Repair for metal coming through pool wall

[ArtP]

This has been present since I bought the house in 2016, stains and all. There's about 1/4" or less of metal (I'm guessing rebar?) coming through a couple spots in my pool wall. Up until now I've just ignored it since it doesn't seem to really cause any problems. However, I'm getting tired of the ugly rust stain. I had the pool empty and I was checking out the rusty area, and running my fingers over it I can see how it might be a little hazardous too, since the edges are rough on the metal.

I don't want to potentially make things worse by trying to grind anything down, so I was thinking of maybe just covering the protruding metal with some kind of repair product (maybe this one from Amazon), and then working on removing the stain once the exposed metal is covered. What does everyone think? Is this a dumb idea? I do not want to spend money on paying a professional to do the work - I'd rather leave it as it is than spend too much money on it.

Also, if I repair it with some kind of epoxy or cement, I realize it will still look funny without the pebble finish. Is there anywhere I can find matching pebbles to embed in whatever product I use to repair?

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Since this has been visible from 2016 the steel (rebar or a tie) that’s in contact with the pool water has become very decomposed and may even have structural integrity issues. Only way to confirm how much damage if any is to expose the effected area.

 

[ArtP]

I have wondered if it affected whatever steel is behind it. How did it come through in the first place? The wall doesn't seem to be thinner or damaged there. It seems like it was a mistake made when the pool was built (2003-ish I believe).
I dug up my home inspection report and here's what they had to say about it.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Pool water has come in contact with the rebar or tie via a crack in the plaster and Shotcrete, not necessarily from the rebar being too close to the surface. The inspectors comments that it’s only an esthetic concern may not be correct due to metal is being eroded and may have a direct influence on the structural integrity of the shell. Like stated before the only way to confirm how much is by exposing the damaged area. It may only be a tie rusting and nothing more.

 

[ArtP]

There don't seem to be any cracks. I looked at it very closely today with the pool empty. What it looks like is a few small pieces of metal (a few millimeters in diameter) on the wrong side of the plaster and pebbles.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The only way to know is to chip out the plaster in that area. My neighbor had a similar small stain and it turned out to be a rebar tie that got into the plaster mix. If the plaster crew was not careful during their shoot or the area was messy, it is possible to get foreign debris in the mix. It’s also possible that there’s something in the gunite wall near the plaster causing this. That’s the problem, could be really simple or something worse but there’s no way to know by just looking at it. The plaster has to get removed to see if there’s a problem.

And you can’t just cover up rust patches. The rust will always come through or around whatever patch you put over it. It has to be inspected and fixed.

 

[ArtP]

Well I've talked to one local company with good reviews. They told me there's no company that will come in and just repair that single spot, and the entire pool will need to be refinished. They said it would be somewhere between 7,000 and 12,000. Is it true that I can't get someone to just repair that spot? With some Google searching, I found a company that claims they can do the rebar repair underwater without draining my pool.
Which one is bigger BS?

What will happen if I continue to ignore it as I have been?

 

[Bperry]

Well I've talked to one local company with good reviews. They told me there's no company that will come in and just repair that single spot, and the entire pool will need to be refinished. They said it would be somewhere between 7,000 and 12,000. Is it true that I can't get someone to just repair that spot? With some Google searching, I found a company that claims they can do the rebar repair underwater without draining my pool.
Which one is bigger BS?

Likely no one wants to repair it knowing it’ll fail again and then have to deal with warranting the work.

 

[ArtP]

Likely no one wants to repair it knowing it’ll fail again and then have to deal with warranting the work.

That's what the lady from the company I talked to said. But I was wondering about that company based in Scottsdale who claims they DO underwater rebar repairs.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

That first company is trying to sell you a replaster job. Spots can be repaired. My neighbor that had a spot from rebar uses Patio Pools as her pool service company (ridiculously expensive) and they did the spot repair for her.

You just have to keep calling around to find someone willing to do the work. It’s best to drain the pool to do the repair properly but the “underwater guys” might have a process they are willing to warranty.

