I have a 10 year old pool in northern calif with pebble tec carribean blue color. Original water has never been changed and now has too high of CYA so draining to replace.
I've noticed some minor brown staining (likely dirt under calcium build up as it comes of easily with acid) while draining and washing the calcium build up off the waterfall.

Waiting for pool company on monday to give me a price to come in and acid wash. I've recieved on quote from a local service company (hasn't seen the pool or staining) wanting $700 which seems high since it will be drained and only has a minor brown scale build-up that should only take a single wash and a few hours to complete.

I've been considering just buying the respirator and equipment and doing it myself. I'm very comfortable around chemicals, do all my own home improvements, and worked in a refinery for 35 years. Is there a certian amount of experience needed to do it correctly and not etch too much of the pebble finish?

BTW- I've seen some folks add a thickener/ corrosion inhibiter to the acid mixture to allow less streaking and more uniform coverage which I would use as well.