Any help is appreciated as seems no pool contractor in my area knows what to do or willing to work on it. I have what appears to be a hybrid pool. Bottom is concrete and walls are fiberglass panels. Behind these 8 feet fiberglass panels is galvanized steel walls (no idea why). As you can see from picture, the connection between wall and floor is lifting and cracking causing a leak. It appears as if previous owner did these fiberglass patches to connect wall to floor himself unprofessionally over existing paint which is causing it to lift now. What are my options to fix? Should I consider vinyl? Should I consider removing fiberglass walls back to steel? Should I remove paint, seal and then plaster?
Hybrid pool major issue
- Thread starter Bisaac
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,665
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hybrid Pools - Further Reading discusses your options.
No one understands and repairs those pools anymore.
Put a liner in the pool or build a gunite pool in the hole.
No one understands and repairs those pools anymore.
Put a liner in the pool or build a gunite pool in the hole.
MAPR-Austin
In The Industry
The galvanized walls were probably starting to show corrosion, so they coated them with fiberglass. I wouldn't remove it unless it is delaminating or has other issues.
The seam between the walls and floor can be bridged with the proper materials and proper prep. You are correct that going over a painted surface virtually guarantees failure.
We have renovated well over a hundred hybrid pools - new interior finish, adding waterline tile, even replacing the metal coping strip up top with new concrete coping. It is not a simple or cheap process, but when finished it looks like a gunite pool.
You could also blast the floor down to good material and have it plastered, then a sealant joint installed where the floor and walls meet. You will want to check/maintain the sealant annually.
I don't know much at all about vinyl liners, but they are definitely a more economical option than fully refinishing the pool. I feel like the number of corners and angles may make fitting a liner hard but I am just speculating.
The seam between the walls and floor can be bridged with the proper materials and proper prep. You are correct that going over a painted surface virtually guarantees failure.
We have renovated well over a hundred hybrid pools - new interior finish, adding waterline tile, even replacing the metal coping strip up top with new concrete coping. It is not a simple or cheap process, but when finished it looks like a gunite pool.
You could also blast the floor down to good material and have it plastered, then a sealant joint installed where the floor and walls meet. You will want to check/maintain the sealant annually.
I don't know much at all about vinyl liners, but they are definitely a more economical option than fully refinishing the pool. I feel like the number of corners and angles may make fitting a liner hard but I am just speculating.
Thank you for the reply. What's your service area? The bridging material you mentioned what kind of material is it? I believe a fiberglass cloth patches and resin was used. Is that correct? Also if I go the plaster router which is my preferred so far what sealant should be used for the joint seam where wall meets floor?
MAPR-Austin
In The Industry
We work nationwide, I sent you a message.
Sealant needs to be suitable for immersion, either Sikaflex or Latasil are what I have used in the past.
Sealant needs to be suitable for immersion, either Sikaflex or Latasil are what I have used in the past.