Waxahachie, TX Owner Build - A race to beat the baby!

[JamieP]

Wall Whale....you want a Wall Whale....you NEED a Wall Whale!! Remember, only nylon bristles for the first year, then you can switch to a 50/50 nylon/steel bristle mix.

Get a telescoping pole. I've had your basic telescoping pole for over three years now without issue.

I also have a Gorilla brand XL leaf rake. Works great.

If you don't have one, you'll eventually need a vacuum head too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

Wall Whale... I've got that covered already! It arrived last week.

Yes, a telescoping pole is what I'm looking for. I'm glad to hear yours has held up even with it being basic. And thanks for the good review of the Gorilla leaf rake. I know those are easy to come by locally if I don't want to order.

I'll have to look into a vacuum head. That wasn't on my list yet. Won't I also need a hose that would attach to my suction port? And maybe a leaf cannister to trap debris?

I'm in the same boat as you are, stocking up on startup chemicals. As far as a good sturdy pole, I picked this up last week:

Amazon.com : JED Pool Tools 50-560-16 Professional Deluxe Anodized Telescopic Pole, 16-Feet : Swimming Pool Maintenance Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden

It's a little pricey, but it's really sturdy and light enough to not completely wear out your arms.

Thanks for the link! Have you tried it yet? (I guess not, if you're still figuring out startup chemicals too. ) It is actually cheaper the upgraded Gorilla pool at Leslie's and cheaper than what I was considering spending with a Skimlite pole, so that's good. I'll have to read the reviews and maybe I can save some money!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Yup. Vacuum head, hose & inline leaf canister (standard Hayward brand works just fine). You must wait 30 days before vacuuming (plaster cure) but after that time you may want to vacuum from time to time. No pool cleaner is perfect or capable of large debris loads, so a manual vac is a must-have.

As for chemicals, it's hard to say since we'll need your tap water and pool water (post fill) results to know exactly what to do. But here's a list of what I think you'll use -

Granular CYA (enough to get you up to 30ppm initially and then 70ppm post cure)

At least 4 gallons of 20 Baume (31.4%) muriatic acid.

At least 6 gallons of 10% LC (liquid chlorine)

Get a 13lbs bag of baking soda from Costco (or other big box store). You can use any excess to brush your teeth with or bake cookies

What are your local options for acid and chlorine? Do any of the local pool stores sell it in bulk refillable containers? Sometimes the local shops (especially mom & pop type shops) will sell chlorine and acid in refillable containers. Saves money that way. If not, then you're stuck with big name pool stores or hardware stores.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[MarianParoo]

See post #1 here to help with calculations: A Bicarb Start-up guide for TFP members

 

[JamieP]

The fence and slide look great, your kids must be beside themselves with excitement!

Thanks, Helen! Yes, the kids are getting excited, but I think it's tempered a bit knowing that there may be up to 30 days to wait to swim once we get the water in and start balancing.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the slide is in its general location, but not all the way set up yet. I realized at 7 am Monday, an hour before my husband had to leave for a business trip, that having the slide outside the fence once the fence was installed was NOT a good idea, so he and our two young teenage sons went out and moved it to the concrete. It will have to be moved back to the dirt again when they come to repair and spray coat the concrete, but at least we don't have to figure out how it get back it within the fence line once the decking is done!

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Yup. Vacuum head, hose & inline leaf canister (standard Hayward brand works just fine). You must wait 30 days before vacuuming (plaster cure) but after that time you may want to vacuum from time to time. No pool cleaner is perfect or capable of large debris loads, so a manual vac is a must-have.

As for chemicals, it's hard to say since we'll need your tap water and pool water (post fill) results to know exactly what to do. But here's a list of what I think you'll use -

Granular CYA (enough to get you up to 30ppm initially and then 70ppm post cure)

At least 4 gallons of 20 Baume (31.4%) muriatic acid.

At least 6 gallons of 10% LC (liquid chlorine)

Get a 13lbs bag of baking soda from Costco (or other big box store). You can use any excess to brush your teeth with or bake cookies

What are your local options for acid and chlorine? Do any of the local pool stores sell it in bulk refillable containers? Sometimes the local shops (especially mom & pop type shops) will sell chlorine and acid in refillable containers. Saves money that way. If not, then you're stuck with big name pool stores or hardware stores.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

Thanks, Matt. I don't think I have any bulk options for chemicals around here, so Costco or Walmart will have to do for bleach. We use plenty of baking soda for laundry and house cleaning so I can never get too much of that! I'll probably get the acid from Lowe's or Home Depot.

