Hey Reno --- Lava rock should make an excellent base for applying hypertufa or just about any cement based mixture. Cement relies on either a chemical bond ( as in liquid bonding agants...aka: "glue")...or a good mechanical bond. The porous lava rock should provide a very good mechanical bond. If you are going for a faux rock finish on a waterfall/pond, I would highly recommend using a modified conventional concrete or mortar mix rather than the 'Tufa. It will be as easy to work, but much stronger and less prone to water permeating the material. A healhty amount of latex admix is advisable. It will make the mix stronger, bond even better and far less permeable. A big issue if you live in a hard freeze zone. Good luck. It is a very do-able project, just continue doing a little homework before you invest a lot of time & money. And don't hesitate to conduct some small scale tests to see how a given mix works before you go whole hog. All my best, Tango88

SAME THING HAPPENED TO US TWO weeks ago on Mother's day weekend!! Our new pool and the filling of water became a stressful situation. Our PB told us to turn off the pool pump until someone could come out on Monday. Our spa had a pipe that was not hooked up and as the water filtered from pool, filter, spa it was leaking out quickly. PB said a couple days of drying was not critical that the plaster would be ok. We did have plaster issues when all was said and done (it took seven days to identify the problem). Our pool would lose water, the PB would think it was fixed, and then we would drain again over night. Kept going on and on. PB was responsive, however, they were fooled into thinking it was taken care of because there was actually a second problem (seal was not plastered tight in spa around the drains). The finish in the spa was stained and dirty. The PB sent out the plaster guy and he was able to beautify my spa. The first step into the pool is still stained and has a couple small pin holes in the plaster. PB plans to fix it after the original plaster finishing curing. However, our plaster is different then yours (Florida gem). Hopefully your PB will call back and advise you on what to do over the weekend. If you have a reputable PB, no matter what the current issue and if it affects your finish, they should be able to rectify the situation. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks to everyone for your advice! Lindsey - When I soak the cartridges, is there a cleaner, or some solution, that I am suppose to soak them in? Also, what do you use to soak them in? The filters are about 3 ft. long. Florida gal - For all I know the PB may have told me to clean the filters sooner. My head was spinning when he gave me the "Pool 101" class. I'm glad I checked here. This site has been a great source of advice. Yes, there are 4 cartridges inside the filter tank. I was actually suprised myself. I was expecting to see one large filter or something (remember, I'm a first time pool owner). By the way, your pool looks awesome! I love the landscaping. This is the look I am going for around our pool. We haven't started planting yet, but we want a tropical look. When I figure out how, I will post some pictures. gk - I think you are right, I should probably try cleaning it again after a few days. I imagine there's still a lot of junk in the water that still needs to be filtered. Again, I thought they said every 3 months, but I may have misunderstood (wouldn't be the first time!). They may have said every 3 weeks. The PB did a great job and seemed to know his stuff. Thanks again to everyone for your help.

Being in Texas, saving water is an important aspect. Cartridge filters help some in that they don't get backwashed. Have the PB put a 3 way valve on the pump exhaust so you can lower the water or vacuum to waste with a cartridge filter. Some PBs put a hose spigot on instead but this prevents vacuuming to waste. Your fill water is pretty hard but not overly so. Calcium will build up in the water so watching it is called for. It is one of the chemicals in pool water that can only be removed by diluting. The water has a slightly high pH and high alkalinity. This will need to be brought down with acid added. Not a big deal to do but skipping it will cause the calcium to drop out of solution and stick to various surfaces like steps and pool walls and floors where the circulation is slower. This is called scaling and is random in where it occurs in the pool. It also takes time to form and is a gradual process. It isn't something that would stop you, just something to be aware of when maintaining your pool. While seemingly premature in the discovery process of building, taking it into account can help you later in making your equipment choices and layout. Blazing hot means a relatively a high evaporation rate. Have an auto-filler so you don't have to put a hose in every day during the Summer. Remember, calcium doesn't evaporate so the CH value will rise. Occasionally, you will need to lower the water in the pool and put in a significant amount of fill water. This will also lower your salt level and raise your alkalinity and pH levels when you refill. Your blazing hot Summers may lead you to a desire for a cooling solution. Some opt for a heat pump that works in reverse or solar panels that when the pump is run at night, radiate the heat and cool the pool. Please note that this is additional run time. A pool pump needs to run during the day. Scott