This advanced guide explains how to safely perform a complete acid wash on your pool to eliminate severe, stubborn stains and thick calcium scale—all without the massive expense or risk of draining your water using No Dran Acid Wash™.
Traditionally, fixing severely stained or scaled plaster meant draining the entire pool, hiring a professional crew, and performing a harsh liquid acid wash on the exposed surface. This method is expensive, wastes tens of thousands of gallons of water, and can even cause an empty pool to physically "pop" out of the ground due to hydrostatic pressure!
No Dran Acid Wash™ revolutionizes this process. By utilizing a specialized chemical formula, it allows you to safely drop your water's alkalinity to zero, creating a controlled, highly acidic environment underwater. This gently and evenly lifts years of severe metal stains and thick calcium scale right off the walls and floor, while your water stays safely in the bowl. Because it is a powerful corrective procedure, strict adherence to the timelines and rebalancing steps is required to ensure a flawless finish.
Crucial Safety Rule: Do not add this product directly to an oxidizer (such as chlorine, bromine, non-chlorine shock, hydrogen peroxide, etc.).
Temperature Check: Wait for the pool water temperature to reach 60°F or higher.
Lower Chlorine: Drop your chlorine level to below 1 ppm (the lower, the better). You can use a chlorine neutralizer like No Mor Chlor™ to achieve this quickly.
Prevent Algae: Because your chlorine will be low, apply a preventative algaecide like Poly60 Treat™ prior to treatment.
Power Down: Turn OFF all pool equipment and automated schedules. Do not allow the pump to turn on at any point during the wash procedure.
Protect Metal: Thoroughly coat any exposed metal surfaces in the water (like light rings or stainless steel ladder rails) with petroleum jelly to protect them from the acidic water.
Phase 1: Starting the Wash (Dosing per 5,000 Gallons) The following measurements are for every 5,000 gallons of pool water.
Add Dry Acid: Dissolve five (5) pounds of No Mor Muriatic Acid™ (or standard dry acid) in a clean bucket of pool water. Pour it evenly around the perimeter of the pool, specifically avoiding steps or shallow areas.
Add No Dran: Dissolve two (2) pounds of No Dran Acid Wash™ in a clean bucket of water and pour evenly around the pool, again avoiding steps. (Note: For attached spas, the dose is 2 lbs per 500 gallons).
Add Liquid Acid (Plaster Pools Only): If you have a plaster pool, carefully add two (2) gallons of liquid muriatic acid. If your Calcium Hardness is greater than 500 ppm, visible scaling is present, or your Total Alkalinity is above 180 ppm, add one (1) additional gallon of muriatic acid.
Phase 2: The Dwell Time and Brushing 4. Daily Brushing: Brush the entire pool daily with a nylon brush. For soft, wipeable stains, wrap a towel around your brush and use it to scrub the stains. Note: Do not panic if the water becomes cloudy; this is a completely normal reaction as the scale breaks down! 5. Maintain Zero Alkalinity: Test the water daily. You must maintain a zero alkalinity during the active washing process. If alkalinity rises above zero, add one (1) gallon of liquid muriatic acid for every 10 ppm of Alkalinity per 15,000 gallons. 6. Follow Strict Timelines: Repeat the brushing and monitoring process according to your pool surface type: * Fiberglass/Vinyl Pools: 4 to 8 hours maximum. * Plaster/Gunite Pools: Up to 5 days. * Warning: Do not wait longer than six (6) days to rebalance your pool.
Phase 3: Rebalancing the Pool (Crucial Step) Once the stains and scale have lifted (or on the 6th day maximum), you must rebalance the water carefully to lock the metals in solution. 7. Base Demand Test: Perform a base demand test to determine how much pH/alkalinity increaser is required. 8. Calculate Easy pH Up™: Divide the recommended base demand dose to determine the exact amount of Easy pH Up™ needed. WARNING: DO NOT USE SODA ASH. Standard soda ash will cause the suspended stains to immediately crash out of the water and redeposit on your plaster! 9. Add Gradually: Dissolve up to one (1) pound of Easy pH Up™ at a time in a clean bucket of water before pouring it evenly around the pool. Vigorously brush the pool for every four (4) pounds added. 10. Restart Equipment: Continue testing and adding Easy pH Up™ gradually. Once the pool's pH has reached 7.2, you may navigate to your equipment pad and turn the main pump back ON.
Troubleshooting Note: To ensure your newly restored pool finish stays flawless, we highly recommend incorporating a weekly maintenance dose of No Mor Stains & Scale™. This will keep any remaining micro-metals sequestered and prevent future calcium buildup.