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See post #1 here to help with calculations: A Bicarb Start-up guide for TFP members

Thanks for the link reminder, Marian! I will use this to figure out quantities of the stuff Matt listed.

 

[kimkats]

That fence looks great! So classy!

LOL on moving the slide first thing in the morning JUST before he left.

Kim

 

[needsajet]

It's good to see a proper pool fence . Even though I think the regulatory stuff is a bit over the top down here, I agree that pools need fences! You're really moving along.

 

[Nursenini]

Jamie, that fence looks great!! So not what I was picturing! Was hubby a sweaty mess before he left on his trip? Good job on catching it before it was too late!

I saw telescoping poles at Walmart for under $30, I believe. I don't know how good they are but it suprised me how inexpensive they are.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/20959114?...30145312&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78288499592&veh=sem

 

[And5555]

Can you remind me what fence you went with? If I remember right, you bought it online, right?

It looks good. We're trying to find a pool fence right now. In particular, there's a section with 5 feet of pool that I will need to use fiberglass pool fence for to avoid having to bond it.

 

[ummgood]

Jamie have you tested your fill water? That might help decide how much chemicals you need to start with. I know my fill water had insanely high PH. I still have to put a ton of acid in every time I top up my pool.

 

[JamieP]

Can you remind me what fence you went with? If I remember right, you bought it online, right?

It looks good. We're trying to find a pool fence right now. In particular, there's a section with 5 feet of pool that I will need to use fiberglass pool fence for to avoid having to bond it.

Originally we were going to order aluminum fencing online from ifence.com. But we ended up going with a local wholesale supplier whom our installer uses, and got powder coated steel. I hope we won't have an issue with corrosion from our SWG, but the product offers a warranty which is not void around SWG pools. The steel is supposed to be stronger, it came in less expensive, as there wasnt a 2-3 week wait to get the materials, so we went with it.

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Jamie have you tested your fill water? That might help decide how much chemicals you need to start with. I know my fill water had insanely high PH. I still have to put a ton of acid in every time I top up my pool.

Thanks, umm. I did test my water and these were the results:
FC= 2.0
CC= 0.5
PH = 7.3
TA = 140
CH = 180
Now I need to get a better handle on the recommended levels and how to get to them.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Jamie,

Powder coated steel is a very nice choice. The SWG will not cause corrosion, that's just a myth. But steel can corrode from simple galvanic corrosion. Do you know if the installer attached a zinc sacrificial anode to the gate? It would have looked like a rod or spike of zinc metal attached to the bare steel surface of the gate with a short length of copper wire (probably near a concrete footer) and buried in the ground. My guess is they did not and if you ask them I bet they'll say it's unnecessary because of the powder coating. While the powder coating offers some level of protection, once the coating is scratched or compromised, corrosion can start. I'd just add one myself since they're cheap insurance.

Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[ummgood]

Originally we were going to order aluminum fencing online from ifence.com. But we ended up going with a local wholesale supplier whom our installer uses, and got powder coated steel. I hope we won't have an issue with corrosion from our SWG, but the product offers a warranty which is not void around SWG pools. The steel is supposed to be stronger, it came in less expensive, as there wasnt a 2-3 week wait to get the materials, so we went with it.

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Thanks, umm. I did test my water and these were the results:
FC= 2.0
CC= 0.5
PH = 7.3
TA = 140
CH = 180
Now I need to get a better handle on the recommended levels and how to get to them.

Wow your PH is really low! That is good. Your pool will constantly have PH rise for the first 6 months or so. I have gone through tons and tons of acid.

