The Importance Of Hiring An Expert For Acid Washing Your Las Vegas Swimming Pool

Performing acid washing on a plastered pool consists of washing away a small plaster layer, giving way to clean plaster underneath. Because the plaster can eventually be eroded from undergoing this process, a pool shouldn't be acid washed every year. Instead, once every five years should be enough. Acid washing is also hazardous and requires the use of powerful chemicals, so it's generally better to let professionals acid wash your pool. Here is an outline of what professionals do:

Using Intense Chemicals

Before starting an acid wash project, the first thing is to protect oneself effectively. Professionals sometimes have special protective outfits. They also will wear old boots or rubber boots, since acid can bleach shoes. Perhaps more importantly, they will wear a breathing mask made to deal with acid fumes, on top of protective eyewear.

Draining the Pool

Secondly, they will drain the pool. Once the pool is empty, they will remove the hydrostatic relief valve plugs. This is a tube under a plaster pool that travels to a gravel base. It makes it so that groundwater can filter up into the pool instead of lifting it and causing tremendous damage. Once the pool water is gone, the pressure of the groundwater must be released. To do this, one must open the hydrostatic relief valve, causing water to bubble or even geyser its way up. This is generally a good thing since it relieves the pressure from underneath the pool.

While the pool is draining, the cleaners will need to clean the walls of algae and any other residue. It's much easier to scrub the walls while they're wet as opposed to once they've dried when the algae and other stuff has had time to set.

Pouring Acid

As soon as the pool is drained, it is time to apply the acid. The acid is combined with water creating a 1:1 solution, also known as a slightly weaker mix. 

The acid application starts at the deep end of the pool as close to the drain as possible. This is because that's the area that will fill with wastewater the quickest. The surface of the pool is kept moist during the entire time the acid is being applied. Once the acid is applied, the cleaners ought to rinse the area with water, then add a couple of pounds of pH increaser, which will neutralize the wastewater.

Waste Neutralization

Once the acid application is complete, there will remain a large puddle of wastewater. This puddle will need to be neutralized before it can be removed from the pool.

Refilling the Pool

It's best to do one final rinse with plain water while the pool is still empty. Once this rinse is finished, it is time to seal the openings. They replace the drain covers and seal up any hydrostatic relief valve plugs that were removed.  It is now time to fill the pool up and bask in sparkling new plaster.

Always Confer with a Professional

The outline given above is a little bit of information regarding how a pool is acid washed. It should not be taken as a full instructional guide. There are a lot of minute details to properly acid washing a pool. Safety is the most significant factor related to acid washes, including handling the chemicals, and additional safety protocols around a drained pool. You could do everything right, and a small misuse or incorrect application of the acid solution might end in damaged plaster.

If your pool looks like it needs an acid washing, it's more prudent to contact a pool specialist instead of taking on the monumental task yourself. Give us a call, and we can take care of it for you!

Pool Tile Cleaning Vegas offers pool tile cleaning, calcium removal, acid washing, pool draining, and media blasting services, in Las Vegas and Henderson. Call us at (702)605-6936.