Pool Remodel Survivor

[dws3]

I have a 19' x 39' kidney-shaped pool with a 9' deep end, jump rock, and 19' rock waterfall. Just completed a tile/surface remodel, replacing the white plaster surface with PebbleTec. Very pleased with the results, but not eager to deal with contractors again any time soon! Added 15' of bench in the shallow end to connect the steps to an existing bench under the waterfall, and replaced the light. Replaced an ancient AquaLink with PDA to iAquaLink to interface to a new Jandy ePump and robotic cleaner. Converted from a SWCG pool to a non-SWCG pool due to the never-ending fight against pH rise and the resultant staining the ever-present high pH brought to my plaster surface. Not getting any younger, so handling 40 lb bags of salt every year just isn't that appealing any more. Replaced a Jandy DE filter with a similar-sized Jandy cartridge filter for similar convenience reasons, as well as for water conservation in the parched plains of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This is my third pool, and overall, my 33rd year of pool ownership, but I've had a SWCG pool for so long, I'm relearning how to properly maintain a non-SWCG pool. Looking forward to maintaining my beautiful new pool surface with TFP's help!

 

[kimkats]

SO PRETTY!! Well done!

I am guessing you did not use TFP before? So how do you test your water?

Here are a couple of important links to get you started learning how to care for the beauty: ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Kim

 

[Jimrahbe]

DWS,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the idea that a SWCG was staining your plaster is just not valid... Something might have been staining your plaster, but the SWCG, nor the saltwater, was responsible...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[dws3]

Jim, I agree that it was not the SWCG, per se, that stained my pool. It was pH, which required constant attention in my pool, and I think that was mostly because of the salt generation process. Yes, had I monitored it more closely and added muriatic acid more frequently, that would have helped, but it only looked bad (in my mind) for the last couple of years of it's 13 year life. I am now finding that the test strips I've used for years - at least the ones I was using most recently - were wildly inaccurate, leading me to think my pH was 7.2 when it was actually 7.8 or higher. So it's quite possible that in many instances over the years, when I thought my pH was in range, it was actually high. That's why I recently started using a Taylor test kit, so I don't get surprised when I stop by Leslie's and they tell me my water is all messed up. I've had two pools before this one, both non-SWCG, and the water chemistry was much easier to control without constant attention. Salt cells, and all those 40 lb bags of salt, add a little bit of hassle that I don't need anymore. But I am being much more attentive to my water with the Taylor test kit than I ever was before, so hopefully, plaster staining or etching won't occur with the new surface.

 

[dws3]

SO PRETTY!! Well done!

I am guessing you did not use TFP before? So how do you test your water?

Here are a couple of important links to get you started learning how to care for the beauty: ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Kim

Thanks Kim, I did not use TFP before, but am glad I found it. I am testing, almost daily since I've recently resurfaced the pool, using a Taylor K-2006 kit, and just added a Taylor magnetic stirrer, which really speeds up the testing process. I'm enjoying the added insight and accuracy the test kit provides. My previous test strips typically only measured FC, pH and TA, and not very accurately, either.

 

[kimkats]

I am so glad it is going as good as it sounds with TFP! SWEET!

Kim