Scale on Tile

[joronimo]

I have a lot of scale on my tile at the water line. A previous owner kept the water level high and now I have a ring of hard white scale (Phoenix water is really hard). I want to try and clean this off, my thought is to not use chemicals and ruin my water chemistry. I was thinking of using a pneumatic angle/die grinder or drill with a bristle brush of some kind.

Anyone try this or have thoughts? Any suggestions on the brush material? I want aggressive cleaning without damage.

Thanks!

 

[justinc]

Calcium Scaling

Calcium scale on your pool is something we all want to avoid. With some elbow grease and a pumice stone for pools we can help you remove this eyesore.

www.troublefreepool.com

"Calcium scale can be very difficult to remove. Small patches of scale can be removed with a pumice stone. In mild cases, lowering your CSI to about -0.8 and brushing aggressively can sometimes remove scale, particularly when a sequestrant designed for calcium is also used, but this can take weeks and you need to be careful not to lower your PH too far of you can damage copper heat exchange coils. There are no drain acid wash systems, such as Jack’s Magic The Copper & Scale Stuff, but the heater (if any) must be bypassed and the process can take weeks. The only reliable solution for removing calcium scaling is a full drain and acid wash."

I would try a pumice stone first. Next step would be pumice + 25% muriatic acid/75% water solution.

 

[joronimo]

Calcium Scaling

Calcium scale on your pool is something we all want to avoid. With some elbow grease and a pumice stone for pools we can help you remove this eyesore.

www.troublefreepool.com

"Calcium scale can be very difficult to remove. Small patches of scale can be removed with a pumice stone. In mild cases, lowering your CSI to about -0.8 and brushing aggressively can sometimes remove scale, particularly when a sequestrant designed for calcium is also used, but this can take weeks and you need to be careful not to lower your PH too far of you can damage copper heat exchange coils. There are no drain acid wash systems, such as Jack’s Magic The Copper & Scale Stuff, but the heater (if any) must be bypassed and the process can take weeks. The only reliable solution for removing calcium scaling is a full drain and acid wash."

I would try a pumice stone first. Next step would be pumice + 25% muriatic acid/75% water solution.

Thanks Justin, I'll give that a try!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

For waterline scale on the tile, a drain and acid wash won't be effective. If you can't remove it manually or chemically, the best solution is media blasting. I'm sure there are companies in the Phoenix area that provide the service. I paid $4 per linear foot (about $400 for my pool) out here in So Cal. Here's my experience with scale removal:

Waterline Scale Removal

After a recent drain and refill and dialing in my chemistry and CSI, I'm ready to have the waterline calcium scale removed. I now understand how to avoid calcium deposits so I'm ready for a nice clean start. As I start my search of local vendors, I thought I would seek input that may help me...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Look up Arizona Bead Blasting. Mark White is (or was) the owner and they do kierserite blasting. He was nice enough to come down Tucson a few years ago and clean my tile but he only services Phoenix area pools now. He knows his stuff and you’ll pay somewhere in the ballpark of $3-$5/linear-ft of tile. It’s well worth it though and your tile will look like new. Anything you attempt to do will likely damage or severely “frost” the tile surface. Scale removal, when it’s thick, is best left to a professional.

 

[joronimo]

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably just let it ride for a while if i can't do it myself. Our pool is going to need a little bit of an overhaul so I'll tackle this then.