How To Remove Calcium From Pool Tile (and keep it GONE!) 

Hi Bradley, thanks for the question. There are so many types of natural stone out there that this is a difficult question to answer. If it feels like the stone is "crumbling" when you are cleaning it, it's possible that the stone has already been damaged by aggressive water chemistry or through acid cleaning. Or it may just be a stone that should not have used in a water feature. Regardless, I would recommend testing the calcium releaser in a small spot to see if it breaks down the calcium without doing damage to the stone. If so, once the stone is clean, I'd highly recommend sealing it with our penetrating sealer, allow it to cure for 24 hours and then apply the Glass & Tile Shield to help make future cleanings easier.

Oceancare Store Thank you so much for this product and the instructions! After multiple days of repeated spraying and brushing with a kitchen dish brush, most of the calcium ring has been removed. I will continue to do this same thing until I get the ring completely off. BUY this product! It works just as promised.

Thanks Bradley!! Glad to hear the Calcium Releaser it worked for you.

@@bradleywood8723 Use an enhancing sealer and thank me later

@@randomrealestateinvestor1694I’m 4 years late on reading this post but try using pool acid at least every 2 weeks it will remove stains

@Ready Temp And did you notice that they never responded to my post. But they reply to the fake comments about how great the product is.

​@@ZonaJim thanks for your honest post. It saved me money and time

Thanks for this comment!

@@ldp4520 MYOB Karen.

@@ldp4520can you be more specific? I’m not seeing what he missed. Lmao

I think the small metal knife is the best thing for removal calcium on tiles too.

Sorry to hear you didn't get the results you were hoping for. Obviously, not all build-up is created equal and some issues will require a different approach. Please feel free to reach out to us via email (info@oceancareproducts.com). We'd be happy to take a look at photos and see if we can offer any guidance and work with you on a resolution.

I agree that there will always be some level of build up but it is more complicated than just pH. Factors like, total alkalinity, dissolved solids and calcium hardness will also play a role. Also, blasting the tile (even with maxxstrip) will do some level of slight surface damage. Plus it can be expensive and not something I'd want to repeat every year. FYI, I cleaned and protected the pool in this video over a year ago and it still looks as good as the day it was cleaned. The Glass & Tile Shield does a great job of keeping the calcium from bonding to the tile and, in my opinion, is a better option than continual blasting.

Yep absolutely

Do you have to drain the pool a little bit to get the water line down to let it soak on the tile or you just spray it on as is?

@@armandosoto8625 Just spray it on. I don't recommend the garden sprayer anymore! Get an acid sprayer off Amazon. It's the same thing, it just won't corrode.

SAME. I used the whole bottle and got nothing.

Hi Jason, I'm sorry to hear you didn't have a great result. Not all build-up in pool sis the same and some can be more difficult to clean than others. If you'd like to email us some photos (through our website) I'd be happy to take a look and see if we could offer some help or further guidance.

Thats crazy .this stuff is miracle cleaner

Thanks David!

Bot. Scam product

Thanks Melanie!

Hi There. The small amount of cleaner that ends up in the water is generally not enough to have any noticeable affect on the water balance and no adjustment is needed. But the only thing that could possibly be affected is the pH. You can always check the pH before and after cleaning and adjust as needed if you really want to be sure.

If the area in question is normally underwater, then you may not have a calcium deposit issue as these deposits are the result of water evaporating from the surface. But yes, the area needs to be dry for the cleaner to be effective. I've seen contractors construct dams to keep step or baja shelf areas dry for tile repairs but that might be a bit extreme for cleaning.

@@oceancarestore7831 It's definitely some kind of buildup between the grout. I have your initial cleaner spray. I use it on my infinity wall, but didn't have much success, i think i need to commit to letting it set though.

Muriatic acid can have it's place but it is a very corrosive chemical that many people are not comfortable using for a cleaning process that might get it on their skin or droplets in the air. Plus it can also be damaging to cement grout and sensitive tile finishes (like iridescent glass tile). No gimmicks here, just a different (and in some ways better) option. Thanks for the comment.

Black tile in a saltwater pool could be a challenge to keep looking clean. But if the residue is calcium based, yes this cleaner should break it down. I'd use a stiff plastic bristle brush and/or a non-scratching scouring pad. If the residue is mostly salt based and the Calcium Releaser doesn't react with it, you might end up having to have the residue removed by a pro using a light blasting media that doens't damage glass (i.e Maxxstrip) and then, once clean, apply the Oceancare Glass & Tile Shield. Then try to clean regularly with the Calcium Releaser to not let it build-up back to this point. Obviously proper water chemistry and salt levels will go a long way to slow down the build-up as well.

Cleaning a heavily textured stone can be tricky. Because of the uneven surface, it's obviously a lot harder to use a scraper to get the heavy areas clean. If it's a heavy build-up, it might be worth it to go through the process of getting it media-blasted. And then seal it, protect it with the Glass & Tile Shield and then implement a more regular maintenance program with the Calcium Releaser to keep it clean moving forward. Good Luck!

The chemical is fairly safe and I've never had any issues and have never heard of any issues in the field. But if you have chemical sensitivities, I understand why you want to be cautious. The SDS (safety data sheet) for each product is included on our website so you can see all the health and exposure information.

