New Pool Buda (just south of Weird) Texas - November 2017

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Decked Out and Stepping On Up:

The Sundeck was completed today. We chose Franciscan Tan because we thought it would compliment the Oklahoma Flagstone.

Pool Sundeck 1.jpg

Pool Sundeck closer view.jpg

We decided that it would be nice to add a step at the water feature/bench so we could climb up there easier to jump in.

Pool Sundeck with Step.jpg

Quite pleased with the way this has come together so far. Plaster is coming soon!!!!!!
 
GETTING TOTALLY PLASTERED!!!

After days of rain and freezing temps, the weather was actually nice and so we really got plastered!

In this case it was Stonescapes Aqua Blue that was our substance of choice.

Pool Plaster2.jpg

Also the rope anchors were installed. We wanted a rope because we have a 3 year old grandaughter who will grow up in this pool and we wanted to demarcate the shallow end from the deep end. She has been taking kiddie swimming lessons since she was about 6 months old and loves the water! (Yes the pool is already filling up with leaves - I mean come on trees, really? There isn't even water in there yet!!!)

Pool Plaster Side.jpg
Tomorrow they are supposed to complete the acid wash on this mini-pebble finish and then we begin to fill 'er up!

Got my test kit out and am getting ready to start doing all those chemicals (um chemical tests that is) that are recommended on this forum!!!
 
Plaster then acid???? What a what a way to start the week!!!!

Your Grand is going to love the pool. You will love it also as a tired child is a sleeping child! LOL

Those trees are laughing at you! Hehe look what we can do!

When you go to fill the pool:

-cloth of some sort over the end of the hose-this helps protect that pretty, new plaster from the metal

-hose right down by the main drain NOT hanging off the edge or running down from the shallow end (can cause streaking)

-keep the water running. Do NOT stop it until the water is halfway up the waterline tile (stopping early could cause a ring on the plaster). If you need to slow it down you can turn it down some but do NOT stop it.

When testing your fill water don't bother testing for CYA as it has to be added. Make a note of your fill water for future reference. When it is time to add more water you will know what needs to be done right away since youi know what you are adding. Post up your numbers and we will give you a shopping list.

Remember it is very normal for the water to have a green tint to it in the beginning. It will change as the plaster cures and the water gets balanced.

Now get your brush ready to start brushing the pool once or twice a day for a while! Here is on way to start up plaster:

Start-up Cards - National Plasterers Council

Kim:kim:
 
GETTING OUR FILL:

The crew came out this morning and installed the covers on the main drain pipes, installed the lights, and acid washed the pool.

We then took 2 garden hoses, tied a cloth around the end of each and dropped them into the deep end of the pool next to each of the main drain covers and began the filling process. This commenced at 11:02 A.M. Central Time.

Prior to filling I timed the amount of water flowing out of two hoses using two 5 gallon buckets (both hoses combined) and we are putting out around 7.6 gallons of water per minute. So it is going to take a while to fill this thing up!

I have no idea how many gallons the pool holds and I am going to have to try to come up with some kind of estimate.
But I suspect that it is somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 gallons.

Here are the pictures of us as we get our fill!!!
Magic Inspects the pool filling process.jpg
Magic the pool cat keeps a close eye on the hydration of the plaster as the water rises.

Two hoses at drains in deep end of pool.jpg
The green stuff isn't gunk on the plaster, it is a reflection of trees. The water is pretty clear so far.


Closeu up wraapped hose end in pool for filling.jpg
This is how we wrapped the hose ends. A cloth with string tied around it to hold it on the hose. See how clear the water is.
This was taken about 5 hours into the filling process. Water is maybe a foot deep in the deep end.

Light in place in pool wall.jpg
The lights are in the pool wall now as well.

In a few minutes, I am going to post some numbers coming from the fill water that is going into the pool.
This is my first time to test pool water EVER. So .... I hope I get it right. Stay tuned.
 
STARTING NUMBERS:



OK - I got out my new TF-100 test kit and ran a few tests on the water coming out of the hose into the deep end.
TF 100 Pool Kit.jpg


I saw no need to run chlorine tests or CYA tests, but I thought I would check calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and PH. This is what my testing showed for the water coming out of the hose:

PH 7.5
Calcium Hardness 250
Total Alkalinity 270 !!!! Wow, straight out of the hose at 270.

Any thoughts on these numbers?
I am sure that the chemistry will change not long after it goes into the pool. Do I need to worry about the total alkalinity at this point? Or should I just keep filling and worry when it is full?

Also decided to add a third hose to speed up the fill as much as possible.
Third Hose for pool fill.jpg

The third hose is putting out about 4 gallons per minute, but it may have reduced the output of hoses 1 and 2 by a little and overall pressure at the house is pretty low.
 
Plaster went in yesterday so Magic was "grounded" all day yesterday.
She didn't get to go out today until water was already going into the pool
and the paster seemed very hard after the completion of the acid wash.
(I touched it in one place and it felt very hard a little after the noon hour).

Magic is really a very very small cat for her age and weighs next to nothing
so I wasn't too concerned about her going into the pool today - but YES SHE DID go right down to
the water line - but left no tracks - thank goodness.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
skeptik said:
I wasn't too concerned about her going into the pool today - but YES SHE DID go right down to
the water line - .
Click to expand...

:cat: that is my girl! Doing her job...keeping everyone guessing what she will do next!

That water IS looking great so far!

The TA is the last thing we worry about when we are balancing the water so you are good there. We WILL work on it but later. Print out the start up card from the link I posted and share it with your PB and see what he says about it.

Your PB is the main one to listen to as he holds the warranty card!

