Hello everyone. We bought a home this past winter that has both a pool and a hot tub. I must say first, that as a first time pool and hot tub owner, this site has been invaluable. Having this reliable and trustworthy resource has been the most refreshing thing of being a pool owner so far.
We are on the fence about the pool. Not sure if it's something we'll find ourselves wanting to use enough to keep around, especially given the work that our particular pool will require. It's a fiberglass pool that is at least 31 years old and all that remains of the finish is a flaky blue paint covering up a white chalky finish. I presume the white was the original finish. In 2012, it was an algae pit, by the end of that year it was ¾ drained. This is probably when the sides ballooned in a bit. I believe it was painted blue during the 2015 season by some flippers who treated it the same way they did our bathroom bathtub–just didn’t give a $&!^. We've decided to give it two seasons to decide if it's something we want to keep working with or call in the old dump truck.
After I took off the winter cover and got everything reconnected, pool filled back up, etc., I powered up the pump and it leaked 6 ways from Sunday. It took a few weeks of effort to figure out the pump model I have (Dura-Glas I I think?) and then find compatible seals. One of the leaking seals was the shaft seal. Given the amount of buildup around the motor faceplate, it had been leaking for some time. The motor had a slight squeal to it, but given its apparent age, no worse for wear. It ran fine for several weeks with new seals, albeit a bit warm imo. Then one day it wouldn't start without a little mechanical boost from a wrench on the rear nut. This past weekend, I was on day 3 of doing a SLAM to get rid of the algae that had snuck in while the pump was offline and I shutdown the pump after some water I'd splashed on the housing began to boil. So I gave it a few hours break, but it will have no more. Those bearings are toast and it looks like we’re back to square one.
So I’d love your thoughts on options for this pool. It seems it may be dancing with end-of-life, similar to the pump motor. Slap another paintjobber might give it one or two more good seasons but after that, it’s over. Or are there any other real options I have for resurfacing it? Is there any reason not to replace the motor bearings and instead buy a new one? Also notice it has a crappy spring check valve on it that I link is on it's way out too and is there any reason for having those 45's? IIRC, with respect to flow, 2 45's are better than 1 90. Any reason I shouldn't extend the top straight piece near the multi-valve, put the check valve up there, and then another 45 onto the pump, omitting the 90?
Thanks!
We are on the fence about the pool. Not sure if it's something we'll find ourselves wanting to use enough to keep around, especially given the work that our particular pool will require. It's a fiberglass pool that is at least 31 years old and all that remains of the finish is a flaky blue paint covering up a white chalky finish. I presume the white was the original finish. In 2012, it was an algae pit, by the end of that year it was ¾ drained. This is probably when the sides ballooned in a bit. I believe it was painted blue during the 2015 season by some flippers who treated it the same way they did our bathroom bathtub–just didn’t give a $&!^. We've decided to give it two seasons to decide if it's something we want to keep working with or call in the old dump truck.
After I took off the winter cover and got everything reconnected, pool filled back up, etc., I powered up the pump and it leaked 6 ways from Sunday. It took a few weeks of effort to figure out the pump model I have (Dura-Glas I I think?) and then find compatible seals. One of the leaking seals was the shaft seal. Given the amount of buildup around the motor faceplate, it had been leaking for some time. The motor had a slight squeal to it, but given its apparent age, no worse for wear. It ran fine for several weeks with new seals, albeit a bit warm imo. Then one day it wouldn't start without a little mechanical boost from a wrench on the rear nut. This past weekend, I was on day 3 of doing a SLAM to get rid of the algae that had snuck in while the pump was offline and I shutdown the pump after some water I'd splashed on the housing began to boil. So I gave it a few hours break, but it will have no more. Those bearings are toast and it looks like we’re back to square one.
So I’d love your thoughts on options for this pool. It seems it may be dancing with end-of-life, similar to the pump motor. Slap another paintjobber might give it one or two more good seasons but after that, it’s over. Or are there any other real options I have for resurfacing it? Is there any reason not to replace the motor bearings and instead buy a new one? Also notice it has a crappy spring check valve on it that I link is on it's way out too and is there any reason for having those 45's? IIRC, with respect to flow, 2 45's are better than 1 90. Any reason I shouldn't extend the top straight piece near the multi-valve, put the check valve up there, and then another 45 onto the pump, omitting the 90?
Thanks!
Looks like a nice pool and I'm sure it was a gem back in the day. I will say that your pool is one of the old-timers that probably had a fair amount of calcium used in the gelcoat process. If the water was allowed to get aggressive (low CSI) it may have tried to etch/remove some of that calcium. But there are companies that do gelcoat repairs and resurfacing. If I had to toss a very generic number out there, perhaps around $15K or so? That's a real dart in the wind number, but those are complete gelcoat refurbs. It's time to ditch that single speed pump for sure. Today's pumps, especially the variable speeds, are much more efficient, quieter, and more economical that when they first hit the market. If the filter is sound, then all you may need to do one day is change the sand. Normally sand never needs replacing unless someone before you used a floc or clarifier product. Looks like a lot of potential if you can do it. Nice ot have you on the forum.
