I have an 8 year old 12x44 foot freeform fiberglass pool with a SWG. I have a serious problem this year since opening my pool in May with chalkiness on the walls which I was told was due to oxidation. The walls are the worst, the floor seems to be fine. Some areas of the walls are worse than others. I live in the northeast and keep the pool covered when not in use. I was told the only option for this is to have it recoated. I'm looking for information from anyone else who has dealt with this. Thanks
Fiberglass pool oxidation
- Thread starter BrendaLynn
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,075
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,890
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Brenda, a couple members in THIS THREAD recently had new coatings applied. You might want to take a peek.
Welcome to TFP!
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Test Kits Compared
Welcome to TFP!
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Test Kits Compared
sktn77a
Gold Supporter
Gelcoat oxidation typically occurs on suraces above the water line. You may have scaling.
so what is scaling and what do I do? All my fiberglass is under the waterline. Only a very small portion below the tile is ever exposed except when it is drained for the winter.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,890
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Brenda, if it is indeed scale, you can try to manipulate your "CSI" level (see PoolMath) and keep it slightly negative - say about -0.3. In time, that "may" help to thin-out scale, although there's no guarantee it will disolve uniformly. Lots of brushing would also be required. To confirm if it's scale, you can try to scrape or collect some of it and pour some muriatic acid on it to see if it fizzles. In MY CASE, Viking had me lower the water level to expose the top step and pour acid directly on the top step. When my step did not fizzle, calcium was of course ruled-out and it was determined the gelcoat was compromised. I can only blame myself for the discoloration as I flip-flopped in my early pool care days between concerns for scale which caused me to keep the water too aggressive enhancing oxidation. So if the gelcoat is faded and the step test does nothing, the Viking/Latham warranty department tends to claim there was a form of oxidation that occured due to poor chemistry. Although it did not apply to me, they also noted how some SWG pool owners tend to let the pH get away from them which contributes to the issue - especially with covers. While it's basically a cosmetic issue with no structural concerns, it's still disappointing I know. However once it's faded, the only guaranteed remedy would be re-surfacing. Lots of work and of course not cheap - $8K or more dpending on the size of the pool. In my thread you can see I did lots of sanding which helped to restore some of my color. Now I'm maintaining my chemical levels (CSI) on a different (less aggressive) level to see if that works better and holds-up over time or if the gelcoat tries to revert back on me again.