Rough Plaster Solutions

[AprilRose]

We have a 16,000 gal, saltwater pool. It was finished in Sept. 2004. We have the 3M Colorquartz in our plaster. The last four months or so we have noticed that the flat surfaces (seats, steps) are getting very rough to the point of us not wanting to even use the spa (too cold for the pool right now). I did a search here and saw that others have had this problem but did not see what the ultimate solutions were. Can anyone offer some advice? I tried using the metal tile brush on it but no luck with that. We tested today, here are our numbers:

FC-6
CC-0
TC-6
pH-8.2
Alk-180
Cal-380
Cya-30
Temp-60

[AprilRose]

Oops, forgot to put the salt level. 3200

[GutierrezPlastering]

hey what state are u located in?

[AprilRose]

We are in CA

[mas985]

We have a 16,000 gal, saltwater pool. It was finished in Sept. 2004. We have the 3M Colorquartz in our plaster. The last four months or so we have noticed that the flat surfaces (seats, steps) are getting very rough to the point of us not wanting to even use the spa (too cold for the pool right now). I did a search here and saw that others have had this problem but did not see what the ultimate solutions were. Can anyone offer some advice? I tried using the metal tile brush on it but no luck with that. We tested today, here are our numbers:

FC-6
CC-0
TC-6
pH-8.2
Alk-180
Cal-380
Cya-30
Temp-60

At first glance, it looks like your Ph & Alk are too high and with a CH of 380, it is likely that you are having some scaling conditions. Also, with a PH of 8.2, your SWG is unlikely to work very well. So the first order of business is to drop your PH down to 7.2 - 7.4. This should drop your alk some as well but you may need to work on that too with aeration and acid.

As for making the surface smooth again, that may require an acid wash. I would check with your plaster installer to see if they have any suggestions.

[AprilRose]

Well, here we are months later. We are pretty sure that it is scaling and we decided to have the plaster sanded. There were places that were kind of rough even before the scale so I was looking forward to having nice, smooth plaster. We went round and round with California Pools, the builder. They wouldn't even come out to look at it. Then they gave us the number of the plaster company to contact directly. I called them at least a month ago and they said they would call us. NOT! So I got the name of a company to do the sanding and clean our tile off the Internet. They were supposed to come tomorrow and I just got a call. They need to delay it a couple of weeks. Long story short, can anyone recommend a company to do the sanding here in Inland Empire, CA that is reliable? I hate doing business with someone without any kind of recommendation. Thanks.

[huskyrider]

As for making the surface smooth again, that may require an acid wash.

I disagree. Sanding is your best bet.

See ya,
Kelly

[dhale1]

Kelly-- what are your thoughts about jacks magic the blue stuff for removing scaling???

Thanks.