How do you clean a plaster swimming pool without using muriatic acid?

Answer 1

If you use acid you run the risk of the stuff turning yellow in the fairly near future Usualy grout only goes murky on the sulfate so the best thing to do is scrub it down wit some thing like a stianless steel scrubbing pad (a stinker of a job) then after that is done and only if it is dry paint it with a clear silicone waterproofing sealant designed for grout or bricks to make your cleaning job last longer.

Answer 2

If you use it full strength on a plaster pool you will actually "etch" the plaster and weaken it, so you must dilute it with water. Start out weak with one part acid to four parts Muratic acid. If this has no effect try a mixture with fewer parts water. You want to err on the weak side, so as to not do damage to the underlying plaster surface. If the acid turns yellow and puts off a (sulfur smelling) cloud of fumes ( keep your distance from the fumes and always wear thick rubber gloves, rubber boots and eye protection) the reaction is probably too extreme. Keep a water hose handy to rinse the area off and stay out of the way of the draining acid/ water mix. Keep your acid spraying crew to a minimum, as you might accidentally spray another worker. The best set up would be one person sprays the acid mix from plastic spray bottles (buy some new clean ones at the store, because used ones may some residue which might react unpredictably with the acid.) and the other mans the hose and spray it off, once the first person is clear. We are working on a 28 year old plaster pool in Kansas.