You may decide on a stain removal process, pressure wash, acid wash or a combination of both to bring out a brighter, whiter finish. Mineral stains and/or deposits, chlorine stains, even dirt stains... pressure wash, stain removal process or an acid wash is always a dramatic aesthetic improvement.

An acid wash is, put simply, purposeful stripping of a tiny layer of plaster, exposing fresh plaster beneath. Therefore, it is ill-advised to make it an annual custom, which will accelerate the need for re-plastering. Most plaster coats (sometimes called white-coat or marcite) are in excess of 1/2", so a few careful acid washes should not hurt. Pools can also be bleach washed, pressure washed or treated with citric acid.

If your pool has had years of algae blooms, and if your pool seems to grow algae overnight or just bloom very easily....changing the water and acid washing the surfaces algae sticks to can give you an algae free summer.

DRAINING: Periodic draining of swimming pool water is a common maintenance practice. It is routinely performed to remove water that has become hard or laden with excessive minerals, or to perform needed repairs to a pool. Normally, removal of water from a pool causes no problems. However, there are a few things that can happen of which you should be aware. When the water is removed, the pool may rise out of the ground, a condition often times caused by hydrostatic pressure (i.e. too much moisture in the soil). 

Once exposed to the air, tile may fall off the pool; the plaster can shrink, expand, crack, blister, flake or pop off etc. These problems can occur, and are beyond the control of the person who has simply “drained the water.” However, these problems can be reduced by not draining the pool during wetter times of the year, or during extremely hot & dry weather, not leaving the pool empty for more than 48 hours before refilling as soon as possible.

ACID-WASHING / ACID TREATMENTS: The decision to use acid procedures to remove stains and mineral buildup from a pool’s surface should be very carefully considered. Under most circumstances, staining or mineral buildup takes many months or years to accumulate. While acid treatments are recognized as a common procedure for removal, there are several problems that may occur. The process of applying acid to plaster surfaces may cause the surface to etch, become rough or expose the aggregate in the plaster mix. To what degree this occurs depends on the concentration of acid, the temperament of the stain being removed and the quality and condition of the plaster itself. In some cases, cracking, thinning or delaminating of the tile and plaster could be a pre-existing condition and is beyond the control of the applicator. Consideration should be given to the experience and recommendation of the applicator and if you have any doubts, seek a second opinion and/or additional information.

An evenly colored, smooth texture after an acid procedure is totally unrealistic expectation. The stains most likely took a long period of time to develop, and could be embedded deeply into the plaster material. At best, the consumer can expect the pool’s appearance to look “brighter” than before, with some stains remaining.

Pressure washing is an alternative to the above cleaning methods. You can expect at best to remove most of the organic stains. As above there are no guarantees of total stain removal. 

All cleaning procedures will be done to the best of our abilities.