White spots

[Rick T]

I wasn't sure which category to post this in as I do not believe this is an algae problem. In February I had my pool resurfaced with Quartzscape in French Gray. On both the floor and walls I have these white spots/blotches cover a high percentage of the pool area. I have scrubbed them but nothing happens. It does not appear to be a growth of any kind. Oddly enough the attached spa does not have this issue. I rarely use powdered shock. I have contacted to plaster company to come take a look (the 1st pic has a shadow of a palm tree). Any ideas?

 

[ajw22]

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

White Spotting of New Plaster Pools

The problem of plaster spotting has been an ongoing puzzle and controversy in the swimming pool industry for over three decades. The generally round, smooth-yet-unsightly white soft spots in new plaster pools have long been a source of contention among pool plasterers, and pool chemical service...

www.troublefreepool.com

@onBalance spot etching?

 

[onBalance]

Yes, it looks like a form of white soft spotting.

 

[Rick T]

The company who plastered the pool came today. He said he thought that if we drain the pool he could treat all the areas and polish the surface and make them go away.

 

[ajw22]

The company who plastered the pool came today. He said he thought that if we drain the pool he could treat all the areas and polish the surface and make them go away.

Let him take a try at it and see how it comes out and if it lasts.

 

[Rick T]

My guess was he was going to acid wash it then polish it. Not sure what polish it means. Also wondering if after 18 months if it has reached its final amount it is going to make the white blotches and thus this would fix it or will it continuously keep doing it.

 

[onBalance]

If the polishing is done sufficiently it should resolved the issue permanently.

 

[Rick T]

Not sure how you polish quartzscape.

 

[ajw22]

Not sure how you polish quartzscape.

Diamond pads on rotary sanders.

 

[Rick T]

PLater company guys came out. put a bunch of muriatic acid in the pool then tied a recirculating pump just below the surface of the water to keep the pool stirred up. ran it for 4 days, adding more acid after day 2. 90% of the white spots cam off.

 

[onBalance]

I am sorry to say, but I would suggest that the plaster surface is now etched, and the white (porous) spotting will return (in some fashion) in time. But I hope that doesn't happen. Fortunately, if this is a smooth quartz finish, the plaster can still be sanded and polished. Of course, that is a more expensive job.

 

[Rick T]

I am finding that since the acid wash my Polaris 280 had been picking up a lot of sand-like material. The pool currently is back to original color. Maybe the sand-like material is the white stuff?