Hello all, this is the situation and I am asking for one of my German customers who does not take part in this forum.

A private outdoor pool in Bristol, bottom and walls painted with special blue paint for pools, short below and over water surface up to the pool surrounding glass mosaic. Grouting was a 2 component compound (not from us ) designed for mosaic and pool application for water:
pH value 6,5 - 7,6 , calcium content min. 60 mg/l and acid capacity 1,6 - 2,4 mmol/l.

The grouting is destroyed. A water test has shown a pH value ~ 2,4 (!), what is suggested to be not possible as this is close to pure acid and the pool´s owners kids did swim in it. Also sometimes frogs jump in and were still alive.

This is the question: My customer wants to get in contact with an addy & grout maker representative for the Bristol area, who can come to site, can check the water quality and can advise how to do the re-grouting with recommanded material from his company. My customer sometimes works in UK and Canada, his english knowledge should be sufficient.

Who can help ? Please eMail to info@nordchemie.de , I will transfer the contact details to my customer. Thank you all in advance, Martin

Originally Posted by Pawelzik

The grouting is destroyed. A water test has shown a pH value ~ 2,4 (!), what is suggested to be not possible as this is close to pure acid and the pool´s owners kids did swim in it. Also sometimes frogs jump in and were still alive.

Wow... Just... Wow...

did you do the grouting ? as i have had guys work for me that have thrown away the epoxy grout and used cement based grout instead ,i am not saying this has happened but it is a possibilty if someone other than you has done it

if you want i know the nicobond rep who covers Bristol

a ph value that acidic I'd want the pool filling in, not re-grouting!!

Originally Posted by garythetiler

did you do the grouting ? ..

No. You should know, Gary...I am Germany´s northest addy maker and as a.m. the grouting compound wasn´t my stuff.

The grouting was done by a German tiler (who is my customer here) having the German tiler master grade. The pool owner is also a German but has several houses in Germany and therefore tiling the pool in UK was a favour work as the tiler is doing all tile works in all the other houses over here. I just want to help him allthough it is not my problem.

Originally Posted by inspiredandy

if you want i know the nicobond rep who covers Bristol

Yes, please. And if you don´t mind would you please do me a favour and ask him if he is able to help by telling him the a.m. story in advance. Thank you, Martin

ph 2-4 should not be a problem if a good quality epoxy grout was used. I use laticrete spectralock BRILLIANT STUFF!! Although you will have to drain the pool remove the tiles and re-fix then regrout. I don't fancy your chances at trying to romove the grout from between glass mosaics without chipping.

will phone him, dont know if he will be able to do it b4 xmas thou

Originally Posted by MICK the Tiler

ph 2-4 should not be a problem if a good quality epoxy grout was used....

It wasn´t epoxy grouting, it was a 2 component compound based on minerals and anorganics. And after all: pH 2,4 is much too low, pool water should have short below pH 7 (light sour) to prevent algea growth.

I told my customer to consider - just as a possibility -, that the water test showing ph value 2,4 might have been right and thererfore he needs on site advice from the company managing the pool water quality together and (best) the same day from the grouting manufacturer´s representative.

Originally Posted by inspiredandy

will phone him, dont know if he will be able to do it b4 xmas thou

The repair works are suggested to be done between January and March 2009, the sooner the better. Waiting for the contact datas, thank you.