Stubborn Calcium deposits on pool tiles...

[eugchen]

i have recently acquired a pool and a total newbie. been reading on this forum about how you guys tackle the calcium deposit issue yourself. i have tried a few days and a bit frustrated i admit and looking for advice. what i have mainly tried is the following...

1. CLR (alot of scrubbing)
2. muriatic acid, (1 gallon with 8oz muriatic acid mix)(alot of scrubbing)
3. small hits with a hammer on calcium areas

i know from reading these forums, many like #2. i worked with #2 the most. please note that on the photos im showing, the red circles are where i HAVE worked on it with muriatic acid mix and CLR. the blue circled areas i HAVE NOT.

i have pumice stones on order and they should come soon. so im putting alot of hope on that.

do you think i just need to scrub more? should i use a more concentrated form of muriatic acid?

thank you

 

[Texas Splash]

That much scale is a lot of work. You are making some progress, but how far you go manually depends on your strength and patience. Have you looked into sandblasting?

On another note, that appears to be calcium deposits from efflorescence. In other words, moisture is seeping "out" from behind the tile resulting in that scale residue. I don't think it's coming from the pool or spa itself unless the pic is misleading and the water level goes up there (or spills over). So be mindful of that. At some point you might need to have a tech come by and make sure there isn't a leak behind the tile. Otherwise this will just keep happening.

 

[eugchen]

anything else you can recommend i try? will pumice stone work better?

i dont know what sandblasting is. can i do that myself? Or hire a professional to do that?

 

[Texas Splash]

Perhaps this page will give you some more ideas forward.

Waterline Scale Removal - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Any of the strategies you mentioned will also require beer and Motrin.

Look into bead blasting. I used a business called Avalon pools out of Ontario CA. Not sure exactly where you live, but they made service your area. About three and a half years ago, the cost for my pool was approximately $4 per linear foot.

 

[RWCMGL]

Not sure about pumice stones, I haven't tried that on tile. I did use pumice on some bricks along the top perimeter of my pool, but the stones didn't seem to last very long so I gave that up before I got to my tile. What I did on the bricks was get some maroon pads from Ace (synthetic steel wool) and just scrubbed by hand. Super tedious, but my bricks look awesome now. When I got to the tile at my water line I used a razor scraper to carefully scrape it off, like scraping paint off a window. Then I went over it with the same maroon pads to get anything I couldn't get with the scraper. It worked well for me, but I agree with Rancho Cost-a-Lotta, it requires beer. But even with the cost of beer included it might be cheaper than hiring a pro to bead blast or sand blast. Good luck!

 

[rstrouse]

If you have an orbital sander you can take the scotch brite pads and put them on the velcro instead of sandpaper. Be careful as it can be agressive. Use only enough pressure to remove the scale without damaging the tile. I have used fine and very fine to polish in the past.

 

[Tres Gatos]

I gave up and hired a pool company to do salt blasting. They did the whole pool in about 2 hours and it looks like new. Well worth it.

 

[Noob]

I gave up and hired a pool company to do salt blasting. They did the whole pool in about 2 hours and it looks like new. Well worth it.

Hi, I know this thread is old but I'm just looking into doing this now. Just to clarify, is that "sand" or "salt?" Also, do you mind sharing the ballpark cost? I got a quote recently for my 7.5k gal pool of $750 (waterline and short waterfall). I'm in Vegas.

 

[Tres Gatos]

Hi, I know this thread is old but I'm just looking into doing this now. Just to clarify, is that "sand" or "salt?" Also, do you mind sharing the ballpark cost? I got a quote recently for my 7.5k gal pool of $750 (waterline and short waterfall). I'm in Vegas.

Definitely salt. Not as abrasive as sand and will not damage surface and easy clean up because it just dissolves. $750 seems high I think I paid about $600 for a 16k gal pool with waterfall.