Hairline cracks in new plaster

[aivey13]

Hello all. I've seen this topic in one or two other old threads, but was curious if anyone had any recent issues similar to mine. Just finished a new pool, it was plastered about a month ago and filled with water within ~24 hours of plaster being done. Overall, happy with plaster appearance, but after about 3 weeks, I noticed a ton of hairline cracks in my tanning ledge area. Seems to be mostly limited to the tanning ledge area for one reason or another?

Now that I think of it, could it be related to the timing of when the water filled up to that height? Obviously the tanning ledge would've been the last area to have water get to it. Our pool took about ~36 hours to fill, so I'd estimate the tanning ledge was dry/without water for perhaps 60 hours or so until it got filled. Our pool builder did not give any instructions to hose down the plaster (on any part of the pool) or keep it wet. Should he have? I'm hoping this doesn't require re-plastering, but I'm not happy with it.

 

[sktn77a]

Yes, someone should have, but it's too late now. I'd discuss with you pool builder what HE intends to do about it.

 

[mknauss]

Being Blamed for Plaster Discolorations? Don't Get Hoodwinked

Some newly plastered pools (including quartz and pebble finishes) may develop either color fading, white soft spotting (also incorrectly called "spot etching" by some plasterers), white streaking (in colored plaster), calcium nodules, gray mottling discoloration (of white plaster), spalling...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[klanel]

Thanks for posting, it may help me take precautions whenever I get to that point. I'm on a well and don't have any idea of how long ours will take to fill. But I will try and spray exposed areas while it is filling. I would suspect at least 2-3 days to fill. There appear to be large patches of bleached out areas or is that sunlight splotches?

 

[stack24]

Yes, someone should have, but it's too late now. I'd discuss with you pool builder what HE intends to do about it.

So with having done my plaster today, and the acid wash tomorrow is this something that could happen since I will start filling probably more than 24 hours after plaster was done and it's under the Houston heat? Should I be doing anything, none of the paperwork that was given from pebbletech say anything in regards to keeping it moist during the curing.

 

[aivey13]

Thanks for posting, it may help me take precautions whenever I get to that point. I'm on a well and don't have any idea of how long ours will take to fill. But I will try and spray exposed areas while it is filling. I would suspect at least 2-3 days to fill. There appear to be large patches of bleached out areas or is that sunlight splotches?

We were on a well also. I had 3 hoses going into our pool (maybe 18,000 gallons?) and it took about 36 hours to fill. One thing I've learned that might be worth your while is to demand that your pool builder test your water before filling the pool...checking for metals like iron or too much calcium. My pool builder simply asked "how is your well water?" in a very generic context. When I told him "fine, no issues with overly hard water or anything like that", I think he thought that was sufficient. But I'm now wondering if it would've helped if he knew the makeup of our well water and possibly add chemicals to the water as it was filling. Who knows...

Also, the bleached areas in the photos are just sunlight reflections. Overall our plaster color (french gray quartzscapes) turned out very well - some variations of color in random spots, but nothing that really bothers me...like the cracks do.

 

[aivey13]

So with having done my plaster today, and the acid wash tomorrow is this something that could happen since I will start filling probably more than 24 hours after plaster was done and it's under the Houston heat? Should I be doing anything, none of the paperwork that was given from pebbletech say anything in regards to keeping it moist during the curing.

I've now seen differing opinions on keeping the plaster wet. It seems like the majority rule is to (1) let the plaster sufficiently dry whenever the job is done (ie 6-12 hours?), but then quickly start filling it after that and don't stop. One differing opinion I've heard though was from my next door neighbor, who literally plastered their pool 2 days after we did ours (different pool builder). He told me their builder instructed them to spray their plaster down 2-3 times per day for at least 7 days before they could fill it with water. That concerned me, obviously, since that's very different from what my builder did. But my initial research online has not really generated many articles on doing it that way. Most everything I've read suggests you should fill it within 24 hours.

I would ask your pool builder, via text so that you have it in writing, whether you should be spraying the plaster with a hose for the next ~24 hours until you start to fill it, and then also spray the shallow areas while it is filling (since it'll take 2-3 days possibly).

Honestly, I am thinking the cracks in my plaster might be just from poor workmanship - too much water (or too little) in the cement when they were mixing it? One thing I was shocked by was how quickly the pool was plastered. They literally were in and out of my backyard in 4 hours or less. I expected it to be an all day job. So that, too, makes me think that perhaps the process was rushed...

