What is this white scratchy stuff on the sides and bottom of my pool?

[Arklin K.]

Hmmm... maybe I will reconsider ...

[gonjah]

I see. I was thinking about the cost of refilling as opposed to cleaning the mess you had. But that's sort of old news now.

[Arklin K.]

Oh. My mistake. I understand now.

I have no idea 'what' the trucked-in water will consist of ... so that's what you were trying to get at. Sorry for being dense. My fault.

But I think I'll go with the well water anyway as it's good pool water (high calcium).

I'll try to write with results later today.

[gonjah]

No. I was talking about the well water. I'm sure you're doing the right thing.

[Arklin K.]

Wow. That's one heck of a project. I especially like the penultimate picture! :)

How can the pool cleaner not need the pump running?

[Arklin K.]

Does anyone have a good recommendation for the phosphate remover? My well water is already high in the phosphates according to a test today at Leslies of the tap water (from my well).

[Arklin K.]

Nope. If that's your 'real' email address, I can mail to you where I am so you'll understand. Think hills behind your house.

Ah. Got it!

[gonjah]

-- X-No-Archive: Yes

[Arklin K.]

Bad news!

I may have ruined a small section of the wall of my pool (I'm not sure).

I first chipped off the encrusted (calcium?) sandpaper coating off the stainless steel bezel as shown below:

Then I dropped it into the clear 29% muriatic acid - it immediately bubbled and turned yellow: Assuming therefore the sandpapery coating was calcium, I ran a 5:1 test on a small section of wall for about 30 seconds: The results were smooth - but - gray (and definitely not blue! Is this what is 'supposed' to happen?

[gonjah]

The third one looks surreal.

[Dan Espen]

Nope. Was it 2 days ago I said you should put the water back in the pool?

You're not going to see any white stuff when the pool is full.

[gonjah]

Ditto. Save up for a re-plaster but until then enjoy the pool.

[chaniarts]

i told you yesterday pools are shot gunite (gray) with a very thin skim layer of plaster (usually white) on top.

that could be either paint under the white film, or you ate all the plaster off and are into the gunite.

[Arklin K.]

It's not gray paint - it's gray stuff. So I must have eaten all the plaster away. Wow. That 29% (1:3 or so diluted) muriatic acid is strong!

[Arklin K.]

Thanks for sticking with me.

The pool is only ten years old so it probably has never been replastered or repainted.

I'm still so confused WHAT my pool is made out of.

What I see are three things: a) Gray stuff, smooth, and in the small pits are mica crystals b) Blue stuff, maybe it's paint ... maybe it's copper coatings from the (dark blue) algaecide. Whatever it is, it's paper thin. c) White sandy stuff ... this is probably calcium since it bubbled greatly in the acid

The wierd thing is I don't see plaster anywhere (if plaster is defined as white stuff). A) Maybe the gray is the plaster? Or is it the gunnite itself? It seems to be smooth to the edge of the tile whereas I expected a half inch of plaster before hitting gunnite. B) Maybe the blue is paint? Or is it a copper coating? I can't flake it off, it's that thin. C) The white is probably calcium as it scrapes off relatively easily. Maybe it's dead algae but it bubbles in hydrocloric acid.

I think I'll open a separate thread, and add a pool-related newsgroup (dunno any offhand though) as to what the pool is made out of.

Here are some closeups ...

1. This is the white sandy coating that bubbles in acid:
2. This is the blue thin coating (either paint or copper deposits?)
3. And this is the gray underneath all that: