Got A Pool Spa? How To Remove Rebar Stains

Posted on: 7 July 2015

If you own a pool spa, you need to watch out for rebar stains. It is important to take care of these early before they become much worse. Below is information about these stains, and how to remove them.

Rebar

There is a steel reinforcement bar below your spa's concrete surface that is called a rebar. Over time, this rebar becomes rusty, and it can leak out onto the concrete. When this happens, it causes a rusty looking stain below the water level on the wall and bottom of your spa. If not taken care of quickly, the rust will continue to spread causing even more stains.

This problem can be due to the spa's finish being worn down with small cracks. Over time, this causes the concrete to deteriorate in this area, and the rebar will start to rust.

Removing the Rebar Stain

The best way to remove a rebar stain is to contact a pool and spa technician (such as one from Anchor Pools & Spas) to do it for you. The process can be done while water is in your spa pool, or they can drain the water to clean the stain.

Many contractors like to clean the stain underwater, as it takes time to drain the spa pool of water and then fill it back up. It is also easier because when the debris comes off the stain the contractor can easily just wave it away into the water.

If done dry, the contractor has to use a shop vac to clean up the debris, and then a garden hose to spray it down as they go. If the stain is very large, however, the contractor may choose to drain the pool to repair the stain.

The contractor will likely use a hammer and a chisel to chip away at the stained plaster. If the problem has gone on for some time, the contractor may find there is no rebar left or little of it.

The contractor will then continue to chip away at the plaster in the direction of the stain until they come to clean rust free rebar. Once everything is cleared out, the contractor will remove the rebar. They may do this using power tools or a hack saw, depending on how large the piece of rebar is. They will then replace the damaged rebar, repatch the area with new plaster, and then place the finish over it.

When you have this problem, you may also notice flakes of rust floating on the top of the water in your pool spa.

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