I think I have some major issues with my plaster

[bobby2175]

Hi everyone,

Opened up the pool this week and surprised by some of the issues I'm having. For this post, I'll start with my plaster. On my stairs down to the pool, a few of them started losing their plaster. Before and after pics attached plus how much my vac picked up on a partial pass.

I don't notice anything else around the pool. The tanning ledge is fine. It's only on the stairs. I have two sets of stairs. One side is worse, but both sides have a little bit of this happening.

This is year 4 of the pool. Saltwater. I'm the only one out there maintaining the pool and I keep a pretty close eye on it.

Any thoughts on what I should do next?

 

[kimkats]

Lets start at the basics. What are your test results?

Was this a new pool or a replaster of an old pool?

 

[bobby2175]

Lets start at the basics. What are your test results?

Was this a new pool or a replaster of an old pool?

This was a new pool 4 years ago.

Just opened it - it's been closed since early November.

Upon opening
FC: 1.5
CC: . 5
pH: 8.2+ (it was a off the scale pinkish/purple)
TA: 70
CH: 350
CYA: 50
Salt: 2000

I also have my history available in my profile from pool math if you want to see where my parameters were during last season.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[ajw22]

I see tan color and blue. What color is your plaster?

Is the surface rough and pitted?

 

[bobby2175]

I see tan color and blue. What color is your plaster?

Is the surface rough and pitted?

In this area, it was a grayish blue. It seems that under the gray was the more vibrant blue you see in the picture after I brushed away the loose plaster. I think the tan is just from my terrible phone and glare.

I didn't try touching it myself, but when my wife did, she said it was no longer smooth. I'll take a closer look in the morning.

It seems really strange that it's on the stairs only.

 

[ajw22]

I wonder what the vibrant blue surface is as gunite under the plaster is grey.

It sounds like you have spalling of the plaster from water freezing on it. Water needs to be kept off of horizontal surfaces in the winter or the water level needs to be an inch above so that ice does not form directly on the surface.

 

[bobby2175]

I wonder what the vibrant blue surface is as gunite under the plaster is grey.

It sounds like you have spalling of the plaster from water freezing on it. Water needs to be kept off of horizontal surfaces in the winter or the water level needs to be an inch above so that ice does not form directly on the surface.

Thanks for clarifying. I did not realize I had to keep the water controlled on those surfaces.

I think the vibrant blue is more plaster. What you see in the pictures is just a very thin layer that has fallen off. I don't think it's deep enough to get to the gunite.

Is there something I need to do about it for now other than prevent it in the future and deal with how it looks?

 

[ajw22]

Is there something I need to do about it for now other than prevent it in the future and deal with how it looks?

Nope. If the pool is not leaking water then it is just cosmetic.

The only fix would be a replaster of the area.

Although polishing of the plaster with a rotary diamond pad could smooth out the feel and color.

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[ajw22]

Pool Plaster "Spalling"

One of the arts or skills of the pool plastering trade is properly timing the troweling process. If troweling is performed when water is present on the surface of the plaster, forcing water back into the plaster paste causes excessively high water:cement ratios in the surface finish, weakening...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[bobby2175]

Nope. If the pool is not leaking water then it is just cosmetic.

The only fix would be a replaster of the area.

Although polishing of the plaster with a rotary diamond pad could smooth out the feel and color.

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks so much for the late night responses.

I'll take a closer look tomorrow and see if there is anything else to report back on.

I'll start a new thread on a few other issues I'm having.

Thanks again!

 

[bobby2175]

Pool Plaster "Spalling"

One of the arts or skills of the pool plastering trade is properly timing the troweling process. If troweling is performed when water is present on the surface of the plaster, forcing water back into the plaster paste causes excessively high water:cement ratios in the surface finish, weakening...

www.troublefreepool.com

This is exactly what it seems like.

 

[jimim]

Us northern folk have to be so careful. I got lucky my first winter. Like others said you never ever want water to freeze on a horizontal surface. so pretty much you got to watch and make sure you have enough water on a step or surface before it freezes and then guessing how think the ice will be this winter. it sucks. also you got to watch with water level and capillary action up the walls by the skimmers. i keep my water about 8 inches below my tile line. but when the water freezes it exspands but also the water moves up the wall a bit and can freeze so the one winter the gap between skimmer face tile and plaster got wet and froze and popped my plaster right below the face of the skimmer so this is a weak spot in my plaster now even though it was patched wit hthe same plaster I have. next winter i'm going 12 inches below my tile if we have another bad winter. my pool is like 6-7 years old now and i have zero damage on all horizontal surfaces and have never had a tile pop but those 2 skimmers are my bane. i'm going real low and if my cover caves cause of snow so be it vs the plaster getting damaged again or more. i use a roof rake to take snow off my safety cover when it snows so i'm not worried about the wieght on my cover so going real low doesn't bother me.

s watch water line below skimmers also not just tile. and watch the horizontal surfaces and guess how much ice and go from there. we aren't built for these types of pools up here. they look nice but you do have some baby sitting to do.

jim