I have the Gulf Stream Blue Hydrazzo in my pool. Here's what I was told.
During the course of filling, do not remove the hose or allow anyone in the pool or touch the plater until the pool is full.
Pool is full when water level is 3" from top of tile.
A mineral conditioner must be added to the pool during filling.

Procedures required for the first two weeks of initial startup:
A: Brushing - brush the walls and floor to remove excess marble dust. Brushing must be done two times a day for two weeks or until dust disappears by filtration. Starting at shallow end, brush the floor and walls toward the pool and spa drains.

B: Vacuuming - pools should not be vacuumed during the first two weeks.

C: Heater - not to be used for the first two weeks.

D: Automatic pool cleaner - do not use for the first two weeks.

Good luck

That was my startup procedure as well except for the conditioner part. The reason you don't want to stop the fill until the water is on the tile is that if you do, a permanent ring will form in the uncured plaster at the waterline. In addition to the above info posted by Artvanda, I was instructed to hold the PH slightly below normal for the 1st 2 weeks, then let it come up to normal. I had to add a lot of muriatic acid the 1st week to keep it below normal as new plaster tends to drive PH up. One thing I noticed is the first couple of days of brushing is the most critical. Any spots you miss in the 1st 2 days will be tough to remove later! Also if you have cart filters clean them every few days to remove the plaster dust.

Thanks so much for your feedback.

Pool finished filling last night. Today I took sample to Leslies and they said my PH is 7.8 and alkalinity is 270. They recommended 4 gallons of acid Adding 1/2 gallon every 2 hrs. Should I be concerned with the alkalinity of just focus on lowering the PH? I think I want to shoot for 7.4 or lower but have no idea how much acid I need to get it there. I know I will need to keep checking the level but am wondering if the 4 gallons sounds in the ballpark?My pool is about 20,000 gals. I have the pool circulating but don't think the spa is. This is a remodel with spa addition, so I have no clue how to configure the valves to include the spa in the circulation.
I expect my service guy will be available tomorrow. Do you think my spa will be ok until then?
My Hydrazzo is french Gray which is pretty dark,so I know that I need to stay on top of this.
In the mean time I am brushing, brushing brushing!

Thanks again for any additional advice anyone might have.

Don't worry about your alkalinity. 1) You will be adding a lot of acid which will lower it. 2) The calcium from your curing plaster will contribute to higher alkalinity because it forms natural "elevated" buffering such as calcium carbonate from the reaction of calcium hydroxide and Co2. Remeasure your alkalinity in 2 weeks and begin dealing with it then if its a problem....you will see that it will have gone down considerably. Mine cut in half from the time the pool was done till now. In fact, you end up still having to add acid after the two weeks...probably a good half gallon every week for at least another month in my case. Now my alkalinity is starting to slowly get too low.

Quote: "Today I took sample to Leslies and they said my PH is 7.8 and alkalinity is 270. They recommended 4 gallons of acid Adding 1/2 gallon every 2 hrs."

I guess they were trying to fix the high TA number, but first you should concentrate on getting the PH where it needs to be. According to Jason's pool calculator (link below) for a 20k pool to lower your PH from 7.8 to 7.4 should take 22 oz. of muriatic acid.

Quote: "This is a remodel with spa addition, so I have no clue how to configure the valves to include the spa in the circulation. I expect my service guy will be available tomorrow. Do you think my spa will be ok until then? My Hydrazzo is french Gray which is pretty dark,so I know that I need to stay on top of this.
In the mean time I am brushing, brushing brushing!"

It's probably OK since you're brushing it, but you do need to get the circulation going soon so you can filter the plaster dust out. It's not as critical since you have a pebble finish.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.poolcalculator.com/

poolg8tr,

Congrats on the pool remodel! If you can, please post some pics. We are also getting Hydrazzo and were leaning towards the Hatteras Gray. I would love to see how the French Gray looks.

Thanks!

any chance i can see a picture of the french gray?
you can email to me at faversano@verizon.net
thank you!!!

Any chance you have pictures you can send me of the French Grey? Do you like it?