How to Clean a Pool With Acid
If your swimming pool is starting to resemble a swamp due to heavy algae, but you can still see the bottom, an acid wash can bring dramatic improvement. It is such a powerful method that it actually strips the top layer of plaster, purging stains of every type. Thus, resort to acid washing only infrequently so you do not hasten the need to replaster your pool. First, drain the pool. As you do, wash and scrub away algae and bag all leaves and debris. When the pool is empty and dry, you are ready to begin cleaning, then treating with acid. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Protective clothing
- Trisodium phosphate (TSP)
- 2 long-handled brushes
- 5-gallon plastic garden water receptacle
- Garbage bags
- Garden hose
- Soda ash
- Muriatic acid
- Water pump
Instructions
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Contact local water authorities to find out if any regulations exist on wastewater discharge procedures. You have to know what to do with the acid-water mixture that will collect at the bottom of your pool in the end. Perhaps pulling the hydrostatic relief plugs is a requirement, or pumping wastewater into a storm drain or another location. Even if no regulations exist, the authorities can still provide helpful information that will keep you safe and perhaps facilitate the job.
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Scrub with trisodium phosphate (TSP) once the pool is drained, dry and clear of debris. Mix this cleaning agent with water according to the label instructions. Apply the mixture to the pool walls with a long-handled brush in 10- to 20-foot sections. This means immediately rinsing each section, not allowing the mixture to dry. Do the floor last, again rinsing as you proceed.
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Don such protective gear as long gloves, boots or old shoes, goggles and a breathing mask. Fill a 5-gallon plastic flower watering receptacle with 1 gallon of water, then add 1 gallon of muriatic acid. Keep a garden hose running without a nozzle and wet the wall. Pour the acid mixture down the wall in 10-foot sections, allowing no more than 30 seconds before scrubbing with an acid brush. Rinse as soon as the bubbling stops, before the acid has had a chance to dry. In the end, the surface will feel like you used sandpaper.
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Neutralize the acid-water mix that wound up in the bottom of the pool before pumping it out. Spread 2 lbs. of soda ash for every gallon of acid used, stirring with your long-handled brush. Rinse and scrub the floor again, perhaps returning to another TSP treatment.
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Tips & Warnings
Always acid wash with a helper.
Hiring professionals is advised because acid washing is extremely labor-intensive and potentially dangerous. Professionals are heavily-trained, experienced and have all necessary equipment.
Always add acid to water, never water to acid.
Never acid wash a pool that is fiberglass, fiberglass/concrete or vinyl-lined.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