It certainly could help. Fountains can be difficult because the water chemistry is often overlooked (since no one is swimming in it). And with hand painted tiles your options for blasting or other aggressive cleaning methods might be limited. We'd be happy to take a look at photos and gather more info. Feel free to reach out and email info@oceancarestore.com

Thanks for the question. Yes, this can work for natural stone/colored grout and is much safer than using a mineral acid based cleaner like CLR. But keep in mind that if the stone has a high calcium content, ANY cleaner that breaks down calcium could etch (slightly dull) the stone. As such, we always recommend doing a small test spot before cleaning the entire area.

That's a hard one to diagnose with just this limited info. There could be a lot of factors involved including water chemistry and the details on exactly what product they used to treat the tile. You could start by finding out what product they used and then maybe consider having your water tested by a third party, many pool supply stores will do it for free.

just a fountain use any harsh scale removed from supermarket and rinse

Makes me curious why they haven’t replied

They DID reply! Go back and read the questions and their answers in this thread

Hi Bob, if the build-up is just on the grout, your issue might be efflorescence and not actually Calcium. The best advice I can give you is to do a test in a small area to check results. And with dark grout, make sure to rinse thoroughly before the cleaner dries to help avoid white residude.

Yes, they should work quite well. The one caution I'd offer is that you should test the Calcium Releaser on a small spot on the stone to make sure there is not an adverse reaction (usually safe but not all stone is the same). Also, becasue stone is porous, for best results you should seal the stone with Oceancare High Performance Penetrating Sealer and allow it to cure for 24 hours before applying the Glass & Tile Shield.

Cement based grout will always have some mineral content that can react with calcium cleaners and you will likely see bubbling when it is applied. However, the Calcium Releaser is much safer for colored grouts than mineral acid cleaners like muriatic acid. Thanks!

Yes, safe to use on the tile and any little runoff that gets into the pool won't hurt the pebble-tec finish. But if you have exposed pebble-tec (above the waterline) , use caution to avoid runoff of the cleaner directly onto the pebble-tec surface. It could cause a little discoloration.

Hi Carlos, thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately, I can't give you an exact number for this kind of service. Every job is so different and the amount of time you'll spend on the job can widely vary depending on the type and severity of build-up etc.. In most cases, guys are relying on their experience to estimate the cleaning time and then multiplying by their desired hourly rate. Sometimes they win and the job goes faster than expected, sometimes they lose and spend more time on the job than they expected.

@@oceancarestore7831 Okay definitely understand that. Thanks for the reply!

Thanks Don, we appreciate the feedback.

This product does not contain mineral acids and yes, you can swim after using.

No, there is no need adjust chemical levels. The amount of cleaner in the water is negligible.

Hi Curtis, it can work on course stone surfaces but obviously the additional texture on the stone can make the build-up more tenacious and require more elbow grease.

This particular spillway and spa waterline took about 3.5 hours to clean and a little less than a quart of cleaner. But this particular tile hadn't been touched in over 2 years so it was fairly built up. But once it was clean and the Glass & Tile Shield was applied, it has been much easier for the owner to keep it looking good and has stayed pretty clean with just regular brushing. About 2 years after doing this video, I deep cleaned this spillway for the owner again, reapplied the Glass & Tile Shield and had it all done in about 30 min start to finish (the build-up was minimal). It's definitely much easier if you stay ahead of it with some preventative maintenance. Thanks for the comment.

Hi Jeff, the coupon code is active but is the "Pool Combo Code", which requires the purchase of both the Calcium Releaser and the Glass & Tile Shield in order to be applicable. I noticed you placed an order for one of the items through the store and if you'd like to purchase the other, we can manually apply the discount that you would have received for both on the second order. Please let us know here or email at sales@oceancarestore.com. Thanks for the order!

@@oceancarestore7831 - I'll do that in the morning. Thanks.

Oceancare Products' is the brand. Calcium Releaser is the name of the cleaner and Glass & Tile Shield is the protectant. Thanks

I've mentioned before that this particular spillway and spa waterline took about 3.5 hours to clean and a little less than a quart of cleaner. But this tile hadn't been cleaned in over 2 years so it was fairly built up. But once it was clean and the Glass & Tile Shield was applied, it has been much easier for the owner to keep it looking good and has stayed pretty clean with just regular brushing. About 2 years after doing this video, I deep cleaned this spillway for the owner again, reapplied the Glass & Tile Shield and had it all done in about 30 min start to finish (the build-up was minimal). It's definitely much easier if you stay ahead of it with some preventative maintenance. Regardless of how you get your stone waterfall clean, to help make life easier in the future, I'd first seal the stone with Oceancare High Performance Penetrating Sealer, let that cure for 24 hours, then apply the Glass & Tile Shield. Future deposits should be reduced and easier to remove. Thank you for the comment.

@@oceancarestore7831 well thank you for the advice.. much appreciated

Hi Thomas, the code is active but is the pool "combo" deal so it will only work if you are purchasing both of the products shown in the video in a single transaction. Please let us know if you continue to have issues with the code. Thanks!