posting some pictures, these show the pool drained a foot or so and a few areas buffed out, however you can see how terrible the white surface is.

Have the answer.....the pool manufacturer here persisted with the issue. Here is an extract from a recent tech bulletin.

"Pool Surface Whitening
Common Question: I currently am exhibiting a problem with finish on my pool. There is an inconsistent
white discoloration below the waterline and I cannot figure out why or how to eliminate? Can you
assist?
Answer: The whitening is due to calcium leeching from the pool water and clinging to the walls, steps
and floor of the pool. It can be seen as a streak or solid area and is especially noticeable when the
water level is lowered and the calcium dries.
Why does it happen?
Answer: Calcium naturally occurs in water. Different areas of the country have naturally higher and
lower levels of calcium in the water. The higher the calcium concentration in the water, the more
prone the pool is to calcium leeching. When the PH is maintained between 7.2 and 7.4 the calcium is
balanced in the water.
When the PH rises above 7.4, calcium begins to leech out of the water and cling to the swimming pool
surface. The higher the PH is allowed to go, the more pronounced the calcification will become.
Obviously the problem occurs more often in areas with higher natural concentration of calcium in the
water (also known as hard water).

How do I treat it?
Answer: If the problem is treated and corrected in early stages, say 1 to 3 months, the calcium can be
treated with a chemical solution. First the PH must be lowered to 6.5. Then treat the pool with
muriatic acid and or calcium treatments available at your local pool supply store. Muriatic acid refers
to a technical grade of hydrochloric acid (HCl).
If the pool is equipped with a heater, heat pump, etc. a bypass should be installed and isolate the
unit/units during this treatment as to not damage the exchangers. Any other items that may be
damaged from an extended low PH environment should also be removed or isolated.
Once the problem is controlled, restore the PH to 7.2 to 7.4 and be sure to maintain it at these levels
so the problem does not re-­appear.
What if I do nothing?
Answer: If the pool is maintained with very high PH over a period of time, longer than 3 months then
the problem can turn severe. The calcium begins to combine with the pool chlorine producing a
chemical salt known as Calcium Chloride. This is shown as CaCl2 and is a salt of calcium and chlorine.
This salt attaches itself to the pool surface and causes the surface to appear significantly lighter
especially when dehydrated. In advanced cases the calcium chloride is so bad that the pool even when
hydrated (full of water) still shows the whitening.
How do I treat my pool if it has advanced Calcium Chloride?
Answer: If the gelcoat returns to normal when hydrated then the pool can be treated using a chemical
solution outlined above. It will take up to 6 months to allow the treatment to total dissolve the calcium
chloride so it is best done over winter months. Plus the pool water will become more acidic so it is not
recommended for frequent swimming.
If the gelcoat has severe damage by the salt (Calcium Chloride) and it is visible even when hydrated
then the solution is to remove the salt from the surface of the pool. To date we have not been able to
identify a chemical solution for the salt removal. As a result, the surface needs to be buffed and
polished to firstly remove the salt build up and then to restore the lustre of the pool surface."

ends............

Hope this helps.....I am currently looking for a tradesman that will cut and polish the white scale off as mine obviously falls in the worse category.

Regards,

Fleetz

First, understand that this is not a defect in the pool. This was a defect in the way the pool was maintained. That falls under your responsibility, even if you hired someone to do it for you.

Second, the removal process will take some time and may impact the gel coat's original shine. There won't be any way around it. The calcium build up you have cannot be "buffed out" without losing the gel coat, or at least a substantial portion there of. In all likelihood, the factory shine is going to be a memory. That's not to say it won't shine but I think you get my drift.

To remove the calcium, you will need to give the pool a long acid bath. There are a number of differences from the procedures the manufacturer suggested from what I would do.

I would cover any and all metal. I hope you have a sump or drywell to remove water from under the pool. You may need to empty the pool to cover the screws with silicone. Don't forget the screws holding the drain covers.

If there is no sump or dry well, be absolutely certain that the water table won't rise up to the level of the pool's bottom or it could float like a boat. If you can't be certain, then you will need a few well points driven down, connected to a pump, and any water drawn out and discharged either into a storm sewer or 50 meters away and down hill from the pool.

If there is a light fixture, it will need to be brought to the surface and set on the deck. The cord will survive the bath just fine. If the niche is metal, it will need to be coated with silicone also. You're going to be dropping the pH down to about 4 and that would eat any metals, as well as the calcium. The screws behind the skimmer face plate that hold the skimmer to the wall should be safe as there is a gasket between the wall and the faceplate. I see no need to disturb those connections as long as the screws are protected.

You will need a small cheap pump with a long cord such as on might use to drain a solid pool cover. It will be cable tied to a pool pole with enough cord to let the pump dangle about 1/2 to 2/3 the depth of the pool, 1/2 way between the deepest point and the start of the slope from the shallow end. This will provide the circulation in the pool. Your pool equipment will be turned off during the bath. The pump, when turned on, will spin around and around, slowly moving the water.

You will need rubber gloves.

You will need a test capable of testing water with a pH of 4 or else you will be taking an educated guess based on where your pool's pH and alk level are now and adding the acid.

Once everything is in place, and the pool is full, add another couple centimeters to get the water level above the calcium line. Add the Muriatic acid, 500 ml per ten minute period, at a time, slowly pouring around the perimeter, avoiding the steps and sun shelf as these are low circulation spots and you don't want the acid to sit there waiting to be disbursed. Add enough acid to drop the pH to between 4 and 5.

Brush 2x a day. Rinse the pool brush and pole immediately after! Wear the rubber gloves. Test the pH daily. Keep the little pump on constantly.

You should see results within a couple days. You will know it's working when you see the dust coming off the walls. You will likely see, as you progress, more and more dust on floor.

After about 4 days, most, if not all the deposited calcium should be off the surface and either on the floor or in solution. Neutralize the acid with dense ash (pH Increaser) and dump a foot of water to inspect your results. I would suggest vacuuming to waste to get the dust out. Make sure the wasted water is sent well away and down hill from the pool. If the results are not to your needs, refill and drop the pH again for another few days of treatment.

When you get to where you are satisfied, neutralize the water to a pH of 7 and dump it all followed by removing the silicone blobs on the screws, cleaning off the light niche, resetting the light fixture, and a fresh refill.

Get a proper test kit so you don't have this happen again.

Scott

Hi Scott,

Thanks for that.

I have no missed apprehension as to who is responsible for the pool condition now I know what has caused it. I suppose it would have nice to have known about this from the get go and it could have been avoided. The pool manufacturer has been great in assisting me as they had not experienced the issue until mine happened about over a year ago. They must have had another few and further investigation with industrial chemist's provided the solution (and prevention) and hence the Tech Bulletin which was released about one week ago.

The pool manufacturer in consultation with their industrial chemist provided me (free of charge) Organophosphonate which also states on the container it is Acid 8 very corrosive. At the chemists instructions I applied 12 litres based on the 50,000L pool capacity for two weeks checking every few days to see if the scale would turn milky or return to solution. After three weeks it was evident that the scale was not going to alter. I did not test the pH level.

Thanks for your input.

Regards,

Fleetz

Interested in finding out which way you went to get your scale resolved?

What did the buffing look like after they did the few test patches? Did they use any special cutting compounds?

Thanks and regards,

Fleetz