New Plaster - Conflicting Info on Chlorine

[hollywoodfrodo]

So the official Plaster Guide says "DO NOT add chlorine for 48 hours after initial pool fill." And goes on to say on the 3rd Day "Step 2 - Pre-diluted chlorine may now be added to achieve 1.5 to 3ppm."

However, I've seen quite a few post on here say that chlorine should be added to the water as soon as the pool is full and equipment is running.

I tend to think I should go with what the National Plaster Council says, but am just curious why so many people seem to directly defy their recommendations...

 

[hollywoodfrodo]

Re: New Plaster - Conflicting Info on Chlorine

So, it appears to me the chemistry goals are slightly different for SWG Pools versus Straight Chlorine Pools. However, as we all know, even if you build an SWG pool, you can't add salt or use the SWG for 30 days. So my question is - as I'm testing the water and using the Pool Math Calculator during those first 30 days do I use the SWG or Non-SWG Goal amounts for everything?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Re: New Plaster - Conflicting Info on Chlorine

Start your pool off as a manually chlorinated pool (non-SWG levels). Then switch to the higher FC & CYA levels once the SWG is up and running. pH and TA are going to be critical in the first 30 days as the pH is going to shoot up and a daily basis. So you’ll want to have plenty of acid on hand to keep the pH is a tight range.

Are you doing the plaster startup? You need to follow whatever guidelines your PB/plasterer has setup in order to comply with warranty terms.

- - - Updated - - -

Trichlor tabs in a floater work great for a new plaster pool startup. I would only add a little less than 20ppm CYA via the sock method then let the tabs add the rest. You could even chlorinate using dichlor powder and tabs rather than liquid chlorine initially until your CYA hits 30ppm then ditch the dichlor and maintain with liquid chlorine and tabs.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Re: New Plaster - Conflicting Info on Chlorine

You should not add chlorine for the first 24-48 hours after fill as the plaster surface is undergoing hydration and carbonation (calcium hydroxide is converting to calcium carbonate). Chlorine interferes with that process. Also, most municipal tap water has chlorine and chloramine in it a levels sufficient to protect you for 24-48 hours. After that, adding chlorine is fine.

MOD note: Combined his two threads.

 

[kimkats]

Use the NPC card IF that is what your plaster warranty holder says to do.

Don't forget some pools are vinyl pools so they could add chlorine right away OR it is a remodel using the old plaster so they could also add chlorine right away OR someone forgot what the card says about when to add chlorine (me! I always forget that part)

Kim

 

[hollywoodfrodo]

Re:  New Plaster - Conflicting Info on Chlorine

Are you doing the plaster startup? You need to follow whatever guidelines your PB/plasterer has setup in order to comply with warranty terms.

The PB provides a company to assist with start-up. They supposedly come out and get the equipment running and programmed and do the first day start-up on the pool. BUT I don't think they come every day those first 3 days - but then again, the PB has been light on the info. He did say that it could be one of two companies and as of yesterday he didn't know for sure which one.

So in the end a) I don't know how much they will do versus how much they will expect me to do and b) I don't know exactly how reliable they are going to be since it's not the PB Company itself but outside pool maintenance companies they hire. I want to be prepared to do anything they leave for me to do as well as to yell "STOP!" if they clearly are doing something that is not right. Hopefully, they will be super great TFP-type guys or gals and will also be by everyday the first 3-4 days to assist me - that would be awesome. But I don't want to count on that for sure.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Chances are they know nothing about TFP or, if they do, they’ll laugh at you for “listening to strangers on the interweb” rather than their obviously super-expert professional advice. And, if you tell them to “STOP!” they either won’t listen to you or they’ll walk off the job and tell the PB to find someone else. You have to understand that this industry is incredibly thick-headed and impervious to factual scientific reasoning - they do what they want to do and how they have been doing it for as long as they’ve been in business and you are just a know-nothing homeowner that needs to step aside and let the “experts” take care of it.

I would try to nail down the PB and get specific info as quickly as you can and either bargain to do the startup yourself using the NPC Plaster Startup Guide OR find out what the startup company plans to add and see if you can negotiate with them on stuff you don’t want added to your pool. You’ll have to tread carefully here as someone is responsible for the warranty (PB, plastering company, startup company??) and you want to make sure you stay inside the terms and conditions.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

They will not be super-great TFP-types. Test the water yourself every day and don’t let them just dump stuff in. Don’t ask me how I know.

The most laborious part of new plaster is the brushing. Make sure they do that much.