 

[stack24]

I've now seen differing opinions on keeping the plaster wet. It seems like the majority rule is to (1) let the plaster sufficiently dry whenever the job is done (ie 6-12 hours?), but then quickly start filling it after that and don't stop. One differing opinion I've heard though was from my next door neighbor, who literally plastered their pool 2 days after we did ours (different pool builder). He told me their builder instructed them to spray their plaster down 2-3 times per day for at least 7 days before they could fill it with water. That concerned me, obviously, since that's very different from what my builder did. But my initial research online has not really generated many articles on doing it that way. Most everything I've read suggests you should fill it within 24 hours.

I would ask your pool builder, via text so that you have it in writing, whether you should be spraying the plaster with a hose for the next ~24 hours until you start to fill it, and then also spray the shallow areas while it is filling (since it'll take 2-3 days possibly).

Honestly, I am thinking the cracks in my plaster might be just from poor workmanship - too much water (or too little) in the cement when they were mixing it? One thing I was shocked by was how quickly the pool was plastered. They literally were in and out of my backyard in 4 hours or less. I expected it to be an all day job. So that, too, makes me think that perhaps the process was rushed...

based on the sheet that the pebble tech installer gave me it doesn’t say anything in regards to watering it.

my crew was there at 7 AM and did all the prep work for a little over an hour and then they were done by 12:30PM. They had about 11 guys or more if I’m not mistaken.

We have an Acid wash schedule for tomorrow morning and then water fill right after. So I guess that’s the process.

 

[klanel]

One thing I've learned that might be worth your while is to demand that your pool builder test your water before filling the pool...checking for metals like iron or too much calcium. My pool builder simply asked "how is your well water?" in a very generic context. When I told him "fine, no issues with overly hard water or anything like that", I think he thought that was sufficient. But I'm now wondering if it would've helped if he knew the makeup of our well water and possibly add chemicals to the water as it was filling.

We have a whole house Iron removal system but the water is hard enough to leave spots on a black vehicle if not dried off after washing. I have a measuring device but can't remember what the ppm is. It's not very high, just high enough to leave spots on a black vehicle if left on to dry. Because I am anal about keeping my vehicle spotless, I use a de-ionizer when washing. They make some large ones but I don't recall how may gallons you could filter. It would vary depending on the ppm of the minerals present.

I no longer have faith in my builder and can't imagine that he could make any recommendations on water. That would require communication which was excellent before signing the contract and minimal or non-existent since. It would be nice to know whether hardness, etc. will damage the plaster.

 

[kimkats]

It is not advised to water the plaster especially on a ledge or such as the water might pool in a low area. If that happens there is a chance of a "ring" forming where the standing water was.

Here is a link to new plaster care. Look for the extreme temp part:

Pool Plaster Tips for the Average Homeowner

A quality plaster job can last a homeowner for decades. We help share basic steps that can be taken before, during, and after the plastering of a pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

Your PB might offer an acid wash. It might work but is will shorten your plaster's life as it removes some of the plaster.

 

[klanel]

I was under the impression that acid washing was standard procedure to expose the aggregate but from your post, apparently not.

 

[kimkats]

There are several ways to start a pool. One is the fast, easy way for the PB-acid washing the pool. The others take more time and effort so are not as well used.

 

[aivey13]

based on the sheet that the pebble tech installer gave me it doesn’t say anything in regards to watering it.

my crew was there at 7 AM and did all the prep work for a little over an hour and then they were done by 12:30PM. They had about 11 guys or more if I’m not mistaken.

We have an Acid wash schedule for tomorrow morning and then water fill right after. So I guess that’s the process.

How did your plaster turn out? Have you gotten it filled yet?

 

[stack24]

How did your plaster turn out? Have you gotten it filled yet?

It turned out great and we just filled. We have our startup scheduled today. you can follow my thread here.

1st Pool Build | Sugar Land - Skimmer Repairs Done - Hardscape Finished

The pics show a tablet chlorinator installed, not a SWG. If you got an IntelliCenter with a bundled IntelliChlor cell the IntelliCenter would have the SWG power supply in the cabinet. Yours does not have a SWG power supply. You can get a separate SWG Power Center box for the SWG cell but you...

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