 

[ArtP]

That first company is trying to sell you a replaster job. Spots can be repaired. My neighbor that had a spot from rebar uses Patio Pools as her pool service company (ridiculously expensive) and they did the spot repair for her.

You just have to keep calling around to find someone willing to do the work. It’s best to drain the pool to do the repair properly but the “underwater guys” might have a process they are willing to warranty.

It did strike me as a little odd that they thought it was impossible to repair a single spot in a pool. But I don't have any experience with it. I emailed the "Underwater Operations" company and I'm waiting to hear what they say.

However, talking about the replaster job did get me thinking about all the ways I could spend more money to make my pool more fun... adding a slide, changing the pebble color, etc... I wonder if pool upgrades would affect my home value.

 

[Bperry]

It did strike me as a little odd that they thought it was impossible to repair a single spot in a pool. But I don't have any experience with it. I emailed the "Underwater Operations" company and I'm waiting to hear what they say.

However, talking about the replaster job did get me thinking about all the ways I could spend more money to make my pool more fun... adding a slide, changing the pebble color, etc... I wonder if pool upgrades would affect my home value.

They can but not always the way you think. On average having a pool with any kind of known problem seriously degrades the home value. For example, I walked away from the home I’m in for a bit because the pool needed a replaster job. We ended up coming back after we got the sellers to kick back some cash for that. Rust coming through the shell would have sent me running.

On the other side, building a brand new pool rarely increases the home sale price as much as the pool costs. It might increase the sales price a bit for people who want a pool but it’s not like putting in a new kitchen. Things may have changed a bit due to covid but that was generally true before 2019.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Agreed. Pools add little to no value to a home. We had our home home appraised shortly after the pool was built for a refi and I talked to the appraiser about pools. He said the only thing a pool will do is change the comparisons a little bit but he’s never seen it add more than a few thousand dollars to the asking price, if that. They might make a home more sellable in an area like mine (hot dry climate) but they do not affect the price much. You’ll never get back what you put into it. Kitchen/bathroom remodels, closet upgrades, garage upgrades, etc, those add value to a home.

 

[ArtP]

I have heard that about adding a pool - that they don't help your home value. I suppose remodeling an existing pool is probably a similar story, although a fraction of the cost of installing a new one.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

As the saying goes - the cheapest pool you can build is the one that already comes with a home.

 

[ArtP]

That first company is trying to sell you a replaster job. Spots can be repaired. My neighbor that had a spot from rebar uses Patio Pools as her pool service company (ridiculously expensive) and they did the spot repair for her.

You just have to keep calling around to find someone willing to do the work. It’s best to drain the pool to do the repair properly but the “underwater guys” might have a process they are willing to warranty.

Well I finally heard back from the underwater repair guy, and this is what he told me.
I'm going to get an estimate anyway on the replaster job, but I'll take your advice and call around a bit more to find out if someone out there will do the spot repair.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Yeah , the underwater guy is sketchy. Lots of unlicensed guys doing trades work in AZ that claim the “handyman exemption” but break the law by under-quoting jobs and then trying to get cash off the books. You have to stay from guys like that. If they screw up you have ZERO recourse.

 

[kul]

When we were looking for a home, we wanted one with a pool and I feel in our area they are popular enough to pay more for - and usually do go for more than similar sized homes without a pool. We knew that us building it on our own would have been a no go considering the oversight and cost. Though I have friends who never want a pool. They are my boring friends.

Sounds like this guy who texted you was sorta shady. Probably better off finding someone who has the qualifications you want.

 

[Bperry]

Yeah , the underwater guy is sketchy. Lots of unlicensed guys doing trades work in AZ that claim the “handyman exemption” but break the law by under-quoting jobs and then trying to get cash off the books. You have to stay from guys like that. If they screw up you have ZERO recourse.

He does kind of have a point about the pool inspectors report though.

 

[ArtP]

He does kind of have a point about the pool inspectors report though.

I guess, but the inspector didn't actually do any work on my house or pool. So I can't imagine you'd have any recourse anyway, for them giving you bad information.