ecoFinish Coating Failure

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bbello121

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May 12, 2018
23
Madeira Beach, FL
Hi,
I have a quick question to which I would love your feedback. I have an inground pool with ecoFinish over plaster I believe. I love it as I have had it for 5 years. The pool builder came out to do some maintenance for something unrelated to this and determined the finish was not adhering properly. So he is removing it and redoing it under warranty. So I am sure happy from that perspective(how often does a company tell you about a problem you are not aware of and cover it?) as I did not really notice any issue with the finish. It started to flake when they were power washing it which is when the problem became apparent. I have a pool company come every week to make sure the chemicals are correct. Anyway, he did mention to me they have done hundreds of pools with this finish with no problems. But they have maybe a half dozen that had the issue I am having and they all are on the beach (like mine). So I am guessing it has to do with something with the ground water? I don't know, I am just guessing. I think (and don't quote me on this) the shell is shotcrete and then plaster then the ecoFinish. Any thoughts, feedback, etc? I don't know if another person/company that installs this coating has maybe heard or came across this issue. Thanks.
 
That is wonderful they are going to redo it. You have the sequence correct for the layers of the pool...........shell, plaster, ecofinish.

The ground water should not really have anything to do with the ecofinish as it does not even touch the finish. MY GUESS, and it is only that, a guess, is that the fill water aka the water coming out of the hose is a bit harsh or such.

You say you use a pool company to test and balance your water. I am sorry to tell you they may be the reason the finish went bad :( Most pool companies do the throw and run way of caring for a pool. IF they do test they use strips that are worst than nothing as they are so far off on their readings most of the time.

I strongly suggest you get a good test kit. We can help you learn how to test the pool water and the tap water to see what you are working. Here is a link to the test kits we use : Test Kits Compared
 
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Hi, thanks for the reply. I called the company that does my weekly testing and maintenance and they did say they use the Taylor K-2006 and the salt kit (he couldn't remember the number off the top of his head) and sometimes the K-2005 as they said there was only a slight difference in how to test the chlorine. HIs comments were that most pools on the beach he sees the salt content shooting up high due to the salt in the air and from people being in the Gulf and then coming into pool and that he normally has to do water changes to bring the salt content down on pools on the beach. But he said mine was the easiest of all of his pools and very stable probably because it is just me and my wife, we only use it 2 or 3 times a month for an hour or so and we have a automatic pool cover which we keep it covered when not in use. I will look into the test kits, but being partially color blind I am not sure if that will work for me as I have problems with reds, browns, greens. Is there a kit that is not where I don't have to compare to a color chart?
 
Well at least they are using a good test kit. I still say there is something going on with your water. My guess is they are not "hitting the needed levels to have the pool balanced like needed for the coating to stay nice.
 
bbello121 said:
Is there a testing kit that you suggest where I may be able to to use it being partially color blind?
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Yes, the TF-100 or the Taylor k2006. The only color shading that might be difficult is the pH test. All the others only require you to tell the difference between two different colors.

FYI: K2005 kit tests chlorine very differently than the other kits. It’s not nearly as accurate.
 
bbello121 said:
HIs comments were that most pools on the beach he sees the salt content shooting up high due to the salt in the air and from people being in the Gulf and then coming into pool and that he normally has to do water changes to bring the salt content down on pools on the beach. But he said mine was the easiest of all of his pools and very stable probably because it is just me and my wife, we only use it 2 or 3 times a month for an hour or so and we have a automatic pool cover which we keep it covered when not in use
Click to expand...
Each gallon of bleach adds 14 ppm salt and each puck raises it 4 ppm in 12k gallons. (As an example, none of your details are listed).

With a long seasons and intense UV requiring lots of chlorine, the salt will climb rather quickly.

Yours climbs less than others in your area because the cover lowers your daily chlorine demand.
 
Hi, I am not really sure of what they add weekly, other than he said it was very minimal as the ecofinish and the cover make it very stable. We love it. The contractor has been great too as mentioned above. I was just wondering if anyone else seen a similar failure with the ecofinish. Thanks :)
 

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bbello121 said:
Hi,
I have a quick question to which I would love your feedback. I have an inground pool with ecoFinish over plaster I believe. I love it as I have had it for 5 years. The pool builder came out to do some maintenance for something unrelated to this and determined the finish was not adhering properly. So he is removing it and redoing it under warranty. So I am sure happy from that perspective(how often does a company tell you about a problem you are not aware of and cover it?) as I did not really notice any issue with the finish. It started to flake when they were power washing it which is when the problem became apparent. I have a pool company come every week to make sure the chemicals are correct. Anyway, he did mention to me they have done hundreds of pools with this finish with no problems. But they have maybe a half dozen that had the issue I am having and they all are on the beach (like mine). So I am guessing it has to do with something with the ground water? I don't know, I am just guessing. I think (and don't quote me on this) the shell is shotcrete and then plaster then the ecoFinish. Any thoughts, feedback, etc? I don't know if another person/company that installs this coating has maybe heard or came across this issue. Thanks.
Click to expand...
From what exposure I have had to ecoFinish and installers who have worked with it, preparation is crucial and parameters for a successful installation are tight.

If it is releasing my guess is either a temperature issue, a surface contaminant, or high moisture content of the surface prior to installation. I don't think you are going to do anything chemically that is going to cause delamination barring some wild scenario.

Being on the beach, you probably have a high humidity and high salt content in the air, as well as a high groundwater table.

If it were me I would want to check the shell with a moisture meter prior to install. You might need a dehumidified sealed tent and dewatering pumps running.
 
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