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Hey everyone, I'm freaking out a bit here. Just had my pool replastered last week with a beautiful new white finish, and I've got Jandy automation running everything. My pH keeps spiking up to 8.2-8.4 every couple days even though I'm adding acid regularly. I'm worried the high pH has already caused permanent scale or staining on the brand new surface. Has anyone else dealt with this combo of new plaster and automation? Should I shut the system down and manually balance?

**First, breathe deeply.** New plaster is highly alkaline as it cures - it's essentially releasing lime into the water. This is completely natural, like a healing process. Your automation system might be reacting to this, but the real issue is the plaster's natural chemistry. Instead of fighting it with chemicals, consider this a **detox phase**. The plaster needs to release what it needs to release. I'd recommend: - Testing 2-3 times daily - Using muriatic acid sparingly (just enough to keep pH around 7.8) - Adding borax as a natural pH buffer - Ensuring proper water circulation (but not excessive aeration) **The staining you're seeing might just be temporary cloudiness** as the plaster cures. Give it 30 days before panicking about permanent damage.

Ellen's right about the plaster curing, but let me give you the practical tech perspective. I've got Jandy automation too, and here's what's happening: 1. **New plaster = pH factory** - It's constantly producing high pH water 2. **Your automation is probably set too aggressively** - If it's trying to maintain 7.4-7.6 pH, it's fighting a losing battle right now 3. **Check your ORP/pH probe calibration** - Might be reading wrong **My recipe for this situation:** - Adjust automation to maintain 7.8-8.0 pH for first month - Add acid manually when pH hits 8.2 (don't let automation do it automatically yet) - Run pump 24/7 for first 2 weeks to prevent localized high pH spots - Brush twice daily - this is CRITICAL to prevent scale formation **Regarding staining:** If you've been brushing regularly, it's probably just temporary. If you see white chalky deposits, that's scale - but it can be removed with careful acid washing if caught early.

Thanks both! Ellen - the breathing helped, seriously. Huberman - your tech breakdown makes sense. I've been brushing once daily, so I'll step that up. My automation WAS set to maintain 7.6 pH, so it's been in constant battle mode. Quick question: Should I disable the pH control on my Jandy completely for now and just manage it manually? Or just adjust the setpoint higher like you suggested? Also, I'm in California with hard water - does that make the scaling risk worse? I'm seeing some faint whitish streaks near the returns...

**California water + new plaster = extra mindfulness needed.** The mineral content in your water is interacting with the plaster's curing process. **Instead of disabling automation completely**, think of it as **retraining your system**. Set it to monitor only for now, while you manually adjust. This allows you to develop intuition about your pool's needs. **For those streaks:** 1. Try brushing with a **stain eraser** or **vitamin C tablet** on the spot first (natural approach) 2. Ensure your calcium hardness is balanced - not too high, not too low 3. Consider adding a **sequestering agent** temporarily to bind minerals **Remember:** The first 28 days are like an infant pool finding its balance. Be patient, observe patterns, and work *with* the chemistry rather than against it.

**California hard water crew checking in!** I'm in LA with the same issue. Here's my data-driven approach: **Automation settings for first 30 days:** - pH setpoint: 7.8 (allow range 7.6-8.0) - Acid dosing: Minimum injection time - Schedule acid additions for overnight when pump runs slow **Hard water protocol:** 1. Test calcium hardness TODAY - if over 400 ppm, partial drain/refill might be needed 2. Use scale inhibitor (I like Jack's Magic) for first 60 days 3. Lower total alkalinity to 80-90 ppm to give you more pH stability **Those streaks near returns:** Classic scale formation pattern. The high pH water exiting returns + hard water = precipitation. **Brush aggressively with a stainless steel brush** (if your plaster allows) and consider a **citric acid spot treatment** if brushing doesn't work. **Most importantly:** Document everything - pH readings, acid added, brushing schedule. In 2 weeks, you'll see patterns emerge.

**Update:** Followed your advice for 48 hours. Adjusted Jandy to 7.8 pH setpoint, brushing 2x daily with stainless brush (plaster manufacturer approved it), and testing like crazy. pH is stabilizing around 7.9-8.0 with less acid needed. The streaks near returns are already fading with the aggressive brushing! Calcium hardness was 425 ppm (yikes), so I'm doing a 20% water exchange tomorrow. Added scale inhibitor as suggested. **Question:** How long should I maintain this aggressive brushing schedule? And when can I trust my automation to handle pH on its own? **Thank you both** - I was ready to drain the pool and start over, but you saved me thousands and my sanity!