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I am assuming that your finish is either quartz or pebble. Either one should be gently washed to expose the aggregate. Not high pressure, but rather low pressure. The plaster cement is relatively soft. Hard enough to walk on but not using high pressure washing. Simply washing is best. Using...

I am sorry that I am just giving you this, but here is a very recent article that was written by a friend of mine, an experienced plaster contractor. https://watershapes.com/gentle-solutions-rejecting-the-use-of-acid-on-fresh-plaster/ Do not spray down the plaster while filling. The high...

What kind of plaster finish are you having? Sorry I haven't read your entire thread! Are the plaster applicators planning to wash or acid rinse the finish prior to filling?

I suggest you try convincing the plasterers to wait a few hours before filling with water. If they usually start filling immediately, try to have them wait even 30 minutes. The longer the better up to six hours. High humidity is good for plaster. Remember, the bottom of the pool is usually...

Sorry, I miss-typed about your water fill source. In my opinion with what the pH, TA, and CH of your well water is, that should work out very well. Obviously, it will take some time to eventually lower the TA. You'll be swimming soon!

Do you know what the readings are for your trucked-in water? pH, TA, and CH?

I agree that it does seem to be some defective and contaminated material from the manufacturer. Perhaps some pebbles and cement contains iron and is oxidizing to a brown color. There are many cement (concrete) laboratories in the country that could received a sample of plaster from your pool...

Shocking with some liquid chlorine is generally a good idea. With the pH under 8.0, go ahead and raise the calcium level to 200 ppm. That will provide a level of protection for the plaster finish, especially with adding salt.

With the pool being 4 years old, it isn't as important to raise the fill water to a +0.5 than with a new plastered pool. So no need to follow my "new plaster" startup program. If the truck water has a near balanced CSI, then that would be okay. I wonder if you can find out what the truck water...

@mgtfp You are correct about epoxy cement, but I am taking the position that I don't know for sure that the grout is epoxy and not regular tile grout. Of course, tile, vinyl, and fibreglass pools are not affected by aggressive water. But I have to admit, I am never comfortable with the water...

Go ahead and raise the CH with calcium chloride. The tile grout is a non-issue.

Under normal conditions, a plaster finish does not slowly wear away to eventually expose the underlying gunite or substrate. One would have to purposely maintain the pool water in a very aggressive condition for more than 20 years to completely dissolve the half-inch plaster coat and expose the...

Painting over plaster surfaces with various types of paints, including epoxy is common. And the having bonding problems is also common. Flaking of sealants, paints, epoxy occurs often. There is a new product called "Micro Glass" that sounds like what you are considering using. The shedding of...

If the diamond brite finish is "shedding, then the epoxy may just come off with the diamond brite finish. I would like to see some photos of where the plaster surface is shedding and the diamond brite residue itself. Have you tried sanding the plaster surface with 100 grit sandpaper and observe...

mgtfp comments are correct. Just keep the pH above 7.0 and TA at 40 ppm and above.

Your additional information does shed more light on this issue, and you probably answered your own question. Power polishing makes the plaster surface almost like new again. One additional suggestion for the future is to try and brush the pool occasionally during the winter. That can make a...

Unfortunately, I don't have a definitive answer for you on whether the problem is typical calcium scaling or what is known as calcium crystals (I posted an article on that topic). Both issues have a similar look. With the pool plaster being four years old suggests that the problem is not...

The pool shell hasn't shifted or raised so far, so that's good. I hope that removing two feet of water doesn't have any negative effect. I would think that the plaster company will drain the pool at least a day before plastering, just to get the bottom (or bowl) of the pool dry and patch the...

I am thinking that the yellow areas are from some calcium build up due to the plaster "dust" hardening in those areas that didn't get brushed during the first two weeks. If so, that calcium deposit can be easily removed by sanding with 80 grit wet&dry sandpaper. It does NOT harm the plaster...

The seriousness of the high water table problem would cause me to strongly consider waiting for the water table to go down. And the weep holes are a tremendous challenge to patch and keep dry while plastering. Perhaps by June it could be done?

With your TA and CH at those levels, once the pH reaches 8.0, I would start adding acid to keep the pH below 8.0 but also above 7.6. And then after a few weeks, start lowering the pH to 7.2 (with acid, not CO2) to being lowering the TA to normal levels.

Sounds like a good plan for checking the water volume. Glad to see that the plaster guy will remove the plaster cream and not water rinse the surface. Sorry about the tile problem and delay.

I prefer that no water rinsing be performed. For the accurate volume, make sure you subtract the step areas and curved walls.

If the pH isn't already 8.0 (which is okay) by the time the pool is full, just add small amounts of acid occasionally to keep the pH between 7.8 and 8.0 afterwards.

Are you certain that your pool is 24,000 gallons? The gallons of a pool are often over-estimated. Is the plasterer letting the pool sit for a day and giving the plaster a water rinse to exposed the aggregate?

The pH will rise quickly when the water touches the plaster. I have done tests to confirm that. It might even go above 7.8 before it is even filled. One thing that might change that result depends on how long the plaster is allowed to hydrate and harden before turning on the water. There a...

For plastering, the most important thing is to try and limit the amount of calcium chloride (hardening accelerator) added to the mix. One percent maximum to the weight of cement (sand aggregate not included). Adding sodium bicarbonate to raise the alkalinity above 150 ppm would raise the pH...

Did you recall seeing some plaster dust last year when your pool was plastered and filled with water?

I should add that your plaster may have some signs of etching because of the aggressive tap water. It would be a slight roughness to the feel. However, since the water was aggressive only for a short period of time, I don't know how much etching occurred. It may not be noticeable by sight or...

dylanac, I would agree that it "seems like both things can't be true" (both things being that bad plastering and a bad startup can't occur together. I understand that. However, two questions should be asked that would help explain why both things can be true at the same time. The first...