Old pool renovation

[Kwikee]

Weel it looks like our swimming season is over in Melbourne, Australia and the plan is to renovate our pool before next Summer. Part of these plans are to add some lights to the pool walls, cover the old marblesheen with Epotec epoxy paint, replace the waterline tiles and coping and possibly add more plumbing such as additional return jets and secondary suction point.
The question to start with is are these reasonable things to be able to add? I imagine you can chase out the path for pipes/conduits then with an epoxy grout reseal them into the wall, paint over with the Epotec and have a waterproof renovation but is this a real expectation?
Also, what are the opinions on epoxy coatings? Epotec have a website: http://poolpaint.com.au/

 

[jumpinjackieflash]

I don't know about Oz, but here in the US, painting a pool isn't really a good thing to do. It doesn't last worth a hoot, that's what I've been told, and you would only do it if you had to sell the house and didn't have any money to replaster. It's a quick and dirty job and it doesn't hold up to the chemicals. With a pool as large as mine, you'd have to spend nearly $1,000 in water just to fill it up again, so wasting time and money painting just wouldn't make sense.

All the rest of your plans sound fine. What is the cost of replastering or are you planning to do all of this work yourself?

 

[Kwikee]

The epoxy coat I'll do myself and if the process of adding lights etc is as I'm thinking, I'll do that myself too (concrete/formwork is what I do for a living). Epotec claim 10-12 years lifespan of their product which I wouldn't doubt given the other uses of epoxy coatings in acid/alkali storage tanks. If it can handle a pH of 1 or 14, I imagine a pool wouldn't give it much grief. It's also a pretty cheap way to go, around $1600 for the primer and epoxy.

 

[jblizzle]

With a pool as large as mine, you'd have to spend nearly $1,000 in water just to fill it up again, so wasting time and money painting just wouldn't make sense.

Are you sure? There was a discussion a while back and while there was some variance, it seemed to indicate that $5 / 1000 gallons of water was pretty typical in the US ... I highly doubt you have a 200k gallon pool.

I think generally water is cheaper than people realize (at least in this country) ... unless you were paying to have water trucked in as that would certainly cost more.

EDIT: Although I guess at times there are restrictions put in place that may drive the cost up quite a bit is you are in drought conditions.

Also, many people do not realize that sewer fees are often tied to the the water usage. Many water suppliers will reduce the bill to account for filling a pool if you call them so you are not charged sewer fees for the water used in the pool.

 

[jumpinjackieflash]

With a pool as large as mine, you'd have to spend nearly $1,000 in water just to fill it up again, so wasting time and money painting just wouldn't make sense.

Are you sure? There was a discussion a while back and while there was some variance, it seemed to indicate that $5 / 1000 gallons of water was pretty typical in the US ... I highly doubt you have a 200k gallon pool.

I think generally water is cheaper than people realize (at least in this country) ... unless you were paying to have water trucked in as that would certainly cost more.

EDIT: Although I guess at times there are restrictions put in place that may drive the cost up quite a bit is you are in drought conditions.

Also, many people do not realize that sewer fees are often tied to the the water usage. Many water suppliers will reduce the bill to account for filling a pool if you call them so you are not charged sewer fees for the water used in the pool.

Yes I am sure, unfortunately. Houston has jacked up our water rate and added a "drainage fee" onto everyone's bill (just another tax in reality, and a way to tax church properties)(thanks, voters!) , and they also eliminated the break on sewer fees for filling a pool. Our water bill has climbed from $8/mo. when we moved here (23 years ago, granted) to over $100/mo. now, and I don't water my lawn very much. It's shocking, and extortion. Guess they figure if you are rich enough to have and maintain a pool, you can just go ahead and pay for the extra sewage fee, no breaks.

We are in drought conditions too, but no sign of water restrictions yet. I will however check with the supervisor because we are plastering next week and must fill it and get it re-started right away.

 

[jumpinjackieflash]

The epoxy coat I'll do myself and if the process of adding lights etc is as I'm thinking, I'll do that myself too (concrete/formwork is what I do for a living). Epotec claim 10-12 years lifespan of their product which I wouldn't doubt given the other uses of epoxy coatings in acid/alkali storage tanks. If it can handle a pH of 1 or 14, I imagine a pool wouldn't give it much grief. It's also a pretty cheap way to go, around $1600 for the primer and epoxy.

Well that would be a savings for sure. Let us know and be sure to take photos! I want to see this stuff applied.