Here is what I would buy to start and where. I am guessing you have the same types of stores and supplies we do. I had a lot of trouble getting some of this stuff because my pool was filled in winter but now that it is closer to spring I am seeing other stores start to get them. I don't know how many gallons your pool is but I am really close to these stores so I don't buy much at a time. If you are farther you might want to get more. My pool is 19k gallons so you can adjust for your size but I'll put what I bought and what I have gone through...
1) To raise your FC you'll need bleach. I get this at either Lowes or Leslies. At both places it is called chlorine shock. At lowes it is outside in the garden area. I believe I can get 12%. I bought 4 gallons at first and have gone through maybe 6 gallons total since November. I would say you will need more since the sun is shining. My SWG just started up so I am switching to using that for FC.
2) To lower your pH you'll need to get some MA. I go through tons of this stuff. I think so far I have gone through 8 to 10 gallons of it. At first my PB wanted me to keep my pool at 7.2 and now I keep it between 7.5 and 7.8. When it gets to 7.8 I add 1/4 gallon of acid to the pool. At first I was adding almost every day and now it is about every 2 to 3 days I add 1/4 gallon. I get the MA at leslies because it is convenient on the way home and I buy it a lot. They have it slightly cheaper at Lowes and Home depot. Walmart hasn't got it yet in my area. I have looked in a couple weeks though.
3) You'll want to get your CYA up to about 50. You buy stabilizer for that and I got mine at Walmart. My PB added it initially to get it up to say 35 and I added more to get it up to 70 for my SWG but for non-SWG pools you want between 30 and 50. I added about 5 pounds to bring mine up to 70. Here is what it looks like http://www.walmart.com/ip/Clorox-Pool-and-Spa-Chlorine-Stabilizer-4-lbs/41466055
4) Your TA is really high. When you add acid it will come down. You'll have to add baking soda eventually when you get it into the normal range. I try to target mine at 80 for the SWG yours will have to be higher. When you add the MA the TA drops slightly each time. I buy baking soda (the ultra cheap stuff) at Walmart for I think 2.00 (I think it is less than the online price at the store) for a 4 pound box. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hospitality-Pure-Baking-Soda-64-oz/28435211 I keep a couple boxes on hand at all time.
5) Later you'll want to bring your CH up. One bag of this should do... Amazon.com : North American Salt 50850 Extreme 7300 Calcium Chloride Ice Melter, 50-Pound : Snow And Ice Melting Products : Patio, Lawn Garden

Some people might want to correct me as I am new at this. I do think I am doing pretty good at my pool levels. My problem when I started was I had no idea where to get the stuff in my area. I have that pretty down now and know where the cheap stuff is at. For CYA and CH you want to make sure you don't get too much in your pool so I add about 3/4 of what I think it will take and then wait and test to see where I am at. If you are slightly off on your TA, PH, and FC they will work their way up or down naturally pretty fast so you can do it in one shot.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Let me correct a few things -

1. Muriatic acid lowers pH, it does not raise pH. I assume that was a typo. In the beginning with the bicarb startup, you will not use as much acid because you will be keeping your pH rather high. However, once you get the pool past startup, MA will be your friend.

2. Total Alkalinity (TA). Initially, this will be high during startup for the plaster cure. Once past startup you will be lowering it with MA additions. Even though TFP recommends a certain TA range, you will doubtlessly have a pool that acts like a lot of southwest pools where you will be battling ever rising pH. The trick there will be to keep or find a low TA value that maximizes the length of time between acid additions. I can almost guarantee, given your fill water, that you will not need to add baking soda on any regular basis. In fact, adding TA from baking soda will only exacerbate the problem. So after startup is over, put your baking soda away and bake cookies with it.

3. Stabilizer (CYA). You will start your pool at the low end during plaster cure, 30-40ppm MAX. After you finish plaster cure and get your SWG going (your going to need hundreds of pounds of pool salt by the way), only then do you raise your CYA up to 70ppm.

4. Liquid chlorine. You can get it from just about anywhere. The high strength stuff (10-12.5%) is usually found in pool stores or hardware stores. The lower strength stuff (clorox) is found in the supermarket or big box store. Here's the deal - DATE CODES MATTER!! All bleach packages will have a date code on it (DDDYY). The first three numbers are the day of the year they were manufactured (180th day of year) and last two digits are the year (16). You want the freshest bleach possible as bleach degrades over time and with heat exposure. Hardware stores are usually a bad choice because they tend to leave their pool supplies out in the garden section outdoor in the sunlight and heat. Pool stores will be a little bit better about storage but is usually the most expensive option and supermarkets tend to have old bleach. I found Costco has pretty reasonable turn over in supply and others find that Walmart Great Value bleach is well stocked, cheap and fresh.

Matt

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Also, hold off on buying the calcium chloride. Unless you plan to use it as part of the bicarb startup process, I really don't think you will need it. The plaster curing process will inject some calcium into your water and so you will very likely be in the minimum range after the plaster cures. Given your fill water, you will not likely need to add any calcium. Southwest pools rarely need to add calcium.

 

[ummgood]

Matt is right about the ph. I made a typo and fixed it before his post. For my TA I have had to add baking soda because of the amount of MA I have had to add. About every two gallons of MA I add I have to bring up my TA with baking soda. I am going to keep it at the lower end of the range now thanks to his suggestions. I think I might start adding borates to help with the PH because it is probably the most unstable part of my chemistry.

