Gunite pool- need help with stains

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alyssatuininga

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Apr 26, 2010
17
New Hampshire
So we are new pool owners. Had our gunite pool drained to do some work and would like to try and clean the walls of the pool. Obviously the stain is organic. We used our hose to spray and scrubbed with a brush for a few hours and this is the best it got. Any advice on what chemicals we should use to clean it would be much appreciated.

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Welcome to the forum!

While it's empty and accesible, I would go over it with a combination of soap, water, and chlorine...perhaps a 1/2 cup of chlorine in the bucket.

Use a deck brush and get as much as you can, letting it soak so the chlorine can work. Then rinse thoroughly.

It's doubtful you will get it all. You can repeat or you can simply fill your pool and hold a high level of chlorine in your pool and they will fade over time....maybe as much as a month.
 
I don't want to pick sides, but I would have to agree with Dave (duraleigh) and disagree with Chris. I never advocate an acid wash, as it will destroy the smoothness of your finish and degrade your plaster at an accelerated rate (rule of thumb: acid washes take away 3 years of pool plaster life!). An acid wash is typically the last ditch to squeak out a small amount of time to make a pool look nice again before re-plaster.

Acid washes put money in the pocket of the pool man who does the acid wash, and then in the plaster company shortly thereafter for the re-plaster. Save the acid wash money and put it toward your new plaster when you are ready to do that!

BTW, what is up with your tile? I can't tell if you are missing quite a bit of it or if you just have different ones in the pool from the picture. If they are missing, you do need to get some on there also :goodjob:
 
Since they are organic stains, they will fade over time with exposure to chlorinated water. I wouldn't recommend an acid wash unless it's a situation involving metal deposition such as calcium.
 
Thanks all. I spent a few hours scrubbing with some diluted bleach and it is coming off. Man my arms are sore LOL.. It doesn't need to be perfect certainly just looking for mostly clean. The bleach helps a lot. Thanks..

Hmm about the pool tiles. We haven't had any in years. Are they really necessary? When we bought the pool they were falling off so we just took them down. I thought they were just for pretty...
 
As I look across the pool towards the deep end (to the left of the light) it appears that I can see a "crack" where the float material is above the waterline and below the coping. If water is allowed to get up and into that area, the crack will get expand and could cause a problem. That float is typical, but is it usually protected by the waterline tile.

Tile does serve a purpose a little more than aesthetic, but if you are happy without it, who am I to comment :-D
 

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257WbyMag said:
Sorry simicrintz. I was typing while you were and I was thinking the same thing in that it really takes a toll on your plaster.
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No worries on my end! Although I am starting to worry that people might think neither one of us work and just spend all day here :lol:
 
alyssatuininga said:
Thanks Bruce. I think the crack you see is just ick. I went out and looked at the pool and I don't see anything. From a diy perspective how hard it putting up the tile? We have boxes of them in our basement...
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Since the "line" from the plaster is already there, it would be relatively easy to follow and set the tile. If you decide to do it, clean the area really well and use a "full flex" thinset material. I like to trowel the thinset on the pool wall and then "back butter" the tile also. Makes for a very nice, tight bond.

Now I have a question for you: What is a "basement"? :lol:
 
alyssatuininga said:
Seriously.....

A "basement" is the cellar. Is that a New England only thing???
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I dunno, i'm from massachusetts! I have a basement. People from california dont have a basement, i dont think. Houses are built on slabs or on wooden platforms on the ground. In tornado country, cellars are dug out in the back yard to hide in from tornados coming over you :shock:
 
bk406 said:
alyssatuininga said:
Seriously.....

A "basement" is the cellar. Is that a New England only thing???
Click to expand...

I dunno, i'm from massachusetts! I have a basement. People from california dont have a basement, i dont think. Houses are built on slabs or on wooden platforms on the ground. In tornado country, cellars are dug out in the back yard to hide in from tornados coming over you :shock:
Click to expand...

What's a "tornado"? You guys have some weird stuff back there (rooms built in to the ground! Tornadoes coming over you!). Weird; really weird.......
 
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