Acid Washing A Swimming Pool

If you own a swimming pool, chances are you already know about the benefits of acid washing. Acid washing does more than just kill algae, it also removes scale and calcium deposits from the surface. Did you know that if done properly, it can remove deep copper and magnesium stains that turn white plaster blue? Acid and water alone can not take all of the stains out, however combined with a few other chemicals, it can remove almost 90% of stains! White pool plaster isn't the only substrate to benefit from the acid wash process. It can also be done on colored plaster, pebble tec and brick, all without damage! Black plaster is probably the most to benefit from acid wash due to the color contrast between the black plaster and white scale and calcium. If you have noticed that your black bottom pool is no longer black, and is a dull grey, it is probably time for an acid wash. I'll get into why you get scale and calcium deposits on a later blog, more specifically how they can be removed with bead blasting. Acid washing can also be performed on pebble tec as well. You may notice a white patch of pebble tec. It is scale, and it needs to come off quickly, before it spreads and cant be removed. Due to the texture of pebble tec, it is very difficult to remove scale and calcium from it. After the acid wash, it may be necessary to sand the rough spots with sand paper to restore the smoothness of the plaster. Pebble tec can't be sanded, it is for plaster surfaces only.

Bead Blasting vs. Pressure Washing

Which way to clean my pool tile? Bead Blasting or the pressure washing method? Each way claims it is the best. Both ways claim it is Eco-friendly and non damaging. The truth is both methods can damage property if not done correctly. Bead blasting can not be used on glass pool tile. If you use excessive nozzle pressure, say 40 psi or more, their is a higher risk of etching. The pressure washing method has it's own risks as well. High pressure water has enough power to etch concrete! Grout is a low strength cementitious product, it does not take much effort to damage grout! Once the grout is removed, the risk of tile removal and damage is increased. So as long as bead blasting is used against the correct substrate, and low enough pressure the risk of damage is close to none. Hiring a pool tile cleaning company that is licensed and bonded to clean pool tile will insure your getting the cream of the crop! The correct license should be a "Sandblasting" license. So when searching for a professional pool tile cleaner, ask for their contractor license number and look it up here!

Best way to clean pool tile!

The best way to remove calcium deposits without damage can be done a few ways. These are the ways commercial pool tile cleaners use to clean pool tile. The first way, also the most effective way is to bead blast. Bead blasting is media blasting with ultra fine perfectly round glass bead at super low pressure. It is important to note: this is not to be done by unqualified persons. Irreversible damage can be done if not knowledgeable in the field.

Second is to use soda blasting to clean pool tile. This method is done similar to bead blasting, however it is more expensive, and requires highly specialized equipment. Soda blasting should be used to clean glass pool tile exclusively. It is the only way to clean glass pool tile. You can not bead blast glass pool tile due to the softness of the tile, damage will incur immediately!

The third way is "pressure blast". This method is extremely dangerous to property. This method uses dangerously high pressure, up to 4500 psi! This high of pressure washing has the power to eat through concrete! It has the tendency to remove grout and then the tile itself! All three of these methods can be done with the water still in the pool. The water is just lowered a few inches below the tile line. The media is then vacuumed with the pool tile cleaners own pump and filter system. The whole process usually takes a few hours to complete.