Potomac Pools Inc

The issues with ***'s pool have not been caused by dirty waterMany pools in Northern Virginia open green or brown, and can be brought back to blue with filtration and chemical treatment, and the is not any residual staining, that is, until the plaster begins to age, at which point it becomes
rough, and almost like an english muffin surface on a very small scaleThis provides ample surface area for algae to take root, and is not easily accessible by either brush or circulationThe issues with this pool are directly related to the lack of aftercare or chemical balancing that the fresh plaster job received in its first winterPlaster is very sensitive to chemical imbalance during the first winter, and it must winterized properly, with a correct Langolier Saturation Index, and that index must be monitored and corrected throughout the changing temperatures of the Fall/Winter/Spring season This pool did not receive that care in any form, and was damaged as a resultWe have made every attempt to help Mr***'s pool rebound from the effects of that negligence, but the inherent changes in the plaster surface limit our options and limit the our ability to change the cosmetic appearanceIt did look white after we drained and acid washed itThe walls were white and dry, and staining had been removedOnce filled however, the permanent surface irregularities become visible. Attached below is the e-mail correspondence we have had this summer, after we performed several good-faith stain-removal treatments to ensure that the stains were not in fact organic, but structural."My intentions are to continue to advise you on the best course of action, and let you know what your options are to achieve the result you are looking forIn order for you to choose your course of action there a few things you absolutely must understand firstThe first point, and I have clarified this for you several times already, is that your pool is not, and never has been, paintedIt was re-plastered in June of Additionally, the cost for that work was $17,806, not $30,000+Third- the pool was severely damaged over the winter through total lack of care, not dirty water from a fire hydrant.Of the $17,spent on this job:$9,was for bond beam repair and tile replacement$6,was for the plaster$1,was for the water, $was for weeks of aftercare that included brushing and balancing the waterAs of September of 2015, the plaster was smooth, stain free and whiteDuring the process of our Office Manager attempting to collect a past-due invoice, you terminated your relationship with Potomac Pool Service, and along with it the scheduled winter visits to check on the water chemistry We were called in the spring of to check on the pool, and it clear that it had not been maintained in any wayThe water was green and thick with algae, but more importantly, the plaster surface was heavily, heavily scaled, indicating a sustained high LSI (Langolier Saturation Index).We drained the pool, acid washed it to remove what scale we could, and hired SJ Johnson, the same contractor from 2015, to fill the pool againThe fill was, as you said, not clean, and not the type of fill we would prefer, however, this occurs from time to time and is fixable with chemical treatment and filtration, just as we treat every other green or brown pool in the spring and bring them back to blueHowever in your case, your filter element had been destroyed, from the sounds of it by the dog perhaps, and was not useable, so filtering was delayed We supplied and replaced the grids and started the pool filteringOnce it cleared, there was organic surface staining that had adhered to the irregular surface area created by the negligence during the fall and winterWe treated the pool and removed those organic stains, at no additional cost to you. What you have today is not fundamentally related to the water of the 2nd fillLet me repeat that : What you have today is not fundamentally related to the water of the 2nd fill. The fundamental issue you have today is imbued in the plaster, and either occurred through the troweling process upon installation, the plaster moisture content and calcium chloride content, or during the winter when the chemistry changed the surface of the pool and created irregularities in which metals or calcium can more easily adhere.Dirty water doesn’t cause the grey areas you are looking at in your pool (unless it turns out to be some type of metal staining, in which case we can cure the metal portion of the equation)We cannot cure the etching/scaling changes caused over winter, or after effects of plaster mixA quick bit of research on the internet will confirm these points about scale, etching, LSI, troweling technique, calcium chloride, metal removal etc.To be clear - the job is not paintIt did not cost $30,The surface did not deteriorate after we filled it - the surface deteriorated severely over the winter, and that was why it had to be emptiedWe didn’t drain it just to get the algae-covered walls clean - we primarily drained it to fix the scaling from winter. So again, my intentions are to continue to advise you on the best course of action, and let you know what your options are to achieve the result you are looking for*** *** from *** will be be out earlier this week to give us his opinion and we can go from thereI can have the stains tested this week as well, to determine if they are metal basedAnd while it is unlikely that metal is the culprit, it would actually be the easiest of all options at this point to remedyIf that turns out to be the case you could address your frustrations to your municipal water supplier for the water content, and to your decision to hire an uninformed winterization crew during the fall of 15, which created an environment for potential metals to adhere to the damaged surface. We fixed the organic (algae) staining from both the winter, and the 2nd pool fill, even though the city provides that water, and the truck driver says he flushed the hydrant on the 2nd fillWe did not bill you for the stain removal treatment after the 2nd fill, even though you did not let us know your filter grid had been destroyed, which caused the water to sit unfiltered in your pool for a matter of daysWe have worked in good faith throughout this process to try and get your pool back to where we left it in the late summer of 15.We will bear the cost of any issues for which we are responsible, however, responsibility for the decision to hire an apparently uninformed entity to winterize your pool, and then the complete lack of care which it received over the winter is an issue clearly and naturally borne by you, and only you As an aside, your warranty, as stated in your estimate and invoice, covers (for year, which expired months ago) the plaster from flaking, or falling off - neither of which are the case here. signature openJonathan B***
***Potomac Pool Service, Inc.April - how we found the pool:After drain and clean, scale removal, truck fill, and filtration - May 2ndMay 3rdSent from my ***signature closeOn Aug 20, 2016, at 10:AM, *** wrote:JonathanUnder your advice, we opened the pool and incurred all the costs you suggested we undertakeThere are ample pictures showing the condition in which the pool was brought to after your suggested curesThose pictures, taken by your staff, show that the surface was completely clean, consistent with the renovation your company carried for me at costs in excess of some $30,000, as I recallAt that point there were absolutely no damage to the paintI trust you can observe those pictures to refresh your memoryThere were, at that point no mention made by either you or your employees of any defect. The condition of the surface deteriorated after you allowed the pool to be filled (at my expense) with filthy waterYou also have ample photographs to show the quality of that water. Two separate consultants (from two different companies) confirmed that such water sitting for so long in a new surfaced is most likely responsible for the damageThis is an absolutely logical deduction since the picture-evidences show that the pool was sparking clean prior to the dirty water used to fill it. As my paid contractor, I expected you to protect my welfare and should have immediately directed the water company to replace the filthy water, thing that you refused to do. All I now want to know is whether or not you plan to do whatever it takes (including re-surfacing the pool) to bring it back to the state one would expect after spending as much as I did (under your advice)My expectation is that the cost of all such actions will have to be naturally borne by you. Please let me know as soon as possible what your intentions are. Very best wishes,*** ***On Aug 19, 2016, at 5:PM, Jonathan B*** wrote:I looked at it today, and in my opinion it looked to me like a pool that had cured inconsistently over the winter In my opinion what we are seeing is not an organic topical stain, but a characteristic within the plaster surface itself due to varying levels of moisture, or varying levels/timeframes of releasing of calcium, due to the chemical imbalance over the fall, winter, and early spring*** *** from *** will be out early next week to assess itHe has seen every type of plaster problem there is and can lend experienced insight