AA treatment failed... Next step is drain and clean...

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chjade84

0
Apr 2, 2014
106
Indiana
I put about 4.5 lbs of AA in last night (15-20k gallons) and didn't get much of a result at all. In fact, some areas started to become stained dull grey! I did take pictures but I didn't think to bring them to work so I'll try and remember to post when I get back home.

I think I'll be ok draining it. I'm not in a low-lying area, in fact, looking at topo maps, I'm at 803' and the nearest ponds 2,700' away are at 778'. 3,900' to the south is in the low 760' range and that's the usually-dry drainage ditch for the area. The house is also a tri-level so the lower level of the house sits about 4' below ground (and the surface of the pool water) without a sump pump and is always dry. It's only another 4' to the bottom of the deep end...

What are my best options for DIY resurfacing? The pool is mostly concrete with a 3' fiberglass liner around the top. I think the surface was re-painted badly at one point because the staining is very uneven across the surface. It's like chunks of paint came away and then got stained. There are orange-brown spots right next to still fairly white stripes.

I was thinking abrasive blasting followed by some dark blue paint/epoxy.

Other ideas?

Edit: Added album of images: http://imgur.com/a/2USPQ
 
You would need to be prepared to refill the pool if heavy rains were forecast at the very least.

Paint is not a long-term fix and often requires an annual recoating to keep it looking good. Plaster is expensive, but will give you around 10 years.
 
Right. I would obviously wait for a dry forecast and get the work done and refilled ASAP.

By "paint" are you also referring to the various epoxies and such? I could just remove the top layer of the existing stained surface but I'm kind of afraid to just leave it like that... (although that would be the cheapest option! :))
 
chjade84 said:
Right. I would obviously wait for a dry forecast and get the work done and refilled ASAP.

By "paint" are you also referring to the various epoxies and such? I could just remove the top layer of the existing stained surface but I'm kind of afraid to just leave it like that... (although that would be the cheapest option! :))
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Any of the coatings have relatively short lives.
 
Well I certainly can't afford a re-plaster now. It's already stained beyond salvage... maybe just get that top layer off and leave it bare for the time being.

On the plus side, now would be the ideal time to do it. We've had almost no rain in the last 10+ days and there isn't any in the forecast for the near future.
 
You can't apply plaster to a concrete only floor pool. About the only option is to repaint. Surface preparation is the key to longevity. Sandblast to bare concrete then prepare the concrete as per pool paint directions. Follow them to a t. The higher quality the paint, the better the prep of the surface, the better survival of the paint. I have a country club that is going on 7 years. We are sandblasting it this year after labor day and starting with fresh paint.
 
swimcmp said:
You can't apply plaster to a concrete only floor pool. About the only option is to repaint. Surface preparation is the key to longevity. Sandblast to bare concrete then prepare the concrete as per pool paint directions. Follow them to a t. The higher quality the paint, the better the prep of the surface, the better survival of the paint. I have a country club that is going on 7 years. We are sandblasting it this year after labor day and starting with fresh paint.
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I don't know, technically, what I even have... I mean it's some form of concrete-like material...

Here's the album of what I'm up against: http://imgur.com/a/2USPQ

Notice in the extreme close up where I used a 400 grit diamond sharpening stone to reveal a very smooth, almost polished-concrete-like finish that I like very much. It would probably take just about forever to do the whole pool though, lol.

Is that plaster? I guess I've never seen traditional plaster with aggregate in it. Maybe pool plaster is different.
 
swimcmp said:
You have an old school fiberglass wall concrete floor. These were popular in the early and mid 70's.
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It was, in fact, built in '75. :)

Is it plaster or something over concrete? Or did they just use a concrete with very small aggregate?

My plan now, after seeing success removing the stains on the top stair with a PVC pipe and a high concentration of Muriatic acid, is to drain the pool this weekend, acid wash, then touch it up with a 200 grit diamond grit polishing disk on a random orbit sander - then refill.
 

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What kind of chemistry problem would I have just leaving it bare? I imagine I would have the same problems now, but so far it's been really easy to keep balanced.

I guess my options are:

- Live with it and deal with any chemistry issues (free)
- Drain, acid wash and polish the rough ares of concrete and deal with the chemistry issues (<$300)
- Drain, acid wash and repaint. Repeat every few years. ($1000)
- Apply a plaster coating? ($5,000+) <-- I don't think so... lol

:(
 
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