The 1963 gunite pool (35,000 gal) has been painted white over blue over white by prior owners and chunks of the paint are now peeling off, exposing the gunite (?) underneath, caused by the dolphin pool cleaner and poor painting.
The backwash shows a lot of white paint residue, so in the abundance of caution, decided to resurface the pool.
Once the pool was drained, an 11.5" x 11.5" metal crate on the pool bottom (@9ft deep) was removed, exposing an accumulation of debrie, dirt and leaves, as well as an old fashion sump valve and a mystery threaded U-shaped pipe.
There is no visible piping or valve that activates the U-shaped pipe at the bottom. Perhaps it once was used as a drain, but it must be closed off somewhere as it is non-functioning. The pool passed a leak test 3 years ago, and since has not shown any evidence of water loss.
The pool will be sandblasted and prep for Florida Stucco (what the pool company uses), and the water line tiled.
There is an existing single light which also does not operate, which I dont really want to seal over with plaster in the event that I get the pool light to operate again.
QUESTION RELATED TO THE SUMP VALVE (Attached photos of the sump valve and U-pipe)
1) Should I leave the system as is, given that it has not leaked in the 3 years of ownership?
The pool is located on the highest part of a hill, thus do not expect high hydrostatic pressures.
QUESTION RELATED TO WAYS TO AVOID DIRST TRAPPED UNDER THE CRATE HOUSING THE SUMP VALVE
2) While the metal crate accumulated a large amount of debris, leafs and dirt (photo attached), the pool water has remained crystal clear following TFP Pool Math suggestions.
Being the first time that the crate has been lifted (there was no suction, all pipes are closed off somewhere) I dont know if the dirt has always been there, or is a recent outcome of Hurricane Helene which deposited a large amount of debris inside the pool.
Is there a novel way to maintain the functionality of the sump valve, but place a solid cover over the area to discourage drist from reaching down below?
QUESTION REGARDING REPLACING POOL LIGHT OR COVERING WITH PLASTER
The pool light is not operational, and until it is removed from the housing before resurfacing I dont have more information on the state of the house niche.
The electrical fixture/cable was wedged between two slabs of agregated cement coping, so it is not incase in conduit, and its broken in several places (lawnmower?).
The pool company tells me it is not to code, and is best to plaster over the niche and look for other options for a light.
As the light is not operational, we have not benefit it from it....which leads me to think its ok to cover it up and avoid a potential leak source. However I dread covering a light niche that could be used later with the proper electrical work done.
My question is should I proceed with the removal and covering of the light niche, or leave the light with a proper seal, even as a decorative non-functional feature, until I find a way to bring it to code (there is no electrical power connected to any of the light cables)
Thanks for looking into my many questions.
I also posted an update on how I found a threaded solution to install a pool ladder.
Carl
The backwash shows a lot of white paint residue, so in the abundance of caution, decided to resurface the pool.
Once the pool was drained, an 11.5" x 11.5" metal crate on the pool bottom (@9ft deep) was removed, exposing an accumulation of debrie, dirt and leaves, as well as an old fashion sump valve and a mystery threaded U-shaped pipe.
There is no visible piping or valve that activates the U-shaped pipe at the bottom. Perhaps it once was used as a drain, but it must be closed off somewhere as it is non-functioning. The pool passed a leak test 3 years ago, and since has not shown any evidence of water loss.
The pool will be sandblasted and prep for Florida Stucco (what the pool company uses), and the water line tiled.
There is an existing single light which also does not operate, which I dont really want to seal over with plaster in the event that I get the pool light to operate again.
QUESTION RELATED TO THE SUMP VALVE (Attached photos of the sump valve and U-pipe)
1) Should I leave the system as is, given that it has not leaked in the 3 years of ownership?
The pool is located on the highest part of a hill, thus do not expect high hydrostatic pressures.
QUESTION RELATED TO WAYS TO AVOID DIRST TRAPPED UNDER THE CRATE HOUSING THE SUMP VALVE
2) While the metal crate accumulated a large amount of debris, leafs and dirt (photo attached), the pool water has remained crystal clear following TFP Pool Math suggestions.
Being the first time that the crate has been lifted (there was no suction, all pipes are closed off somewhere) I dont know if the dirt has always been there, or is a recent outcome of Hurricane Helene which deposited a large amount of debris inside the pool.
Is there a novel way to maintain the functionality of the sump valve, but place a solid cover over the area to discourage drist from reaching down below?
QUESTION REGARDING REPLACING POOL LIGHT OR COVERING WITH PLASTER
The pool light is not operational, and until it is removed from the housing before resurfacing I dont have more information on the state of the house niche.
The electrical fixture/cable was wedged between two slabs of agregated cement coping, so it is not incase in conduit, and its broken in several places (lawnmower?).
The pool company tells me it is not to code, and is best to plaster over the niche and look for other options for a light.
As the light is not operational, we have not benefit it from it....which leads me to think its ok to cover it up and avoid a potential leak source. However I dread covering a light niche that could be used later with the proper electrical work done.
My question is should I proceed with the removal and covering of the light niche, or leave the light with a proper seal, even as a decorative non-functional feature, until I find a way to bring it to code (there is no electrical power connected to any of the light cables)
Thanks for looking into my many questions.
I also posted an update on how I found a threaded solution to install a pool ladder.
Carl
