To acid wash or not to acid wash?

[learthur]

I don't how old my pool is but for the most part the plaster looks ok. It does have a few areas of pitting and these few areas are always the ones to get the algae.

I now keep higher levels of chlorine, to avoid algae issues which works most of the time.

I was wondering if I acid washed the plaster if it would smooth out the rough and pitted surfaces thereby making them less prone to harboring algae?

Anyone out there with acid washing experience?

If acid washing is not the answer can someone recommend a way to grind, polish, or otherwise smooth out the pitted area?

Thanks

Lee

 

[learthur]

Bump

 

[Guest]

Don't do it! It will only get rougher, and, as a rule of thumb, it will take 3 years off of the life of plaster when you acid wash.

Save the money and get the pool re-plastered. Acid washes are only good for putting $$$ in the pool guy who does the acid wash's pocket!

Bruce

 

[geekgranny]

There are some products on the market that can patch areas and can even be applied underwater. You can even mix colors in to it to get a better match if you have colored plaster.

A good friend of mine had some concrete showing through in a few pretty large areas; largest was about 7" diameter free form shape, white plaster. A couple of spots were on her bench so you can see the area well. She had her pool guy do it for a small fee. Looks pretty good.

I've acid washed my pool three times since new plaster applied in '96. I don't know what it would cost to have someone do it but it is a lot of work and you have to be extremely careful to rinse the acid off before it does any pitting. I did it twice by myself but had a visiting friend help last year which made it go much faster. We "partied" to help dull the pain.

I agree that the pitting may worsen if you acid washed. I think I'm probably lucky and more successful with my results because the '96 plaster job was such a good one.

geekgranny=alice