Abandoned Pool - Suggestions Please

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TWA you have brought out the TFP big guns..what a treat to see there responses! I agree you will need lots of pics for this project so I firmly recommend clicking on the "SUPPORT TFP" link at the top or in my signature block. This is totally voluntary, its tax deductible, nice perks like photo storage and such. The advice you receive will continue even if you choose not to donate! Donations is how they keep the lights on and this site running.

Just another thing to consider :)
 
OTPirate said:
You do have to think about water restrictions where you are. I’m on well water, so no worries here.
My pool doesn’t have the depth yours has. Only about 6 feet at the deep end.
You will need a good pool vacuum in a pool that size.
I’ve been able to manage a fairly large residential pool by myself. There is nothing like it when you can invite the whole third grade class or all 30 cheerleaders over for a pool party and not blink twice. Go big or go home!
Click to expand...

We are also on well water so I'm hoping that will save us.

We also have a somewhat large family - easily reach 20 people before inviting friends. So yeah, we go big.

~ Tumbleweed Acres
 
I am so in on this one!!! Here is my first "job" for you............please go measure that pool. Break it up into "pieces" then add it all together when you get done. That will help us help you the best. We will have a firm grasp on what you are dealing with that way.

Kim:kim:
 
This is not a difficult rehabilitation.

It is a liner pool, there are several tells. Jimmythegreek listed a few.

I do not see a liner track/extrusion, but I see some lumber. This was an up & over liner.

Sider Crete will quickly fail & plaster, AB or pebble will not be practical, unless you have tens of thousands $ to burn.

The best bet is to locate or install a liner track/extrusion.

The deepend looks like it will take a true expert to measure & fit the bowl area. So change it, you don’t get to practice.

1- fill deepend to a desired depth, take your liner measurements from the water you added. Now you have an easy flat plane for measuring and fabrication.

After measuring, break a hole in the floor for the day your liner does leak, they all will.

After floor is punched, place competent & compacted fill about 2 to 3 inches shy of the liner spec. The 2 to 3” is for “prepared subbase material” to satisfy liner warranty demands.
 
kimkats said:
I am so in on this one!!! Here is my first "job" for you............please go measure that pool. Break it up into "pieces" then add it all together when you get done. That will help us help you the best. We will have a firm grasp on what you are dealing with that way.

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...

Okay, I put on my boots and grabbed the tape measure and note pad . . .

Pool.jpg

The pool measures 24.5' wide by 50' long. There are three steps into the pool and a shallow end (3' deep) for about 15.5' until it starts sloping to the deep end. And a rough measurement of the depth at the deep end is 9' deep (WAY off my initial guess of 12'-15' . . . never trust me to be accurate on time or distance).

We gave the pool a good sweep too and found two drains (?) at the bottom.

Making progress!

~ Tumbleweed Acres
 
Wow, what a great legacy! That thing is Huuuuuuuge. I am going to swim against the tide here, and suggest that you not give up on the diving board too quick. The pool is certainly big enough and deep enough (at least at its deepest point) for a board. I have some reservations about the shape and size of the diving well, however. I am not sure that it is deep enough for a large enough "diving envelope" for safe diving.

Here is a link to industry standards for diving pools: http://www.divingboardsafety.net/06-052ansi-standard.pdf

If it were me, I would give some serious thought to keeping a diving board. If you decide you might want to, take careful measurements to make sure the diving envelope is big enough based on the link above. Then you need to think about whether you can get a liner fitted for the diving well as it is without flattening it by partly filling it in. But if it all works, a diving board is a great thing to have, especially with a pool that big.

This is going to be great when you get it going. You will be glad you did.
 
I did a rough guess. The shallow part is 19,900 gallons. I put the deep end in at 7' deep to round it out some and got 51,300 gallons. This is a total of 71,200 gallons total! I used Pool math to get these numbers. I welcome anyone to redo it and see what they get. Math is not my best subject LOL

Those do look like main drains but they are mighty close together. When you have a few extra mins. see what you find if you gently clean them out some.

This is going to be a fun adventure!

Kim:kim:
 

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The sanitation needs for that volume of water will be massive. Multiple SWCG's or a chlorine gas injection system.
 
I am so excited to watch the progress of your pool! We have a DIY concrete block pool, and we made it 25’ x 50’ with a 4 ft shallow end to 9ft deep end. We LOVE the size because we can fit so many people in it safely. We have had the entire baseball team, soccer team, whatever team over after hot games and they all fit, have room to play and swim without being on top of each other. We have friends and family over and all of the kids can enjoy it. We did use a vinyl liner and our pool is very pretty. I would go that route if I were you. There are so many designs and colors to choose from. You can also do a plain colored liner, they don’t have to be busy. Good luck with everything and I will be watching daily for updates!
 
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"Tear it out and start over?! No, but I have thought of a tilapia farm......"

Well, not quite tearing it out and starting over, but have you considered a gunite pool-within-a-pool? Basically building a rebar frame inside your old pool walls and bottom and shooting it with gunite/shotcrete. You could take a couple of feet off all around if you wanted it a little smaller. Almost as expensive as a new pool (minus the excavation) but permanent and (should be) trouble free.
 
sktn77a said:
"Tear it out and start over?! No, but I have thought of a tilapia farm......"

Well, not quite tearing it out and starting over, but have you considered a gunite pool-within-a-pool? Basically building a rebar frame inside your old pool walls and bottom and shooting it with gunite/shotcrete. You could take a couple of feet off all around if you wanted it a little smaller. Almost as expensive as a new pool (minus the excavation) but permanent and (should be) trouble free.
Click to expand...

I almost suggested that, but they've got a massive shallow end that is only 3' deep. What would a layer of gunite and plaster do to that? And that's if they're measuring from the waterline, not the coping! It'd make a great kiddie section, but I don't think you could swim in that very well...
 
zea3 said:
One of those drains may be a hydrostatic pressure valve. Do you know if there is ground water in the area?
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Yes, for ground water, but both drains look to be surrounded by liner pieces, leading me to believe they were both inside the pool. ~ Tumbleweed Acres
 
TW you can also keep in mind that main drains are not necessary for good circulation.

There are many pools out there with no main drain. You could have them filled in and not
have any work done on that part of the plumbing, if you wish. Or if the drain plumbing fails
a pressure test.
 

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