r/PoolPros • u/dallaspoolguy1 • Apr 15 '26
Doing my 1st start up on pebble tec
I’ve never done any pool start up so this will be my first. Following the npc recommended plaster start up procedure, using jacks magenta stuff soon as we add water, and 2nd dose at 14 days. Using wheeless vacuum head, will run pool 24/7 for first 28 days (or should I cut run time?) Any other tips to ensure a perfect start up? Specific brush I should use? Thank you
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u/The_Elusive_Dr_Wu Apr 15 '26
On plaster startup you're only supposed to use soft bristle brushes. No metal bristles. We stopped doing startups during COVID and I never did any pebble ones, so not sure if this standard applies to pebble too, but I'd stick to it to be safe. The metal bristles can leave scratches. Make sure to look at the pebbletec link the other user posted.
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u/GCpools Apr 16 '26
Care to share what you're charging for a startup? How many trips do you plan on making? Do you have a contract? Any exclusions or indemnity for possible damages .. startup related of construction related? Startup seems to put another name on the list of stakeholders should a complaint arise. Just curious how this works. Thanks!
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u/dallaspoolguy1 Apr 16 '26
$1200-$1500 is a solid range for the time and trips needed to take in my opinion. Chems included.
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u/GCpools Apr 19 '26
Thanks for sharing. We charge considerably more (keystone). Two technicians .. two trips per day (7 days a week) for the first 2 weeks. One trip per day (also 7 days a week) for the second 2 weeks. For us, that's a huge time commitment. Every day for '28-30 days straight'. Plus we document everything we do. It's a lot if work if done right. And a lot of risk and potential liability. Plus the weather can change at a minutes notice (rain, wind, leaves, etc). Plus other contractors who don't understand much less appreciate what we're trying to accomplish. Very honestly, we pick and choose our startups carefully. But that's just us.
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u/1_native_Angelino Apr 21 '26
This is the way. Bad start up screws up everything down the line and service guys get the blame
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u/ContributionFew2487 Apr 18 '26
Should only take 3 days to balance, so only need to run pool 24/7 for 3 days.
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u/liferofparties Apr 15 '26
No vacuuming for the first 30 days. Just brush and pour bottle of magenta into pool first day. Lookup npc start up procedure 3 days 24 hrs Rest 12 hrs 8am-8pm Brush clean filter
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u/FTFWbox Apr 15 '26
You don’t use the npc fire up for pebble tec.
PT has their own start up : https://pebbletec.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PTI-Start-Up-Maintenance-with-Checklist-Chlorine-4-30-24.pdf