We have a 30 year old concrete bottom, fiberglass sides inground pool that leaks very badly when the temp changes spring and fall, and we have to run a hose to it 3 hours a day to keep up with the leak. Our thought was, fill in the deep end, and fix the leaky drain while making it 3 foot across the whole pool for easier upkeep. Has anyone tried to fill in the deep end, then re concrete the entire bottom? Any suggestions?

Hi Sally,

I am not a licensed pool builder, just a pool service tech...so you can take everything I say with THAT in the background of it...

But it sounds like the biggest part of the problem is that you have two different materials being used to form the pool. To me, that sounds like trouble from the very start. If this were just a pure concrete pool, you could just patch leaks or cracks with epoxy patching materials, and then epoxy paint the whole pool interior. This gives you a pool that is extremely easy to maintain (algae just can't seem to get a grip on that slick epoxy paint)...

But in your case, you are going to need to find some way to marry the fiberglass walls with the concrete bottom so that they really are married and never stray on each other...and that could pose some problems. Once you know you have a pool that is structurally sound, a high-quality epoxy paint (BTW, proper preparation, rain guarding, and curing is A MUST with this coating--no shortcuts!) is an inexpensive way to get yourself a wonderful pool that is easy to maintain. I know this from experience with my customers' pools when they need resurfacing (etched plaster, etc.).

Hope this helps you,

Aloha!

Warren

You have what is known as a Hybrid Pool. You will need a pressure test and a diver to locate and mark the leaks. Until that is done, nobody can tell you what the next steps are.

Scott

Look up www.armorpools.com this company has a system of fiberglass mat with epoxy resin that you could cover your main drain and concrete bottom and mate to your existing fiberglass walls. It is kinda pricey and requires a trained crew to install, but it will repair your problems.

You also might consider converting it to a liner pool. You could have a line built and probably lay it right into the existing shell with minimal work.

My plaster pool was losing water thru the surface. Not sure how old it was, but the plaster was bubbling up all over since the pool was drained for a long time and delaminated. Didn't find out until after we bought the house and talked to neighbors. The amount of water I was losing was about 3-4 inches a week, but it seems like your case is really extreme.

Now that mine is resurfaced, it loses very little water.