Greetings From Gadgetman In West Texas

[gadgetman]

Hello!
I purchased my home about two years ago that has a large in-ground (hybrid?) pool. It's all concrete with a fiberglass liner & has a row of tile at the waterline. The builder no longer builds this type of pool nor do they repair them, they only sell pre-made fiberglass pools (how convenient!). The pool was installed in 2001 and as far as I can tell, has never been modified or refurbished. Since purchasing this property two years ago, the pool has gone down hill very fast. The fiberglass gel-coat in shallow end has started to crack and peel up, exposing the raw fiberglass. Also, the entire surface is extremely chalky & will cloud the pool if rubbed a lot.

To my knowledge, no one in my area knows anything about refurbishing this type of pool. I'm pretty handy and mechanical, so I want to do as much of the work as possible. I have added a photo of the pool wall with the tile at the skimmer and a photo of the peeling gel-coat in the shallow end. What options to I have to make this pool like new again?

 

[duraleigh]

Re: Greetings From West Texas

Very first thing I would do is solicit PB's advice. He knows how it was built and may offer some insight, if nothing else.

 

[gadgetman]

The pool builder is off limits - that was the 1st thing I did & they were less than helpful to say the least.

 

[Patrick_B]

Hey Gadgetman! Welcome from another West Texan. Midland area here. You found a good spot for pools at TFP. I'd listen to duraleigh on that advice. Sounds like your best plan. I don't know where you are, but I've talked to just about every builder around here recently. There are others, but they are still smokin busy right now.

 

[gadgetman]

So Far...Nothing

Merged by moderator. No need for duplicate threads for the same question. Thanks, jblizzle

I addressed this group on Sunday (see below) and so far, I've got nothing but advice to contact the pool builder, which was the first thing I did & I wrote that! That builder was no help at all & its a dead end street. I live in Texas & I have no idea how many gallons my pool holds nor do I know how to calculate it. I would like to learn how to do that! Its a weird design. I can provide photos if needed. I really need to find an program of refurbishment for this beast. I'm also interested in the BBB methods, but I'm skeptical because of the condition of my pool surface. I really want to hear some helpful advice....

 

[jblizzle]

Sounds like you pool type is fairly unique, that few members likely have experience with. Most members are homeowners who are not going to know how to do the massive remodeling that it sounds like you are looking to do. So the lack of responses is not surprising to me.

Now you have started asking questions that we can help with ... like estimating volume and helping to understand the chemistry.

There is a volume calculator at the bottom of poolcalculator.com ... you just have to come up with an average width, length, and depth. If you add a picture with some dimensions, we can help.

The BBB method is really just about understanding your pool’s chemistry and through accurate testing, adding only what the pool NEEDS and not what someone wants to sell you. It will certainly work to maintain a clear pool regardless of the condition of the surface. There are a lot of articles in Pool School to get you underway to understanding the chemistry.

I hop someone can offer advice about your surface, but it might be a long shot.

 

[Bama Rambler]

If there's a large marine repair place close you might talk to them about reworking the gelcote. They have lots of experience in repairing boats and they can probably give you some advice. even if the company doesn't want to fool with it, the fiberglas guy might have a crew that can handle it on the side. If they won't help you might try a local motor home repair place. Even an industrial fiberglas guy might have some advice.

As for the volume, if you cna give us a diagram and some basic dimensions, we can probably take a swag at it.

 

[Patrick_B]

Edit:

 

[gadgetman]

Now we're getting somewhere!
Pool dimensions:
16.5 ft wide by 34.5 ft long by 8.5 ft deep. The corners are 45 degrees (see attached pics) & the bottom sides are tapered.

 

[jblizzle]

I would estimate around 23k gallons to start ... kind of depends on the shallow depth and depth profile.

 

[gadgetman]

I think the actual fiberglass is OK. It looks like just the gel coat that's coming off/up. I called a vendor in PA or NJ last year, but it was difficult to do much over the phone. I really need to do this myself as much as I can or I might as well sell it...

 

[Bama Rambler]

I get about the same as JB, 23,000.

 

[toofast]

I think the actual fiberglass is OK. It looks like just the gel coat that's coming off/up. I called a vendor in PA or NJ last year, but it was difficult to do much over the phone. I really need to do this myself as much as I can or I might as well sell it...

Gel coat work is not really super easy, and you need all the right stuff. I've done some small boat repair and it is a pain....can't image a DIY for a whole pool - that is HUGE !!

You can google Gel Coat Repair and will find a ton of info to help you.