When you add a fibreglass pool to your home, this means that you’re adding a touch of luxury to your backyard. Spending time in your pool can be a great way to have fun with your family and friends, or just to relax. Swimming is also a great way to stay healthy and active. However, to ensure that you can keep using your pool, you’ll need to ensure that your fibreglass pool is cleaned.
Fibreglass pools are known for being durable as well as long-lasting. However, they are also known for being super easy to maintain. So what should you do if you want to keep your fibreglass pool clean?
Can You Acid Wash Your Fibreglass Pool?
Yes, you can acid-wash your fibreglass pool. You don’t even need to drain your fibreglass pool completely, in order to acid wash it. In order to acid wash a fibreglass pool, however, you’ll need to use ascorbic acid.
Note that ascorbic acid can change both the pH as well as the alkalinity of the water in your pool. This will happen not just during the acid-washing process itself, but also after it. This is why before you use your pool next, you’ll need to check the pH levels as well as the alkalinity of the water in your pool.
It’s possible for you to use both ceramic cleaners as well as vinyl cleaners in order to clean your fibreglass pool thoroughly. However, ensure that you don’t choose a cleaner that’s too abrasive. One way of removing stains in your fibreglass pool is with the help of oxalic acid. But note that oxalic acid can also turn the water in your fibreglass pool cloudy.
How Do You Know When To Acid Wash Your Pool?
If you need to determine whether it’s time to acid wash your gold coast pool or not, then look at its shallow end. You should be able to see the bottom floor of your fibreglass pool easily through the water. If the floor of the pool is visible, then just using pool chemicals can be enough to help you maintain the water quality of your pool.
Should the floor of the pool not be visible, you might be looking at an expensive repair job. You may need a professional level cleaning, that’s more than acid washing, to clean your pool thoroughly.
Should you have experienced an algae bloom in your pool, then these could also leave behind stains. Acid washing your pool could help you get rid of these stains.
What Exactly Is Acid Washing?
By acid washing your fibreglass pool, you’re essentially stripping off the topmost thin layer of your pool’s surface. This exposes the layer that’s hidden underneath it. Acid washing shouldn’t be done too often, as you could end up removing too many layers from your pool. If this happens, you may need to get a brand new floor installed for your fibreglass pool.
Sometimes, people choose to acid wash their pools because they are looking for a brighter finish. You could also find yourself dealing with mineral stains in your pool, and even deposits. Chlorine stains as well as stains caused by dirt and debris can also be removed by acid washing. After acid washing your pool, you’ll need to change the water that’s in the pool. Following this, even if you experienced frequent algae blooms before, they won’t be bothering you anymore.
Everything You Should Know About Acid Washing Your Pool
When thinking about what can be used to acid wash your pool, muriatic acid might be one of the first things that come to your mind. However, for fibreglass pools, you should be using ascorbic acid instead. Anytime you’re about to acid wash your pool, you’ll need to wear appropriate protective clothing.
It’s also necessary for you to wear a protective mask, so you don’t end up inhaling any toxic fumes. You also can’t dispose of the mixture of acid and pool water before neutralizing it first. You can neutralize the water by adding pH increases to your pool water before it’s pumped out.
What Are The Steps Involved With Acid Washing Your Pool?
This is what you should do if you want to acid-wash your pool:
Draining The Pool
The first step involves using the filter pump to drain out the water in the pool. If there’s any water still left in the pool, then a pump that’s submersible can help you to get rid of the remaining water.
Once the water has been drained put, it’s time to get rid of any leaves or algae that could be present. Once the pool has been thoroughly cleaned, only then can acid wash be added to it.
Pouring In The Acid
To acid wash your fibreglass pool, you’ll need to add equal parts of ascorbic acid to water, and then pour the mixture into a watering can. The acid should always be added to the water. First, you’ll need to entire that the walls of your pool are moist. Use a hose to make the walls moist. Then, starting from the shallow end, start to add the acid to the walls, one segment at a time.
Don’t let the acid sit for too long. It should only be left on for around ninety seconds before the stained surfaces are scrubbed using a special acid brush.
Neutralizing The Acid
After you’ve acid-washed your pool, you’re likely to find a puddle that’s foamy, on the bottom of your pool. Before this can be drained out of your pool, it needs to first be neutralized. Soda ash can be used to neutralize the water in these puddles. The soda ash can be stirred into the puddle with the help of your pool brush.
Ensure that you use a testing kit for pH to gauge whether the water has been neutralized or not. Then, simply drain out the water and dispose of it at a location where it can’t hurt any person or animal.
Conclusion If you want to acid-wash your fibreglass pool, then you can do this with the help of ascorbic acid. This guide helps you learn more about how you can acid wash your pool, as well as what you should know about it. From draining the water in your pool to disposing of it safely, this guide details everything you should do to acid wash your pool.