Can you "reset" an in ground fiber glass shell?

[Aleforge]

I posted a bunch of questions here a few days ago and did not have much luck (it was prob too long, lol). So I thought I would simplify my questions. I am having major back fill issues and it's destroying my shell. I can not afford a new pool, and do not want to lose the one I have. Considering the sides are bulging and the floor is uneven, can a company come lift up a shell, fix the hole and reset it? I assume that is extremely expensive, but also would imagine it's cheaper than buying a completely new pool (I have no idea though). Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

Sorry you have not received an answer yet, but please keep in mind that most of our members are not pool builders, or installers, but just average pool owners.

This is going to limit the number of members who might have some background in the question you asked, so it might take a day or so..

Let's see if one of our fiberglass pool owners can chime in...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Aleforge]

No worries, I understand that. I really was not complaining. I am just kind of in desperation mode and I am having a hard time finding any companies in my area that deal with existing pools.

 

[pabeader]

Look for videos of fiberglass pools being installed. Might be some hints in that as to what it would take to lift and reset.

 

[Veccster]

We considered fiber glass but the risks of what you are experiencing were too much. You really have to have good drainage around the pool - french drain to daylight. The sump is good as well. The builders I spoke to also recommended stone backfill - not sand. Sand washes and shifts. Lastly, you can't have loose soil - it will shift too much and cause bulging.

I'm not a builder but we were very close to installing a FG pool. We bought one, and when the storage facility picked it up with a crane, the shell cracked in half. They tried to sell us another but....no way.

My point is, if you are considering another pool, why not consider vinyl or concrete? I think both are much cheaper than fiberglass. And if you pay to have someone come in to lift it, you risk splitting the shell in half - and still have to pay the crane company / pool builder.

 

[Aleforge]

I am pretty sure it was never installed correctly, but I bought the house 4 years ago and the pool is from 2000 / 2001. I made the huge mistake of not paying an inspector to look at it. I assumed wrongly that since it made it 13 years it was fine from major problems like this. Then came the rain in December of 2015, and then just last week we had almost a foot in a week period (Missouri). So anyways because of this I assume its back filled with sand but I am not sure.

I did not give thought to the cracking possibility when its being lifted, thank you very much Veccster for pointing that out. That's way too much of a risk considering the cost of that endeavor. I thought about it but vinyl wasn't coming up much cheaper? I really thought it would cut costs on a new one. The thing that's not helping is having to pay for the removal of this one.

I cannot find anyone who will come out and look at it either, every place I call says they only work with the pools they installed (but offered to install a new one, lol). I keep coming up with things in my mind that could help the situation, but do not know if it would be possible.

For instance: Cutting out the concrete about the two bad areas then removing the back fill causing the bulging areas. Then re filling with gravel. I have this image in my head that the water could push the bulges back into place before adding the gravel.

Thanks for the help!

 

[swimcmp]

You can do what you are asking. It just isn't a simple contact a crane and hoist it out. There are a lot of steps to go through in the process. The first thing you would have to do is remove any concrete around the pool that would be attached to the shell. You will need to make spreaders to fit across the top of the pool to brace it from side to side. You will then need to strap them with a 2" yellow load strap to keep them from sliding. Once you have that done start pumping the water out as you are digging the back fill material out. As you are doing that you will have to watch out for your plumbing runs. After you have all the backfill removed then you can reinstall it to the original manufacturers specifications, ie sand or gravel backfill. While you have your shell out of the ground you can install a 4" tile either to daylight or to a sump pit to remove excess ground water.

 

[keithw]

Pictures would help get you some feedback I think. Repairing fiberglass is relatively easy and fiberglass pools are actually fairly strong in spite of what people seem to post about them. If you have a dramatic water table issue and it was not addressed on install then you would probably be in even worse shape right now if you had a vinyl pool. It regards to fixing it if you are a DIY capable person, it is certainly doable. It would be hard to sub this type of job out affordably as a firm is not going to want to take the time that it would take to fix your existing issues or even assume the risk that they could not do it. They would rather rip and replace I would guess. Post some pics and lets see how extensive it is. Detailed pics of each of the issue areas would be helpful as well as pics of the deck area.