How Do You Clean a Pool - Acid Wash
Acid Washes are basically a "face lift" for swimming pools. Typically this needs to be performed on a pool when a pool has been neglected. Neglect comes in many forms, purchasing a home where it's sat dormant, bank owned properties, or just not paying attention to chemical mgmt. So if you find yourself with a green pool you will most likely need an acid wash. Algae leaves tails into plaster which even if you kill all the algae and brush the pool it's sort of as though you just took the flower off of the plant. It WILL come back under the right conditions. Regardless of how it came about, when you have a green pool and want to hit the refresh button you are in need of this procedure.
Never do an acid wash alone, the chemicals are very harsh and dangerous if breathed in.Start the job early, the later in the day the hotter it gets and being in a dry pool in the direct sun can be alarmingly hot. Basically you want to minimize any risk of harm from the heat, keep well hydrated etc. Acid in itself isn't very expensive. When you hire a company to do this you are paying for the labor. Once you drain the pool keep a hose running in the pool at all times. This is so that the run off gets washed down to the bowl and every time you add acid you need to put some soda ash in the water in the bowl so that it reacts with the acid to null it out. What this does is it eliminates the acid from attacking the bowl while sitting waiting to be drained. Without this you will have a ring where the acid was more aggressive. Mix the acid with a little bit of water in something you can pour it out. I like to use a garden watering bucket with a spout. Pour the acid at the top and let it come down over the plaster. Do not let it finger, make sure that it comes down nice and even. Let sit for about 2-4 min and then start brushing it aggressively. Once you're done brushing hose that area off and repeat until the entire pool is complete. Refill the water, chem it up and you have a new looking pool! For pictures please visit my blog at http://cleanmypoolmyself.com/blog/
Never do an acid wash alone, the chemicals are very harsh and dangerous if breathed in.Start the job early, the later in the day the hotter it gets and being in a dry pool in the direct sun can be alarmingly hot. Basically you want to minimize any risk of harm from the heat, keep well hydrated etc. Acid in itself isn't very expensive. When you hire a company to do this you are paying for the labor. Once you drain the pool keep a hose running in the pool at all times. This is so that the run off gets washed down to the bowl and every time you add acid you need to put some soda ash in the water in the bowl so that it reacts with the acid to null it out. What this does is it eliminates the acid from attacking the bowl while sitting waiting to be drained. Without this you will have a ring where the acid was more aggressive. Mix the acid with a little bit of water in something you can pour it out. I like to use a garden watering bucket with a spout. Pour the acid at the top and let it come down over the plaster. Do not let it finger, make sure that it comes down nice and even. Let sit for about 2-4 min and then start brushing it aggressively. Once you're done brushing hose that area off and repeat until the entire pool is complete. Refill the water, chem it up and you have a new looking pool! For pictures please visit my blog at http://cleanmypoolmyself.com/blog/
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