What is this inground pool wall actually made up of (gray, blue, white)

[Arklin K.]

In another thread, I was advised to acid wash my pool walls to remove
what appears to be crystalline calcium deposits - but - I stopped after
doing only one section because of finding no plaster in a 10 year old in-
ground pool.

Do you know what my pool walls are made out of?

Washing with a pressure washer & with muriatic acid, I find three
perplexing layers ...
1) Sandy white crystals that bubble in HCl (most likely calcium)
2) Blue thin layer (maybe copper coating or maybe paint?)
3) Gray smooth stuff (probably plaster?)
The gunnite must be below the gray smooth stuff ... right?

Here are a bunch of pictures. If you own a pool and you have an idea what
happens to a pool in ten years use, maybe you can let me know what I'm
actually looking at.

This is whitish crystalline sandy stuff coating the entire pool:
Loading Image...

Here's a picture of that white sandy stuff on the pool walls:
Loading Image...

Here's the strange blue stuff on top of the smooth gray stuff:
Loading Image...

Here's the spa, coated with the blue stuff which is extremely thin:
Loading Image...

And, lastly, here's the gray stuff underneath all that blue stuff:
Loading Image...

What am I looking at?

[SMS]

Post by Arklin K.
In another thread, I was advised to acid wash my pool walls to remove
what appears to be crystalline calcium deposits - but - I stopped after
doing only one section because of finding no plaster in a 10 year old in-
ground pool.
Do you know what my pool walls are made out of?

Concrete

Primer (usually gray) i.e. <Loading Image...>

Paint or Plaster or Pebble Finish.

Paint and plaster have a finite lifespan. Paint will last a few years,
but it's cheap to repaint. Plaster probably will last at least 10 years,
maybe 15, before it is pitted and flaking off. Pebble finishes probably
will last 20 years.

I suspect that someone decided to paint your pool because the plaster
was peeling. But it could also be that they just used paint directly on
the concrete when it was built to save money.

If you were to get your pool re-done, they would probably sandblast the
old paint and/or plaster off, apply primer, then apply the new finish.
You wouldn't want to use paint and I doubt you could find any company
that would use paint, but it's popular with do-it-yourselfers that don't
want to spend the money on replastering.

What I would do is to get some free estimates on resurfacing since they
would at least tell you what's going on with your pool. We used:
<http://www.adamspools.com/>. They were fine, but I was really upset
that they referred a concrete contractor for the deck that was
unlicensed. Ended up changing concrete contractors partway through. Oh,
and of course bargain with them. The prices they quote are highly
negotiable.

[Arklin K.]

Post by SMS

Post by Arklin K.
Do you know what my pool walls are made out of?

Concrete
Primer (usually gray) i.e. <http://nordicgroup.us/pool/img_0204.jpg>

Wow. That's a beautiful picture - especially with the boots drying in the
foreground! That gray is the primer?

Post by SMS
You wouldn't want to use paint and I doubt you could find any company
that would use paint, but it's popular with do-it-yourselfers that don't
want to spend the money on replastering.

Interesting. So paint is the poor-man's plaster?

Post by SMS
We used <http://www.adamspools.com/>.

I'll check them out. Thanks. I also mailed pictures to the original pool
builder who promised to have the technical guys take a look at it.
They're up in Palo Alto.

Post by SMS
The prices they quote are highly negotiable.

Good to know!

[Oren]

On Fri, 11 May 2012 04:27:22 +0000 (UTC), "Arklin K."

Post by Arklin K.
also mailed pictures to the original pool
builder who promised to have the technical guys take a look at it.

Check your local permit office. Plans for the pool ought to be
recorded.

[Arklin K.]

Check your local permit office. Plans for the pool ought to be recorded.

That's a GREAT idea. I've never done a permit ... does it say how the
pool is constructed?

[Oren]

On Sat, 12 May 2012 16:27:32 +0000 (UTC), "Arklin K."

Post by Arklin K.

Check your local permit office. Plans for the pool ought to be recorded.

That's a GREAT idea. I've never done a permit ... does it say how the
pool is constructed?

I suspect it will have some details. In my state (NV) a building
contractor has to also have a pool construction contractor license,
if they build a pool. Each building phase is inspected before another
can proceed. I have a side & top view drawing of my pool and other
papers that the first owner left here in the house.

