Pool Leaking, rapidly, please help!!!

[BelLa's Pond]

Sorry, only one photo, but you get the idea. Not exactly a horizontal tear as I described. The other tear is similar and a tiny bit smaller. This is about a 3" tear. I can't even tell you what's under the fiberglass lining. In the lower right of the photo you can see where I applied some waterproof epoxy to a chipped but not torn surface.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[JamesW]

Any hardware store will sell fiberglass repair kits. Example.

I have also used epoxy to repair fiberglass.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/Upl ... repair.pdf
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/an-overvie ... m-epoxies/
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/epoxy-resins-and-hardeners
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... sNum=10297

WEST MARINE #00523
4239 W Bell Rd
Phoenix, AZ85053-2710
602-564-6680

West Marine-515
1628-1 East Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ, USA
480-897-6300

Valley Marine
7018 N 53rd Ave, Glendale, AZ, USA
623-931-9159

You should do a few practice repairs first. Once the two chemicals are mixed, they get hot and set up very fast.

 

[BelLa's Pond]

Awesome! This is just the info I need, thank you. I will be studying all this today. Can you tell me the advantages/disadvantages of using a fiberglass repair kit vs the epoxy?

I have a feeling I will want or need to continue to make small repairs like this until the day I can afford a whole new shell. Also, I enjoy DIY projects but I am at best a novice as far as patience, skill and expertise go.

Thanks again for your answer!

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Looks like you have fiberglass over concrete, so you could eventually either drop a custom liner or have the fiberglass chipped out and a plaster/pebble finish applied. I wouldn't get another fiberglass coating, given the issues that you and many others have had.

 

[BelLa's Pond]

Thanks for the info. Believe me, once I have the money, it won't be spent of another fiberglass liner, but I have at least a couple of years of doing band aid type repairs before that happens.

Here's another question: once I get all repairs done, where's the best place to get some semi-matching paint? I won't be painting the whole pool, so don't really want to buy more than a gallon if I can help it. The last paint job was with something along the lines of a "gel coat" in "Bahama Blue". Anyone have any advice?

Thanks for all!

 

[JamesW]

The epoxy is more flexible whereas the fiberglass is more brittle. I like the epoxy, but it's expensive. Both do not have good "build up" on vertical surfaces.

PC-11 works well and has good build up capabilities on vertical walls.

Poxofill Epoxy Patching Compound would probably also work.

Zeron would probably be a good choice for the paint.

Coverage: Approximately 225 - 250 square feet per gallon.
Available in these attractive colors: White, Blue Ice, Blue Mist, Bikini Blue, Viking Blue, Spanish Blue, Sunshine Yellow, Red Pepper, Black, and Clear.

 

[BelLa's Pond]

Ok, so I decided to go with this:


http://www.westsystem.com/ss/epoxy-resins-and-hardeners

This "system" has many uses and methods of application and I'm not 100% sure about which method is best.
Does anyone have any experience with this product?
Even though there is a helpline I can call for this product, I would much rather have an opinion frome someone here.
My gameplan is to use some fiberglass tape on the inside of the tear, pump in some epoxy with a syringe, let it set a bit, use more epoxy with added filler and apply with a putty knife. Sand lightly before painting?
I did locate a place to buy the Zeron paint.
Thanks very much for all the great info!!!

 

[BelLa's Pond]

Fortunately for me, a friend of a friend visited, he's helped me before with many issues, does mostly drywall.
Sure I could have probably followed my game plan and been somewhat sucessful, but wow!, talk about a reason NOT to do it yourself. This guy is an ARTIST!
Basically, he cut some rubber tubing and tucked it behind the 1/4 gap between concrete and fiberglass where it's warped, cut out some plastic from a milk carton and put that over the rubber, and then preceded to layer about 4 layers of fiberglass mesh with the epoxy. Dried, painted, done! No visual evidence of repair. There's no way I could have done such a masterful job.
The pool is holding water 100%, the leak was 99% coming from the light housing.
On to the next problem!
Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

[JohnT]

 

[Bama Rambler]

x2

It's nice to have friends!