15 Inch Spa Crack

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AlanHW

New member
Dec 3, 2022
3
San Diego
Hello TFP Members,

I am new to TFP, but not pools. I have a 22 year unground pool/spa, which I believe is Pebbletec, but not certain. I don't use the spa often, but was in recently and felt a crack under the bench. I drained it and was disheartened to find a 15 inch crack, which goes from a hairline to up to 1/8" open gap. I gently inserted a small wire in the crack and in one place, it went in over 2". I tapped the top of the bench directly above this area and found an ~10"x10" area with a hollow sound, so it seems water has been leaking for some time and washing out material under part of the bench. I inspected the rest of the spa and found another area with a small 3" crack that is slightly opened. Other hairline cracks were visible, but none that seemed to be open.

I'm attaching a photo and hope to receive advice on how to repair the crack(s) and/or seal the entire inside of the spa. I've read that epoxy might be the best product, so I'm looking for specific product and repair recommendations. My goal is to do this DIY vs calling in the expensive professionals, but not sure if that's a good idea.

Thank you in advance for your comments and recommendations!
 

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Have seen this many times, it’s a common practice for crews to use rebound when shaping steps and benches.
The problem is that it’s not being pneumatically applied so it’s just sitting on top of the substrate.
Most common with Gunite than with Shotcrete.
The question is do you want to actually fix it or just patch it?
 
I'd like to understand the steps/trade-offs of fixing vs patching. I assume a fix is calling in the pro's, but I'm not sure how extensive and costly that might be. I'm considering patching, where I may use a Dremel to slightly clean out the loose material and then patch with Aquabond structural repair product. However, I'm not sure how long the patch may hold and if I'd end up needing a full fix anyway.

Thoughts?
 
Hello Aqua-Holics,

I checked it this morning and there is still a damp ring all around the top edge of my empty spa, which has been drained about 4 days. It makes me wonder if there is a lot of moisture under the sitting area and if this is worse than I thought.

I'm sending a new photo and the 15" crack us above the fiber optic light, but I have moisture all around.

I appreciate your recommendations on this. And, if I need to contact a pro, please advise if you have recommendations for anyone around Carlsbad.

Thanks,
Alan
 

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AlanHW said:
I'd like to understand the steps/trade-offs of fixing vs patching. I assume a fix is calling in the pro's, but I'm not sure how extensive and costly that might be. I'm considering patching, where I may use a Dremel to slightly clean out the loose material and then patch with Aquabond structural repair product. However, I'm not sure how long the patch may hold and if I'd end up needing a full fix anyway.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

AFAIK Aquabond is for repairing cracks in the gunite shell and not plaster cracks.

Patching those plaster cracks will probably not keep the area from cracking again. The gunite the plaster is on is crumbling if rebound was used to build it up as @AQUA~HOLICS suspects. You will only find out if the plaster is removed and the shell examined. If the gunite is sound and just cracked then maybe aquabond can glue it together. If it is crumbling then you need some rebar and concrete to reform the base. Once the base is fixed then replaster.
 
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Alan, seems that delaminating has been going on for some time and this is showing with the amount of weeping for the past few days of the spa being empty.
My advice is to have a professional company do the repair with a warranty on their workmanship.
This would include removal of plaster to expose the substrate to see how far the damage has gone.
The only reason you have no rust of the cage is due to the seats are formed outside of any rebar structure.
To only patch/seal the the crack would most likely trap moisture and further damage the bond between the substrate and the plaster.
I would hire a plaster company that does remodel/repairs along with complete plaster jobs. The company I use would not travel the distance for a small job such as this because of travel time from the OC. If you need more info on what the process entails let me know.
 
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