Hi new to the forum, just had my pool built and it has been filled for thirty day now. Have quartzscape onyx plaster finish. Getting some white discoloration on the bottem of the pool in areas, very prominent in the shallow and deep end. Pool water pH has been 7.2 and below with brushing since new. Pool builder says this is normal and will clear up with time? He is very supportive and said if it does not they will redo the plaster. Really do not want to have the plaster redone at all. Water was trucked in. no metal issues? Thoughts, ideas, attached are some photos. BJM[attachment=2:23af78g9]plaster4.JPG[/attachment:23af78g9][attachment=1:23af78g9]plaster6.JPG[/attachment:23af78g9]
Plaster questions
- Thread starter docm
- Start date
What happens when you brush it? Many times this is "dust" from the plaster that will get swept up when you vacuum.
Nothing happens when I brush it. My pool builder gave me a stainless steel brush that i am using now. I have the paramount self cleaning system and i run that everyday for 2 hours, and i still manually vacumm it once a week every saturday morning. The areas just seem to be getting worse, not better. Pool builder has been coming out to the house several times a week to check on pool and water. He says we will wait. Has anyone else seen this with the quartzscape product. The spa has no issues like this at all.
Has anyone else seen this with dark colored plaster pools? Will it get better? thanks and any suggestions would be appreciated. BJM
There are several possibilities as to the cause of the whitening. Would appreciate several questions to be answered to narrow down the possibilities.
Did this quartz aggregate pool also have a color pigment (dye) added to the cement?
Was calcium chloride added to the plaster mix? Did the finishers sprinkle on water during final troweling?
How soon after final troweling was the "trucked in water" put into the pool?
And what was the pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness of the truck water? If you don't have that, then please provide the first pool water test taken after it was filled.
Did this quartz aggregate pool also have a color pigment (dye) added to the cement?
Was calcium chloride added to the plaster mix? Did the finishers sprinkle on water during final troweling?
How soon after final troweling was the "trucked in water" put into the pool?
And what was the pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness of the truck water? If you don't have that, then please provide the first pool water test taken after it was filled.
pool was filled less than 12 hours after the quartzscape was finished. builder had me keep the surface wet by spraying it down with water every hour or so.
not sure if dye was used in the mix, the plaster has a grey color to it. i saw the plaster guys mixing white cement with it so i guess they colored it with something.
initial pool reading were:
PH7.6
Calcium hardeness = 370
total alkalinity = 80
the pool builder then put muriatic acid in the pool and i saw him add some cyanuric acid to the skimmers.
Pool builder just called me and told me he wanted me to start getting the pH of the pool back uop to the normal level of 7.4-7.6 again by next week?
BJM
not sure if dye was used in the mix, the plaster has a grey color to it. i saw the plaster guys mixing white cement with it so i guess they colored it with something.
initial pool reading were:
PH7.6
Calcium hardeness = 370
total alkalinity = 80
the pool builder then put muriatic acid in the pool and i saw him add some cyanuric acid to the skimmers.
Pool builder just called me and told me he wanted me to start getting the pH of the pool back uop to the normal level of 7.4-7.6 again by next week?
BJM
no water was added during the final trowling phase. No sure if they added calcuim chloride or not. BJM
It appears that your first two pictures show a white water mark (bathtub ring) around and on the bottom of pool. If so, then I wonder if the filling of pool (from truck) occurred within minutes of final troweling. Early filling is a mistake. And I am sorry to say, spraying down the plaster right afterwards is not beneficial and could be a factor in the whitening effect.
Adding calcium chloride to color pigments is generally discouraged because that causes a whitening effect. Also, the color pigment should be inorganic and not organic.
How much acid was added by the builder? Acid starts can contribute to whitening, but would require a lot and wouldn't be the only contributing factor. The initial water readings are pretty good if that represents what the trucked in water actually was. However, if a lot of acid was added and caused some calcium to be dissolved away from the plaster and increased the calcium level, then that would contribute to the problem.
I am not sure because I don't know all of the facts, but I don't think the whitening will disappear.
However, if the whitening is simply calcium scale that has deposited onto the surface, then the scale can be removed by sanding or polishing. That would restore the darker color.
Since the builder has indicated that he will make it good, then I guess you may want to allow him to try and correct the problem.
Adding calcium chloride to color pigments is generally discouraged because that causes a whitening effect. Also, the color pigment should be inorganic and not organic.
How much acid was added by the builder? Acid starts can contribute to whitening, but would require a lot and wouldn't be the only contributing factor. The initial water readings are pretty good if that represents what the trucked in water actually was. However, if a lot of acid was added and caused some calcium to be dissolved away from the plaster and increased the calcium level, then that would contribute to the problem.
I am not sure because I don't know all of the facts, but I don't think the whitening will disappear.
However, if the whitening is simply calcium scale that has deposited onto the surface, then the scale can be removed by sanding or polishing. That would restore the darker color.
Since the builder has indicated that he will make it good, then I guess you may want to allow him to try and correct the problem.
I agree with you. I dont think it will disappear either. The builder will take care of it, he is just going to have to wait to the end of the season to do so because the weather is warm here in SC now and i am not having the pool go down for a single day. Thanks for your input. I have read several of your posts and they are great i have learned alot. BJM
Builder took care of the plaster problems. Used some chemicals called jacks magic, could not swim in the pool for a week and heater had to be bypassed. the white stains on the bottem and walls are all gone. the Quartzscape onyx finish looks amazing! Pool builder told me to use the jacks magic magenta stuff on a regular basis and i should be good to go.
Glad it turned out good. Must have been calcium scale on the surface.
Please test the water for the current calcium hardness content and let's see if it is higher now.
Please test the water for the current calcium hardness content and let's see if it is higher now.