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Also, hold off on buying the calcium chloride. Unless you plan to use it as part of the bicarb startup process, I really don't think you will need it. The plaster curing process will inject some calcium into your water and so you will very likely be in the minimum range after the plaster cures. Given your fill water, you will not likely need to add any calcium. Southwest pools rarely need to add calcium.

When does the CH rise during the process? Mine still hasn't and I added 20 pounds of calcium chloride last month And it still sits at 225. It is still too low for the recommended CH levels for a SWG.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Matt is right about the ph. I made a typo and fixed it before his post. For my TA I have had to add baking soda because of the amount of MA I have had to add. About every two gallons of MA I add I have to bring up my TA with baking soda. I am going to keep it at the lower end of the range now thanks to his suggestions. I think I might start adding borates to help with the PH because it is probably the most unstable part of my chemistry.

umm,

Unless you've already done so, you should start a new thread with all of your water parameters and chemical additions and we can address your chemistry needs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[ummgood]

I added it to my build thread. Thanks!

 

[Helen203]

Jamie, I'm impressed that you've tested your water -- the kit intimidates me, LOL. My son's home this weekend and he promised we'd test our tap water together. College tuition s paying off! He approves of the speed stir.

 

[JamieP]

Thanks for everyone's help and comments. Sorry for my delay in responding. It was a busy weekend, and the internet was acting up and so slow that when I tried to post, it would get lost in the transfer.

Yup. Vacuum head, hose & inline leaf canister (standard Hayward brand works just fine). You must wait 30 days before vacuuming (plaster cure) but after that time you may want to vacuum from time to time. No pool cleaner is perfect or capable of large debris loads, so a manual vac is a must-have.

As for chemicals, it's hard to say since we'll need your tap water and pool water (post fill) results to know exactly what to do. But here's a list of what I think you'll use -

Granular CYA (enough to get you up to 30ppm initially and then 70ppm post cure)

At least 4 gallons of 20 Baume (31.4%) muriatic acid.

At least 6 gallons of 10% LC (liquid chlorine)

Get a 13lbs bag of baking soda from Costco (or other big box store). You can use any excess to brush your teeth with or bake cookies

What are your local options for acid and chlorine? Do any of the local pool stores sell it in bulk refillable containers? Sometimes the local shops (especially mom & pop type shops) will sell chlorine and acid in refillable containers. Saves money that way. If not, then you're stuck with big name pool stores or hardware stores.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

Thanks for those ballpark quantities, Matt. I need to make a Costco run soon so I will pick up some more baking soda and check out their bleach prices. We have a Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot close, and a Leslie's too, so I should be able to get most of this stuff fairly easily. I will have to check at Leslie's to find out how they sell their bleach. For some reason I'm not finding it in bulk around here, but I haven't asked there yet.

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Matt is right about the ph. I made a typo and fixed it before his post. For my TA I have had to add baking soda because of the amount of MA I have had to add. About every two gallons of MA I add I have to bring up my TA with baking soda. I am going to keep it at the lower end of the range now thanks to his suggestions. I think I might start adding borates to help with the PH because it is probably the most unstable part of my chemistry.

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Thanks umm. It's good to know how another newbie is doing it and how your pool has been reacting. I'm glad it's going so well for you! I know it will get to be second nature, but right now it's a little intimidating!

 

[JamieP]

Jamie,

Powder coated steel is a very nice choice. The SWG will not cause corrosion, that's just a myth. But steel can corrode from simple galvanic corrosion. Do you know if the installer attached a zinc sacrificial anode to the gate? It would have looked like a rod or spike of zinc metal attached to the bare steel surface of the gate with a short length of copper wire (probably near a concrete footer) and buried in the ground. My guess is they did not and if you ask them I bet they'll say it's unnecessary because of the powder coating. While the powder coating offers some level of protection, once the coating is scratched or compromised, corrosion can start. I'd just add one myself since they're cheap insurance.

Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

Matt, I'm sold on doing this for our fence as I don't think the installers did. I happened to see some narrow silver ~3" bars on the ground when they were installing the gates, but I didn't ask what they were and definitely didn't see any copper wire. Can I find what I need to make these sacrificial anodes at the hardware store? Also, we have 3 gates... Should I put one on each gate? Do I do it on the gate itself, or the gate post? We have about 160' of this fence installed.