 6.8
TA: 60
CH: 250
CYA: 20
I'm running two deck jets and the air blower in the spa to aerate to try to get a bump in pH.
Any other suggestions? The pool guy will be here Thursday and I can always text/call him, but I really want to be self-sufficient.
One more question. What would be considered "dangerous" levels of any/each chemical to keep people from getting in the pool?
Yesterday morning I tested FC and pH and was shocked by the results. My FC dropped to 0.0 and pH was up to 8.0! So I tested TA, CH, and CYA just to get all the numbers. TA was 220! CH was a little low and CYA is at 20 (maybe even lower).
The pool guy the PB provides for the first month seems to follow TFP principles. However, he doesn't care about low CYA at all - only CYA build up. He's a liquid chlorine guy. When he was here Thursday, the numbers were all right on target. I know having a new pool can be a challenge to "dial in", but I was surprised at how CH had dropped to 0.0.
Now that I added 12.5% liquid chlorine and muriatic acid from HD (1 gallon each). Here are my numbers:
FC: 5.0
pH: 6.8
TA: 60
CH: 250
CYA: 20
I'm running two deck jets and the air blower in the spa to aerate to try to get a bump in pH.
Any other suggestions? The pool guy will be here Thursday and I can always text/call him, but I really want to be self-sufficient.
One more question. What would be considered "dangerous" levels of any/each chemical to keep people from getting in the pool?
Maybe these will help...
Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading
Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading
Thanks! Read through those last week and after reading more and more on this site, I think I need to go back through so more stuff will stick!
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
What startup guide are you following?
Your FC is too high and you risk bleaching some of the color out of the plaster.
Go much easier on the acid and don’t lower your pH so much. High 7s is ok.
Your FC is too high and you risk bleaching some of the color out of the plaster.
Go much easier on the acid and don’t lower your pH so much. High 7s is ok.
My FC will likely come down in no time.
I was given a card from the PB that's labeled NPC. Confession, I need to pay closer attention to that! But there's stuff on there that I'm not familiar with on here.
- Oct 25, 2017
- 604
- Pool Size
- 9700
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Truclear / Ei
Since your pool is new, you can expect the pH to keep creeping up on you. Im still adding muriatic acid weekly to mine, and it was built last Nov. You can plug your numbers into PoolMath to see how much acid you have to add weekly.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The denseness and longevity of your plaster will partly depend on how well you follow the startup formula. Plaster curing during the first 28 days is a chemical process.
Is NPC a good start-up process? I'm guessing so since it's the National Plasters Council. After reading thorugh it, I've done a good job of following it for the most part.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
NPC process is fine. Getting your pH to 6.8 is not. Higher then recommended chlorine is not.
I seriously wonder if I tested wrong when I got 220 alkalinity. Either that or I calculated how much muriatic acid to use incorrectly (I did use the pool math app). Currently aerating. I knew I was overshooting the chlorine a bit since I used a gallon of 12.5%. Had I used 10%, it would have been much better. I’ll test this evening.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,082
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
TA reagent inner test kits have static electricity that affects drop size. Wipe the tip on a damp paper towel between drops.
Hold the bottle vertical and let the drop from the tip and roll off. Don’t squirt the drops or pop them out.
Drop size matters on the TA test.
Hold the bottle vertical and let the drop from the tip and roll off. Don’t squirt the drops or pop them out.
Drop size matters on the TA test.
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