Kim:kim:
 
CHEMICALS ROUND 1: "But They Gave Me The Super Blues"

Just around midnight last evening the water level in the pool hit the mid point on the skimmers!

:sunny: WE HAVE A FILLED POOL! :sunny:

Pool WF and Bubblers.jpg

First thing this morning I tested the water - with NOTHING it.
These were my numbers:

CH - 275
PH - 7.5
TA - 260
CYA - n/a
CHLORINE - n/a

This is not much different than the water that I tested coming out of the hose yesterday - but of course the CH is up from 250.

So the PB said he would have a guy come out to start up the pump and add the starting chemicals.
That happened around 12:45 p.m. - I was chomping at the bit to get started but I knew I could do little
until the pump was running.

So when he arrived he brought 3 cases or muriatic acid (with 4 one-gallon jugs in each case).
Well I guess that he figured my TA was going to be high and he came prepared!

He added two gallons and I had to go inside to turn on the break power to the pump,
When I came back out, he was pouring something called SUPER BLUE WATER CLARIFIER into the pool (32 ounces - gulp!)
The I saw that he had also added something called SCALE AWAY (67 ounces - double gulp!!)

So I wanted to do the pool totally according to BBB - um just how screwed up is my water now?

Ironic that the water was crystal clear BEFORE anything was added and now it is somewhat cloudy.
(I know that is probably normal but geez!!!)

Oh, I have been trying really hard to figure out how many gallons my pool holds and I think
that it holds about 23,750 gallons - more or less, plus or minus, maybe, close - but no guaranteed cigar.

Five hours after the chemicals went in - and after two full and complete brushings of the plaster - this is where the tests land:

CH - 275
PH - 7.2
TA - 270
CYA - n/a
CHLORINE - n/a

Comments from water chemistry whiz kids are more than welcome.
 
Looks good. The two snake oils they added should not harm anything. The clarifier is to help capture the plaster dust and the scale stuff is so scale is inhibited when the pH goes up between their visits.

I assume the PB is still in control. Monitor what they add and record it. When they release it to you come back with a fresh set of tests and we can help guide you along.

Take care
 
The cloudiness comes from the acid working on the plaster. It will clear up with the filter running.

I forgot to tell you that you can use a manual vacuum in your pool if you want to. Get one like this:

HydroTools 8140 Weighted Triangle Swimming Pool Vacuum Head Cleaner Attachment - Walmart.com

Note it does not have wheels. It is like brushing your pool.

We had a couple of PO talk their PB into letting them take care of the chemicals in the pool. They showed them their test kit and how it worked. They would do the tests and text the results to the PB. Might be worth a try.

Right now your levels are fine. We will tweak them when you are in charge of the pool.

Pool size-we will be able to dial in your size when you are in charge of the chemicals. It is easy.

Kim:kim:
 
Sadly I did not look at the water meter - which would have been the perfectly sensible thing to :)hammer:) but NOOOOO I was too preoccupied with hoses and watching the water rise.

Being a day late and a few brain cells short, instead I took my pool plan and imported it into Sketchup then divided the pool into squares and calculated the approximate depth of water for each section. This involved a lot of averaging for the sloping areas. But I think I am within 600 gallons either way.

I will do a more refined model (using smaller squares) and I will also compare this month's water usage with the same month last year. By that I should be able to "triangulate" and be a tad more accurate.
 
Your pool looks amazing. Great outcome :)

You can call it 23,000 and then see how well your chem additions line up with PoolMath. If it's a bit off after several additions, you adjust to bring it on target, a bit like sighting in a rifle.

A metal sequestrant is often added during the first fill, but I'm not able to find Scale Away. As already mentioned, it's probably just for calcium scale, and mostly just acid anyway. No harm done and TFPC will work fine for you when the time comes.
 
Chemicals Round Two: Phunky Ph Phindings

This morning my numbers were:

TA -325 (error) actually it was 240 - corrected now
pH - 7.2
CH -240 (error) actually it was 325 - corrected now

So my PB's guy came again about 2 p.m. and added another gallon of muriatic acid - but no other miracle-making "wonder chemicals".

He said that he will not be out tomorrow (it being a weekend) but he said that I might want to add another gallon of muriatic tomorrow.

Well I am thinking "not". After two complete brushings, I just tested again and my pH has dropped to 6.8 while other numbers are no different.

TA -325 (error) 240 - corrected number
pH - 6.8
CH -240 (error) 325 - corrected number

Since plaster is curing should I be willing to add more muriatic acid and run the risk of pH dropping even more????
I had hoped to see the TA drop a little but only the pH changed. :(

I am going to test again in the a.m. but I think that I will not add any more acid unless the pH is above 7.3.

The National Plasterers Council wants the TA to be 80 for curing (and they suggest using muriatic to get there) but they also say
that the pH should be 7.2 to 7.8. (That is like being caught between Scylla and Charybdis)

There is no way that I know of to get my TA to 80 without dropping my pH way way down to the point where smoke and fumes are coming of the pool if I am using muriatic acid to get there.

So I think I will ignore the TA and try to coax the pH back up using aeration alone.

If anyone has a different take, I am all ears.

Thanks to everyone who is helping to guide me along this path because I really do want my plaster (Stonescapes Aqua Blue mini pebble) to
cure properly and like a chewy chewy tootsie roll - to last a long time.
 
Last edited:
I just want to be sure of your TA before explaining/suggesting anything. TA at 325 means that you're using the 10 ml sample size (lowest graduation on the test block) and each drop equals 25 ppm TA, so 13 drops. Is that the way you're testing?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply