Crack in step

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A

Acadian

0
Jun 15, 2010
66
NB, Canada
IG 20x40 vinyl pool
SWG

I have a crack in my step. I believe it is made of plastic. Not the type you can take out for the winter, it's set in the concrete at the shallow end of the pool. Last year, the guy servicing my pool put some kind of caulking to close it up. This year the crack has lengthened and is almost at water level.

Is there any way to fix this?

Thanks!
 
They're most likely fiberglass. The only way to stop a stress crack (that's what you have) is to driil stops (a small hole) at both ends of the crack and grind the crack and repair it. Most marine repair shops could repair it where you couldn't tell it. I'd check around with a few ad you might get lucky and find one of the guys that would look at it.
 
I hate to say it but, your steps weren't properly backfilled nor supported :evil:

There is a void under them that makes them vulnerable to flexing and, thereby, stressing -which weakens the fiberglass and causes the leak.

I can tell you more but, with the holiday weekend, it might not be until Wed. :oops:
 
My pool guy told me he contacted someone who fixes fiberglass boats and this guy says he didn't think he could fix the steps.

Would drilling the two holes and repairing it be a permanent fix?

To me it feels like plastic and not fiberglass...do they make plastic steps?

Should i contact the pool builder?
 
I just talked to them and they are Fiberglass. She says those steps only have only year of warranty.

The crack is at the very top where the deck is and is moving down and inwards almost to the first step now. So i'd like to fix it before it gets down to water level.

The lady also told me i should put plastic bottles half filled with sand on each step over the winter, i guess it absorbs the ice expansion.
 
If they are fiberglass, they can be fixed. I am a home builder and I saw a plumber drop a running saw in a new bathtub. It ran flopping around in the tub for a few seconds before they got it unplugged. The plumber had a bathtub repair company (From the yellow pages) come in and they repaired it and you could not even tell it had ever happened.

What you are feeling that feels like plastic is the gelcoat over the fiberglass.

I hope this gives you a few new ideas.

Tim
 
Acadian said:
I just talked to them and they are Fiberglass. She says those steps only have only year of warranty.

The crack is at the very top where the deck is and is moving down and inwards almost to the first step now. So i'd like to fix it before it gets down to water level.

The lady also told me i should put plastic bottles half filled with sand on each step over the winter, i guess it absorbs the ice expansion.
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The sand bottles are an "old school" idea and would only work if they attracted water nymphs over the winter to protect your steps :lol: (though they might relieve a bit of the ice stress on the step area)

As I said before, your steps were not properly supported and backfilled - this is on your PB!

If the pool and steps had been properly backfilled and allowed to compact before the deck was installed, you would not have this problem!!

A fiberglass repair company could patch the existing crack, but it is useless until the void under the steps is repaired :rant:
 
Well, i had an acrylic repair guy come in. He actually does warranty work for my pool step company. He looked at it and said it is repairable. He says the deck (cement) settled and, over time, the stress on the step cracked it. He also says that it shouldn't crack again.

So he came back and fixed it for $300. Isn't noticeable anymore. I just hope it remains that way for years.
 

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winter is over and i noticed yesterday that the crack in the steps is starting again. It seems like it's the exact same spot. The stuff that he put on to fix it is cracking. Starting from the very top again.

I called the guy who repaired it and he's coming this week.
 
I'm sick to my stomach! We JUST replaced our liner...I was sitting on the top step/coping area and watching the water filling it...only about 6 inches to go and it's re-filled - new liner and hoping for no more trouble. I glanced down and saw a 5 inch hairline crack and almost gagged. Wondered how yours made out after 2 years?

Cheryl

Acadian said:
Well, i had an acrylic repair guy come in. He actually does warranty work for my pool step company. He looked at it and said it is repairable. He says the deck (cement) settled and, over time, the stress on the step cracked it. He also says that it shouldn't crack again.

So he came back and fixed it for $300. Isn't noticeable anymore. I just hope it remains that way for years.
Click to expand...
 
My local pool retailer recommended Pool Step Specialists and one of their kits for my cracked tread. Dave at Pool Step Specialists.com was very helpful, and fully explained my problems and best way to deal with the stairs after I had sent a photo to them. I was very happy with the outcome, my stairs are fully supported and look great, you wouldn't even know they were cracked and leaking water. The D.I.Y. kit was much cheaper than other quotes I had received.
 
I used a Pool Step Specialists Repair kit last summer, stair looks great. I had a major crack on the step that my pool renovator said couldn't be repaired, and had to replace. My deck is only a few years old, with brand new stamped concrete. I cringed at having to break up the deck to replace. After contacting Pool Step Specialists, they put together a specific kit for my troubled stair, their kit along with guidance allowed me to perform a repair that I was amazed at how it all turned out. They told me they have been doing step repairs for over 20 years, very knowledgeable group.
 

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JohntheDiver said:
I used a Pool Step Specialists Repair kit last summer, stair looks great. I had a major crack on the step that my pool renovator said couldn't be repaired, and had to replace. My deck is only a few years old, with brand new stamped concrete. I cringed at having to break up the deck to replace. After contacting Pool Step Specialists, they put together a specific kit for my troubled stair, their kit along with guidance allowed me to perform a repair that I was amazed at how it all turned out. They told me they have been doing step repairs for over 20 years, very knowledgeable group.
Click to expand...

Did you coordinate the repair with a liner replacement? I have small cracks in my steps that I'd like to repair, but I'm hesitant to take the water down that low. Did you brace the sidewalls for this?
 
The crack occurred over the winter, and our budget didn't allow us to fully replace the steps and the liner as my pool contractor was quoting. So our pool was empty for a few months until I was able to repair the stairs myself. Then we had the pool company install a new liner. You don't need to worry about bracing the walls of a vinyl liner pool, as the "A" brackets that are on the ground side, along with the wall bottom lip on the ground side are all encased in concrete for strength and stability. Our pool was empty for 3 1/2 months until all was repaired. If you have a liner in the pool, you just don't want to drain your pool down, so there is no weight on the liner, as a vinyl liner can wrinkle if it isn't kept tight against the sidewalls. Usually about 4 inches in shallow end is enough to keep it tight.
 

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