My Deep Blue Water is Now a Light Green-Blue???

[PoolDoc]

For Pebble Tec start-up, your best bet is to ask Pebble-Tec (the company, not your dealer). They are the ones who know what's actually in Pebble Tec, and how it might react: http://www.pebbletec.com/service_support.aspx

However, their pool chemistry instructions are pretty much industry boiler-plate, which means they (a) really don't know or (b) just want to CYA by saying the "OFFICIAL" 'right stuff'. If I were you, I'd call (and then recall) till you happen to luck onto a support phone tech who actually knows something besides what's in their phone script.

BTW, the Jacks Magic product line is not bad, but it is seriously over-hyped and involves some deceptive elements. For example, the "Blue Stuff", "Pink Stuff", "Purple Stuff", "Step Stuff" and "Blue Vinyl Stuff" are all the EXACTLY same thing (HEDP) except for the dyes.

[Spike]

Pebble Tec just confirmed that the acid wash should be done before the pool is filled, and after filled the objective is to keep the pH and alkalinity balanced...no need to keep the water acidic after its acid washed and filled.

So I did what should have been done...balanced everything...whew!

Thanks for the feedback.

[PoolDoc]

I'd encourage to still do the metal checking I suggested (back of the toilet), ID the actual units on your pool (per Waterbear), set yourself up to do REAL testing yourself, and SERIOUSLY consider just saying NO! to metal ("mineral") treatment of pools.

Metals, concrete based pool finishes (like Pebble-Tec) and pool owners who are particular about finish appearance are NOT a compatible blend. But, by the time you realize that the problem is IN the finish, and not just in the water, you will have a hard time ever getting back to the starting point you're at right now. If you actually have ozone, and want to continue using it, that's fine, as long as you stay on top of your alkalinity. But, there's no way to do metals -- from cartridges, ionizers, pellets, algaecides or what-not -- and maintain a pristine finish.

[Spike]

Just for arguments sake, if I do away with the mineral. Cartridge, what ate the implications for a system originally configured this way.

Just need to use more chlorine than I would otherwise need with the mineral cartridge?

[PoolDoc]

We've never seen any evidence that they do anything but cause trouble. Keep in mind, that's in comparison to a BBB operated pool.

With the hit-or-miss system most home owners use under instruction from pool stores, the mineral cartridge creates a sort of belt-and-suspenders approach to keeping pants up. It's just that it's a rotten leather belt, backed up by a pair of suspenders that are hanging by a thread! We think it's better to ditch the suspenders, and use a good belt, so to speak.

My illustration may not be clear, so I'll state it differently.

The pool-store chemical treatment method produces a world of problems AND frequently leads to algae. A mineral system creates a weakly algicidal residue, that can help a badly managed pool turn green fewer times. We thing the better option -- easier, cheaper, more effective -- is to use a GOOD management system that doesn't need to be backed up by a weakly algicidal mineral system that brings a new set of problems along with it.

Regarding your specific system, without model numbers I can't be completely sure, but as a rule, you can disable them, try life without it, and revert to the 'as-built' process with no problems (other than the ones inherent to the mineral process).

[waterbear]

Just for arguments sake, if I do away with the mineral. Cartridge, what ate the implications for a system originally configured this way.

Just need to use more chlorine than I would otherwise need with the mineral cartridge?

If you have a combo system (SWCG and N2 cart) then you probably won't be able to generate enough chlorine unless they oversized the unit for your pool. The bad new is that even with the mineral system you will not be able to generate enough chlorine since you really cannot run lower chlorine levels and have trouble free water with a mneral cart. You need to run normal chlorine levels. If not too late have the builder replace the unit with a plain SWCG.

[PoolDoc]

Not sure what unit he has. I looked up the Fusion Soft, which seems to be the Nature2 + salt combo:



and if that's what he has, it looks to me he *might* have enough salt capacity, depending on the model:



Here's the link to the Jandy Fusion Soft page.

[waterbear]

Yep, it is baically the same as the Zodac DuoClear.They just made it look different and put it under the Jandy brand but it is the same thing, a SWCG, N2 combo unit. The mineral carts for the FusionSoft and DuoClear are interchangeable, btw.
The problem comes in because they say the unit only needs to maintain .5 ppm FC in the water so they end to underside them for the pools they are installed on. As I said before, if the builder oversized the unit then he is probably ok. It all depends how much of the Zodiac koolaid the builder drank!
Here is a direct quote from the FusionSoft manual, page 26:
"Up-sizing the Nature2 Fusion Soft device or adding more than one unit may be recommended for
pools that are close to the maximum size and used year round. Please consult a qualifi ed service representative."

I love this quote from the manual on page 27 (since the N2 cart is adding metals to the water!)
"Metals (some metals) can cause loss of chlorine. Also, metals can stain your pool. Have your local qualified service representative check for metals and recommend methods of removal."

I will say that the FusionSoft products have a few features that are an improvement over the DuoClear unit. They operate at a lower salt level and they produce more chlorine. They also recommend running up to 3 ppm FC (still not ereallyhigh enough with a CYA of 50 ppm!) as opposed to 1 ppm FC for the DuoClear.

They are also now recommending a max CYA of 50 ppm for the FusionSoft instead of 100 ppm that they recommend for their DuoClear, which, IMHO, is going to cause some problems iwth pH stability and acid demand, as is their recommdation of a 12 hour a day pump run time (needed with the lower CYA levels so chlorine is introduced into the pool over a longer period of time if the owner decides to run at the lower end ot the the range they recommend, which is .5 to 3 ppm!)