Check your permit recorder's office online. They might charge a fee
for any copies.

Won't hurt to check it out.

[Nate Nagel]

Post by Oren
On Sat, 12 May 2012 16:27:32 +0000 (UTC), "Arklin K."

Post by Arklin K.

Check your local permit office. Plans for the pool ought to be recorded.

That's a GREAT idea. I've never done a permit ... does it say how the
pool is constructed?

I suspect it will have some details. In my state (NV) a building
contractor has to also have a pool construction contractor license,
if they build a pool. Each building phase is inspected before another
can proceed. I have a side& top view drawing of my pool and other
papers that the first owner left here in the house.
Check your permit recorder's office online. They might charge a fee
for any copies.
Won't hurt to check it out.

the only problem that I see is that if the pool was never permitted, now
the OP's taxes are going to go up :/

nate

[SMS]

Post by Nate Nagel
the only problem that I see is that if the pool was never permitted, now
the OP's taxes are going to go up :/

Except that a pool often detracts from the value of the house around
here. The swimming season is from May to October unless you spend a
fortune on heating the water. Maintenance costs and energy costs are
other negatives.

The house we bought happened to have a pool, and at the time we
purchased it the other houses we looked at were getting 20-30 offers.
Only one other offer for our house, and I think that the pool was part
of the problem. It was a wreck, and the pool and patio area looked
terrible. It cost far less to fix the problems than paying more for a
house in perfect condition. House prices in my city never went down
during the recession either.

[Nate Nagel]

Post by SMS

Post by Nate Nagel
the only problem that I see is that if the pool was never permitted, now
the OP's taxes are going to go up :/

Except that a pool often detracts from the value of the house around
here. The swimming season is from May to October unless you spend a
fortune on heating the water. Maintenance costs and energy costs are
other negatives.
The house we bought happened to have a pool, and at the time we
purchased it the other houses we looked at were getting 20-30 offers.
Only one other offer for our house, and I think that the pool was part
of the problem. It was a wreck, and the pool and patio area looked
terrible. It cost far less to fix the problems than paying more for a
house in perfect condition. House prices in my city never went down
during the recession either.

I have to admit that I'm kind of anti-pool myself despite actually being
someone that would use it regularly if I had it (I swam competitively in
HS, tried to keep doing it in college but I wasn't good enough to
justify the amount of time it took away from work and studying) I agree
that the maintenance and repair is what makes me shy away from it, that
and the liability of someone breaks in and something happens to them. I
certainly would rate a house less desirable if it has a pool unless it
were clear that everything was in excellent condition.

That said, around here, pools still seem to be desirable, although the
guy next door just filled one in.

nate

[SMS]

Post by Arklin K.

Check your local permit office. Plans for the pool ought to be recorded.

That's a GREAT idea. I've never done a permit ... does it say how the
pool is constructed?

Highly unlikely that it would have more than the dimensions. Plus you
don't know what's been done to it since construction.

[Dottie]

Post by Oren
On Fri, 11 May 2012 04:27:22 +0000 (UTC), "Arklin K."

Post by Arklin K.
also mailed pictures to the original pool
builder who promised to have the technical guys take a look at it.

Check your local permit office. Plans for the pool ought to be
recorded.

My inground pool was installed in 1992....it was marcite. By 2002 I
had to have it re-done. That is when I found out that the marcite on
my pool did not contain asbestos ... and therefore did not last as
long as the marcite that had been used in the past. I ended up having
the pool done in a different finish ... it's called Diamond Brite -
the brochure says "made with natural quartz"... and it comes in
different finishes. I saw the pictures you posted and they look like
you may have the same thing. Mine was done in 2002 and is still
holding up pretty well -- you might as around and find out if anyone
is doing it now. The brochure says: Southern Grouts & Mortars, Inc.
Pompano Beach, FL 33069 954-943-2288 Plants located in Fl, TX, CA

[gpsman]

Post by Arklin K.
I stopped after
doing only one section because of finding no plaster in a 10 year old in-
ground pool.

10 years? Most of what I think I know about pool chemistry is wrong,
but I suspect that pool is older or sat full of low pH water for some
time.
-----

- gpsman