Concrete Staining ??

[aswetich]

Just converted my 3 year old in ground liner pool to salt and so far I love it but now I have a problem that may or may not be related. I paid to have the stamped concrete deck around the pool sealed and after about 1 week I am starting to see these white rings in the sealer. The white rings are most evident around the spill over spa where a lot of water gets spilled.

1. Could this be due to the saltwater ?
2. They powerwashed the deck but could it not have been prepared correctly ?

Thanks

 

[Poolsean]

Aswetich,

If you wet it and it goes away, it's most likely not salt. Salt is very soluble so that it will readily dissolve into solution when wetted.
If you can provide photos of what you're describing, that would help.

 

[aswetich]

I am out of town now but will take pictures when I get back. I tried powerwashing it off and it only faded a bit but did not go away.

 

[Buggsw]

Minerals, calcium, perhaps?

 

[Poolsean]

Buggs, I'm with you on it being a calcium type residue....and I know you're familiar with high calcium being in Arizona.
Unfortunately if it is calcium, once you get to the stage where it leaves its mark behind, there's only a hammer and chisel to remove it...or a mild acid treatment.

 

[aswetich]

Does not wash or powerwash off

Here are the pic of what it looks like. It's only around the SPA and getting worse ..

 

[Poolsean]

I wouldn't want to guess as I am not too familiar with deck related staining, but this is not salt related. It looks to be a water ring mark on your deck, pre-sealing? Have you had the company that sealed your deck come out and look at it? It's difficult to say because you mentioned that even pressure washing it did not get rid of it. That's why I think it's something that may have occured to began to form, before it was sealed. Or it could be the sealer itself...

Like I said, I would hate to guess, OK, I am guessing above, but I can say that I'm 99.9% confident it is not salt related.

Please let us know when you find out what it is.

 

[aswetich]

Thanks

The rings were NOT there before the sealing so I am assuming it's a sealing issue if the salt water is not causing the problem. I already paid the concrete guy and left multiple messages to no avail !!! What's up with people in the trades ??

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

I'm not sure that salt makes a difference here, but some concrete sealers (some of those used in acid-staining to produce a 'wet look') can turn cloudy/white with prolonged exposure to water