Gray Mottling?

[HouTXGal]

We bought a house with a pool in June. The pool was replastered a month or two before we bought it. We’ve continued to use the same pool company for our weekly maintenance that replastered and maintained the pool before we bought the house. A month or so after we bought the house we started noticing discoloration on the plaster of both the pool and hot tub. We asked the pool maintenance company about it, and they told us it was normal and caused by the sand they used in the leveling process. That didn’t make sense to us so after researching it, I’m thinking the issue is gray mottling. We have scrubbed and scrubbed the area but it didn’t change. It does appear to be getting worse over time.
I’ve attached pictures (haven’t been enhanced). Can anyone confirm this is gray mottling?

 

[wireform]

To me it looks like your chemicals are off. What are your numbers. Pool surface looks dirty. How are you testing and cleaning. What kind of pool equipment do you have. You have to fill in YOUR POOL SIGNATURE so we can better help you.

 

[HouTXGal]

To me it looks like your chemicals are off. What are your numbers. Pool surface looks dirty. How are you testing and cleaning. What kind of pool equipment do you have. You have to fill in YOUR POOL SIGNATURE so we can better help you.

We also thought it looked dirty, but we have scrubbed and scrubbed the areas and no change. We rely on the pool maintenance company to test water and add chemicals. They come weekly to do that and clean it. Then we clean it as well. The pool company nets, vacuums and brushes steps and wall. We also vacuum, net and brush as well. My husband has used wire and vinyl brushes.
The pool company sends me an email weekly with our readings and the chemicals they added. This is what they sent me this week:
Readings:
3 ppm total chlorine
7.6 ppm pH
80 ppm total alkalinity
Added: 1 lb of shock

 

[wireform]

Who am I to say but, in your area once a week test and he tells you 3 ppm chlorine. By the time he gets there the following week you probably have 0. What is the CYA level which is the chlorine buffer against the sun burn off. Something tells me you have a alage problem and that's what it looks like to me.

 

[HouTXGal]

Because we initially thought the pool surface was dirty, we asked the owner of the pool maintenance company what we needed to do in order to clean it properly. He told us that it was not dirt, and was normal discoloration.
What type of information am I supposed to add about our filters/equipment? I apologize for my ignorance. We know very little about pools other than what we’ve asked our pool company.

 

[HouTXGal]

Who am I to say but, in your area once a week test and he tells you 3 ppm chlorine. By the time he gets there the following week you probably have 0. What is the CYA level which is the chlorine buffer against the sun burn?

 

[HouTXGal]

I don’t know what the CYA levels are. That isn’t included in the email I get. I’ve attached a copy of a previous report from Oct. There were 2 times in August where the email said the chlorine was 0. Ive assumed that the readings are from before they add the chemicals because both times that the chlorine was 0, they added more “tabs” and “shock”.

 

[wireform]

Read This and the rest of pool school to better understand.

 

[trivetman]

Your discoloring looks similar to mine, which I’ve concluded is mottling due to subpar application.

Scaling or mottling?

Pool was replastered in May and has gradually developed a spotted gray pattern. I am not that upset about the look although I hope it does not get darker. But I am curious about whether this is typical mottling, whether from poor workmanship or otherwise. Or is it scaling of some sort...

www.troublefreepool.com

To test if its calcium scaling you can pour some MA over it and see if it reacts (brush the MA in after to dilute it).

the rangeof what’s considered ‘normal’ discoloring is pretty wide. Regardless - if it is mottling there is likely not much you can do short of replastering.

Highly suggest you read through pool school to help with this and other chemistry issues you will encounter if you continue to outsource the knowledge. I inherited a pool a couple years ago without any knowhow and this site has proven invaluable.

 

[ajw22]

I would not pour MA on new plaster. If it is scale it will feel rough like sandpaper.

That has nothing to do with your water chemistry...

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

How White Pool Plaster Turns Blotchy

This experiment below explains how white pool plaster can become blotchy gray, and also have white areas mixed into the gray areas. Both white pool plaster coupons below have been in water for one year. Sometimes the water was slightly aggressive (negative CSI), and sometimes the water was...

www.troublefreepool.com

How White Pool Plaster Can Turn Gray

One would think that when mixing white cement with white limestone aggregate, the final pool plaster product would always be white. But that is not always the case. Unfortunately, white pool plaster sometimes turns gray (or grey) either immediately or a few months after the pool is filled with...

www.troublefreepool.com

Being Blamed for Plaster Discolorations? Don't Get Hoodwinked

Some newly plastered pools (including quartz and pebble finishes) may develop either color fading, white soft spotting (also incorrectly called "spot etching" by some plasterers), white streaking (in colored plaster), calcium nodules, gray mottling discoloration (of white plaster), spalling...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[HouTXGal]

It is smooth and not rough. Will read through pool school links

 

[kimkats]

Gal, what you are facing is the down side of having others take care of your pool. They are not doing a full set of tests so you really don't know what is going on with your water. What a pool care company does is what I call "dump and hope" in that they add enough chemicals in hopes there will still be some left when they come back in a week. This is not good for your plaster nor for the people in the water.

Allen has you well covered for what is going on with your plaster. What I want to cover is how to help you learn how to care for your own pool. It is easy and even fun! It will also save you some money down the road as well!!

The first step has already been made-finding TFP and starting to read. The next step is to get your own test kit. Here is a link to the different ones: Test Kits Compared I will tell you I think the TF-100 is the best bang for the buck as it has more of the regents we use most often. We have videos to show how to do each of the tests as well.

I am going to share a set of links I put together for new pool owners. I hope you find them helpful:

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Kim

 

[HouTXGal]

Thank you, Kim!! I work and go to law school so needless to say I have zero time for anything. My husband in return travels for work and manages everything at home. We thought we were doing the “right” thing by relying on “experts” in maintaining our pool. But a series of events have affected our trust in the company we use. My husband nets the pool daily and brushes and vacuums it at least once a week. He is also learning as various things happen. Just last night our blower stopped turning off/on (had switch replaced 3 months ago) and pool heater quit working.
After reading the few responses this morning, I quickly realized we are “those people” who can’t ask questions properly because we haven’t learned the basics. I feel so stupid for not even being able to answer basic questions that people are asking in order to help us. I now realize that we can’t rely on a pool service company without learning the basics. It appears that once we learn, we will realize we don’t need them and are better off doing it ourselves.
Thanks to everyone who has replied.

 

[kimkats]

We got you! PLEASE ask any and all questions you might have. It is almost like learning a new language to tell you the truth. You don't know what you don't know. Believe me...............we have ALL been there!

Working AND going to law school??? :shook: yeah you are just a *little* busy!! We can make your pool life easier and *Trouble Free* hehe

Kim