"We're Planning on having our pool replastered"
This one's for Joan!!
Let's talk this out, as it goes, almost every time....
Pool Owner (PO): "....We're also going to get it replastered.."
Me: "Why?"
PO: "It just seems kind of.... ehhhh.....Old"
STOP!
It is at that point that I realize most people don't really know much about their pool. If I was a vulture of a salesman I could pray on them and that would be the moment that would give me the green light. That's not an indictment on them, they are pro's at their own aspects of life... Teachers. Police officers. Cardiologist. Lawyers. Doctors. Contractors. Brilliant people who just get wrapped up in a momentary bout of superficial thinking. They see calcium buildup on their tile. A stain on the bottom. Their equipment is old. It's just not what they picture... These have 0 correlation to plaster condition. They just look less than ideal, and you would be surprised how many people want to be able to not afford a replaster. Read that again. People seem to want to throw cash at a replaster, but a lot of people don't have the money to just throw at a replaster, so they stress themselves out over it and it becomes this thing in their mind. Usually the root of this is the plaster looking less than aesthetically pleasing, but true plaster conditions are based on a few other factors.
1) Does your pool hold water aside from normal wind, sun, and splash evaporation?
2) Does the condition of your plaster cause difficulties in maintaining the pool?
As a pool technician, these are the only two questions I am concerned with. I can't tell somebody that they need to replaster their pool because I don't think it looks very good and I really like Tahoe Blue. That would be sitcom worthy. Ultimately the NEED to replaster a pool, and the desire to replaster a pool are two separate things. This blog will be covering the NEED and the two questions above.
The first question is very simple... Does your pool hold water aside from normal evaporation? If the answer is yes, proceed to question number 2. If the answer is no, it still does not mean that you need to replaster. The first thing to check is that your equipment is not leaking. The likelihood of a seal leak causing a noticeable amount of water loss in your pool is very low, but you may have a plumbing fitting that is hemorrhaging water. Oftentimes equipment pads get covered with leaves over the years and then it makes it near impossible to see leaks. One reason to keep your equipment pad (aka your pool guys office) clean. Most pool guys do not include cleaning the leaves and dirt off of equipment pads with their service, in fact I don't know of a single one that does. This is something you can (and should, really) do to protect yourself so that you can be sure that problems dont arise, go unnoticed and then get worse with time. If you don't see any leaks coming from the equipment pad, then see if you can tell if your leak shows up only while the pool is running, or if it is constant. If it is only while it is running, it can be in a pressurized return line. If it is consistent no matter what, then it is most likely in the corner of your skimmer box, at your light niche, or at your drain... None of which require replastering. If you have spots where gunite is showing through the plaster, there is a pretty good chance that you can be losing water through there. It may be time for a replaster. Plaster is the compound that makes a pool waterproof, gunite and rebar are the structural integrity, but are not waterproof. I have seen gunite spots peek through and the pool be fine, but usually if your plaster is THAT old then you run into the problem that I will cover regarding question number two.
Is your plaster causing difficulties in maintenance? This is usually the reason people will have to replaster. If you can't keep plaster on the walls no matter how you shift your chemistry around, it's time to replaster. First of all, you shouldn't have to shift your chemistry around. If you start to really throw off that balance one way, then you are surely harming your pool. Old plaster is so porous that it just gives dirt and algae spores a place to live. Often times with plaster this old you see black algae. That happens for two reasons: 1) Black algae is hard to kill, and the pool has been around forever giving it many years and opportunities to get black algae. 2) The ideal environment for black algae is to live in cracks, pores, and divots in plaster. In a sense the same goes for green algae. It feeds on dirt in the pool, and the dirt lives in the large pores. As you brush the old plaster, often times even with a very high alkalinity it will still strip off the walls... while it is suspended in the water it is giving algae something to live and grow on. THIS is when I suggest a replaster. When you just can't handle it anymore. If your pool sweep bag is full of plaster every week, and you are constantly fighting algae problems. It's definitely something you should be looking into.
Don't spend money on your pool unless you have to, folks. Or unless the aesthetics matter to you and you would enjoy that. Pay for your happiness if you want... but when it comes to your pool and its equipment and its functionality, save the money until you actually need to spend it. Pumps are not cheap. Filters are not cheap. Sweeps are not cheap. Some of these controllers are not cheap. I would love to sell you every pool product ever made for your swimming pool, but it just isn't ethical to do so. Don't be in such a hurry to spend $3,500 replastering your pool and getting upsold on equipment you don't need. It happens. If your pool needs it, then it needs it, and smooth plaster is always easier to maintain... But if it doesn't, save the stress and pressure on yourself. Just enjoy what you have currently and take care of it to the best of your abilities. Nature isn't going to cut you slack just because you replaster, and caring for a pool will always just be caring for a pool.
Now go enjoy your pools, and happy Memorial Day.
Swim season has officially started!
Visit my Google Business page (Ryan Does Pools) to contact me with any questions.Thanks for taking the time to read.
Ryan Hicks
Owner @ Ryan Does Pools
(916)224-0801
Servicing Pools in Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, Carmichael and surrounding cities since 2000.
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