Finally A Blue Pool

 So the pool is filled and blue again! I'm glad I spent the extra money for the blue surface as it does look good... 

I had picked out two different surfaces one called "Bluestone" and the other "Aqua White" and when the company rep brought over samples I was shocked to see that "Bluestone" looked white and "Aqua White" looked blue under the water...  He said the Bluestone would only look blue on a sunny day as it reflected the blue sky....  I bit the bullet and ordered the Aqua White which actually looks blue on a cloudy day but was a bit more expensive.

Meanwhile, a young guy in a Hawaiian shirt and an Elvis hair-do showed up to start the chemical balancing of the pool. He told me that I need to "brush" the pool surface twice a day for the next 25 days. Huh? This was news to me.

He explained I needed to use the brush attachment on my leaf basket and sweep the floor and walls of the pool to clean off any "construction residue" and if I didn't do this twice daily, the surface could become stained and ruined.

So I did. For two weeks, I'm out there with the long handled brush trying to sweep the entire pool twice a day. No easy feat. First because I'm only 5'4" so it's hard to reach way down at the 6 foot end. Second, that brush is heavy under the water! Third, there are so many curves in the walls that are hard to reach that I nearly fell in a couple of times. Daily my back was aching, my arms were hurting and my hand (the one I broke) was cramping on me. After two weeks of this, I called the company rep one morning and told him I couldn't do it anymore, it was too hard. I started crying on the phone. I am not proud of that.

But he stopped me short. "What?" I explained what the Hawaiian shirt clad Elvis told me. He said, "No, no, no. You don't have to do that at all. We acid washed the pool and cleaned it already." He then explained that several other plaster companies do not acid wash the pool surface and in that case you do have sweep the pool, but this was not our case. And added, "Don't listen to anything he says, just nod and smile and talk to me."

Thank god.

Still can't use the pool until the chemical balancing is done. Then it's a month without salt. I will be glad when things are back to normal.

Almost Done!

 The pool project is proceeding:

Applying the new plaster

Finish coat done.

Acid washing the surface

After they acid washed the pool, I went out to ask the guys what the schedule was now and I was told they would start filling the pool. I asked if after the pool was filled if I should turn the system on. The guy said, "I don't know, call the company." I said, "Um, you're the company." and he says, "No, I mean the person in charge." I said, "I'm in charge." "No, the company you hired." I said, "I hired you guys." "Directly?" "Yes." He was floored. He said, "How did you find us?" I told him I googled "pool finishers near me" and their name popped up. He told me I was lucky as they normally work through contractors. And I guess I am lucky. Otherwise I would have been paying much more if a middleman was involved....  For once, I made the right decision, hey!

So the pool began to fill.

The guy told me to let it go all night.... 

An orb floating above the pool.... Bob watching?

I was up all night checking it! Finally filled by 7 a.m. the next morning. Now we are down to chemical testing for the next three weeks or so....

Meanwhile, I have to deal with this starting tonight:

Damn, I thought we were done with these storms.... 

Pool Renovation Day 2

 

By the end of first day, the old surface is gone....

On Day 2, the coating begins....

And now it cures....


Yes, this is a BIG Project!

And It Begins

Started the major pool repair today. 

Draining the pool

 

You can see the cracking on the sun shelf.

The stripping of the surface begins...

I tell you, this is making me sick, but it needs to be done.... The company who installed the pool is out of business and they evidently didn't prepare the surface properly which is why it is cracking after only 6 years.... frustrating.