Replastered in April......test results from the past 3 months..what are my concerns?

[ajw22]

TA of the fill water was 110...does that sound high for city water?

No, it means you will have a constant battle against high TA and rising pH. Your TA will not stay at a low number when you have high TA fill water from evaporation.

You can decide how much time you want to spend trying to lower your TA when it is not going to stay there.

Or just let your pH rise to 8 naturally and lower it whenever it gets there and take whatever TA you get.

 

[4x4tx]

Whats weird is my TA went down again today? or is there a plus or minus factor in these tests?

Test results today 3 FC .5 CC
TA 80
CH 330
PH 7.8
CYA 50

So what is this telling as I have added about 60 oz of liquid chlorine each of the last two nights and tonight with it down to 3FC its telling me to add nearly a jug? Is this going to my daily usage? Is this normal?

Also pool math....so when you click pool math to the left there it takes you to the app to download which i have...I am adding logs there linked in my sig....but what is this version? PoolMath is it the same thing or and older outdated version? Link to this version below.....CSI of .33 it says but really should i be trying to get to a .1 or zero?

 

[ajw22]

1 drop is 10 ppm on the TA test. TA will vary some. I only test TA once a week. Focus on your pH, not TA.

5 ppm of FC use is on the high end of normal. See if that continues.

The web version of PoolMath was what we all used before we had the apps. They all do the same calculations.

You want to get your CSI under 0. Running it above 0.3 can create scaling if left that way for months.

Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)

How is CSI calculated? Very simple – use our PoolMath tool. To ensure long plaster life and save money, click here to learn more.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[4x4tx]

Yep my TA I figure i could be off a drop +/- one way or another.

What is typical FC use per day? In Houston it was 100 degrees yesterday, hottest day of the year so maybe that has something to do with it.

So if I just bring my PH down to 7.5 that brings my CSI down to 7.4 that brings me down to -.09 which is about where I want to be?

Everything starting to look in order is my impression..anything that you see that would be something to focus on? Did you get a chance to look at those videos any? just glance at those two marks if you have time or pause video here or there to see if what you see you would call pitting or scaling....and if there is anything chemical wise or startup wise that I could have done to cause it...if not I'm going to send those to the plasterer to get him to come back out to inspect it if I need to.

 

[4x4tx]

in addition to post above.....Only did a few tests tonight

FC 6 .5 CC
PH 7.8

Can I add the pool math requested muriatic acid and the chlorine back to back? Its say 41oz of chlorine to get to 8FC and 13oz of acid to lower my ph to 7.4

 

[4x4tx]

Any thoughts?

 

[mknauss]

Space out addition of liquid chlorine and acid by 15 minutes. Pump running.

 

[4x4tx]

Space out addition of liquid chlorine and acid by 15 minutes. Pump running.

Thanks...how long after I put them both in does pump need to run?

My pump usually runs for 8 hours during the day.....I can manually run it at night when adding chemicals but not sure I want to run it all night if I dont need to.

 

[4x4tx]

Also been using pool essential 10% bleach but went down to the cleaning aisle..which of these is the one I want?

Also if I wanted to add salt what does Walmart carry that I could pour into pool directly?

 

[ajw22]

Some Walmarts have Mortons Pool Salt. Don’t use Clorox Pool Salt.

 

[mknauss]

Use the bleach that is plain. I think that is the one in the middle picture.

You can use plain water softener salt. It is normally cheaper than pool salt. Dissolves just fine.

 

[4x4tx]

tonights numbers

4FC 0 CC
TA 90
CH 370
CYA 70
PH 7.6

Adding some acid and liquid chlorine..also took some underwater video with my go pro on the plaster and will upload those when i can

 

[4x4tx]

Here is the youtube link of my underwater go pro video with spots on wall and floor...of course it was overcast that day

 

[ajw22]

Your plaster looks fine. Those are natural variations. Plaster is not intended to be examined close up.

 

[4x4tx]

So in video # 3 from the top in my post above, the big irregular shape on the bottom of the pool is normal? what would cause that? I knew there would be light discolorations and streaking but this seems like a lot of and some big spots.....and it has gotten worse over time...that spot on the floor was not there for the first month in a half. When I go to other peoples pools I dont notice any spots like that especially on new pools or newly replastered pools.

Anyone have a good recommendation for a good sump pump to buy to have onhand? Eventually I will drain the pool more to drop that CH and CYA in half but going to wait until we arent in a drought with 100 degree heat to do it.

 

[ajw22]

I looked at vid #3 again. Yeah there is some spot there. Plaster is hand applied and has natural variations. Any fix may make things worse. No plaster job is perfect.

 

[4x4tx]

I looked at vid #3 again. Yeah there is some spot there. Plaster is hand applied and has natural variations. Any fix may make things worse. No plaster job is perfect.

What would the fix be? acid washing? I just ^want^ to know what causes that and that is not what anyone would call pitting, mottling or scaling....IE not anything to do with water balance.

updated pool test in sig

 

[ajw22]

I just to know what causes that and that is not what anyone would call pitting, mottling or scaling....IE not anything to do with water balance.

I can't fully decode that sentence.

Water balance did not cause that.

Pool Water Balance is Not (Always) the Problem

Pool Water Balance Is Not (Always) the Problem (For this post, please consider the LSI as being the same as the CSI which is more familiar to TFP members. Pool industry people are more familiar with the LSI). For 50 years, the pool industry has considered pool water within an LSI (or CSI) of...

www.troublefreepool.com

Diagnosing Pool Plaster Problems

Plaster Discolorations – New white pool plaster can discolor (darken or turn gray) from adding excessive calcium chloride set accelerator, from late hard troweling, from thin and thick areas due to an uneven shell, etc. Gray (or grey) mottled discoloration (also known as “water entrapment” or...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[4x4tx]

So I had my pool replastered back in April.....It has what I would call some scale on it already.....I sent my pool logs to him and he is telling he sees the problem...that my ph level is too high and that the recommended ph level for quartzscapes is different than white plaster? he claims that my 7.5-7.8 vs a recommended 6.8 -7.2 is is what is causing my issues?

no where have i seen quartzscapes listed as any different than any other plaster in the 7.2-7.8 range. Am I mistaken? My logs are in my signature

 

[ajw22]

There is a grain of truth to what your contractor is saying. Your PoolMath logs show your CSI is often positive and sometimes above +0.3. Running a lower pH will get your CSI negative and prevent scaling.

If you adjust your chemicals to run your CSI around -0.3 the water will be aggressive and lift the scale over time.

Warm pool water raises the CSI. It may be difficult keeping your pH low enough to keep your CSI around -0.3 this time of year.

Lowering your pH to 7.5 and TA to 60 will get your CSI down.