Elevating your chlorine may very well help. It would appear to be a band aid, though. The cure is replaster and that's a painful cure.
Reoccurring algae and rough edge in pool
- Thread starter MickeyB23
- Start date
Mickey, here is a cool thread I remember reading last year
DIY Pool restoration project
That was a full bore restoration, with the pool owner doing almost all the work himself. Not suggesting you should do the same (it looked like an absolutely Herculean task), but I remember one interesting thing about the thread was that it gave pretty detailed insight into what it's like to do all these steps, including replastering.
DIY Pool restoration project
That was a full bore restoration, with the pool owner doing almost all the work himself. Not suggesting you should do the same (it looked like an absolutely Herculean task), but I remember one interesting thing about the thread was that it gave pretty detailed insight into what it's like to do all these steps, including replastering.
I'm afraid I have to agree on the re-do. All the years of neglect have taken their toll, and it will be near impossible to get all that out of the crevices and keep it out.
Thanks everyone for your advice. That thread is insane, WOW! That was quite the redo. My husband took a few hours today power washing the rough area in more detail than before. Hopefully that will buy us a little time and get us through the rest of the season, especially if I keep the FC levels higher. I can see now why the previous owners said the pool can with the home sale "as is".
What should I know when shopping for contractors to do a resurfacing? Is the average cost in the $8,000-$9,000 range? Anything that should put up a red flag when talking to contractors? What are some options we should know about? I've seen different names of products, but I don't really know what any of that is.
What should I know when shopping for contractors to do a resurfacing? Is the average cost in the $8,000-$9,000 range? Anything that should put up a red flag when talking to contractors? What are some options we should know about? I've seen different names of products, but I don't really know what any of that is.
Surface preparation will be all important. If you choose someone, make sure you understand the extent of what he intends to do to the old surface. Price alone may have you come up short and the process will repeat. I can't comment on the cost but it may be just a bit cheaper than what you are thinking....again, it depends on how much prep is involved to get the new plaster stuck on correctly.
I would definitely run your FC on the higher side of normal until you replaster. I also noticed that your TA is very low at 40. You should bump that up to around 90.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,765
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
Your calcium level is low enough that you could try scrubbing the rough areas with cal hypo.
All good tips! Thank you! I will update this after we see how pressure washing the walls goes for the long term. I am going to educated myself on the prep and process of resurfacing so I know how to ask to right questions about getting it fixed.
Thanks, I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about it. It seems like so many things are wrong with it, one step at a time.
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
I can vouch for that.
I'd wager my pool has never been re-plastered since it was built in the early 70's.
And someone decided it was a good idea to paint it instead.
I can't tell you how frustrating it is to do a slam and see the paint rub off when you brush,
as it was awhile ago when it was painted.
Interesting! Maybe that is the white I see when I brush. I know the dead algae looks brown, but after all is good in the pool I still brush up a little white here and there. It hasn't been painted in a while and I'd guess it was never resurfaced. It was built in 1978.
Ok, so it's update time. It's been a little over a month and the algae is back. I've kept the levels at 6 or above and brushed regularly, but it's still back. I've been told by people we know with pools, that this is a tough year for keeping algae away.
We are unsure as to our pools surface and we are still trying to find a reliable/trustworthy pro to come check things out for us. We are wondering if it is possible that we have some other surface with just a coating of paint on top. Aside from what looks to be something different just below the tile line, I don't see where any plaster would need to be chipped away. The surface under the paint looks good and uniform - no cracks etc. The paint is chipping off and is missing in a lot of places. Is is possible that we only have paint onto of a surface with no plaster? The dark areas show a fairly large stone mixed into it for being what we know as plaster. The white is paint, you can see some of the roller marks and paint drips. Could we smooth down the rough edge we have and get rid of the algae that way? We are trying to buy time so we can save to fix this the right way. We'd like to do a longer lasting repair and not paint it again.
In the last picture, the surface below, that is more of a uniform white, is smooth. The area above is rough and is where the algae likes to be. Above that is an area that look like a different material than the rest of the pool surface.
We are unsure as to our pools surface and we are still trying to find a reliable/trustworthy pro to come check things out for us. We are wondering if it is possible that we have some other surface with just a coating of paint on top. Aside from what looks to be something different just below the tile line, I don't see where any plaster would need to be chipped away. The surface under the paint looks good and uniform - no cracks etc. The paint is chipping off and is missing in a lot of places. Is is possible that we only have paint onto of a surface with no plaster? The dark areas show a fairly large stone mixed into it for being what we know as plaster. The white is paint, you can see some of the roller marks and paint drips. Could we smooth down the rough edge we have and get rid of the algae that way? We are trying to buy time so we can save to fix this the right way. We'd like to do a longer lasting repair and not paint it again.
In the last picture, the surface below, that is more of a uniform white, is smooth. The area above is rough and is where the algae likes to be. Above that is an area that look like a different material than the rest of the pool surface.
I'd be tempted to take a power tool of some kind (belt sander, grinder, block of wood with 60 grit wrapped around it, etc.) and smooth down the roughness. If you plan to replaster someday, I'm not sure what this would hurt. Plaster is usually at least 1" or more thick.
FWIW, it was 8k for our new pebble sheen finish. My pool is about 18x36.
FWIW, it was 8k for our new pebble sheen finish. My pool is about 18x36.
Thanks Chris, that is what my husband was thinking. If we can smooth it down maybe we can buy some time while we save up for a new surface. If that rough edge wasn't there I think we would stay algae free. I'm starting to think we don't have any plaster, other than the stuff right below the tile line. Exactly, what could it hurt if we have to redo it all anyway. My husband works for a concrete cutting company, so I'm sure he has a tool for that.
My plaster looked about as good as yours does, too! After many years of that, my wife finally had enough and demanded we do something about it and so in February of this year, we started getting bids to see what it would cost and at the end of March, demo first started on the decking (raised aggregate concrete...all jack-hammered off) and then the pool was completely gutted...coping and everything. It looked like someone tossed a couple grenades into our pool and backyard! Finally mid-July, we filled up the pool...bank account quite a bit lighter. 