Crack repair in a poured concrete pool...

bp460

0
Jun 16, 2009
24
Chicagoland
Pool Size
1
This is a great site... very informative. Hopefully this post will become a resource for others.
I am researching products to repair cracks in my poured concrete pool (it came with the house
I purchased about four months ago). The pool had not been opened for a few years, so it was
a bit of a chore, but i managed to clean it up and balance the water and enjoy it this summer.
There are visible cracks and I am losing about 3/16" of water per day. I have pressured checked the intake and return lines and also performed several bucket tests for evaporation. Pressure tests were good and my pool water went down faster than the water in the bucket. I tested a crack in a corner with dye and visibly saw the dye drawn into it. I temporarily patched this with butyl rubber tape, but am still losing water, I assume through the other visible small cracks. At this point, I plan to drain the pool, fix the cracks and repaint with a high quality epoxy paint. Time and weather permitting, I will do it this Fall, or for sure in the Spring.

I am considering this companies products for repairing the cracks:
http://www.sanitred.com/SwimmingPool.htm
Does anyone have experience with their products or have recommendations for something else?
Also, what brand of epoxy paint do the folks here like best?

Does anyone have experience with this company:
http://www.renosys.com/
They will adhere a vinyl liner to an existing concrete pool. The seams are heat welded on site. It looks like a viable option, but I haven't gotten a quote from them yet.

Also, does anyone have recommendations for pool crack repair specialists in the Chicagoland area.

Thank you in advance,

Brad
 
If your only loosing 3/16 a day, the crack that you taped, my be the whole leak. Thats not very much. See if you can find a product called A+B epoxy it comes in white or black. Mix it up, kinda like clay, and smear it into the crack (wet or dry) and rub it in to make flush. I think you may find this an inexpensive, permanent fix!
Good luck
 
Thanks for the reply. Actually, in a 24 hour period, I lose about a 1/4" a day.
I thought about using quick epoxy patch, but there are several cracks, including one along the floor/wall seam. The pool could also use a new coat of epoxy paint, so I figure I will be draining it anyway and would like to make the best repairs possible using the highest quality materials.

I was hoping to get some recommendations on crack repair products and also an excellent epoxy pool paint. Any thoughts?

Thank you,

Brad
 
Brad, welcome to TFP!!

You want to do this once and do it right! :)

FIRST!! make sure the local ground water level isn't going to float the pool if it's empty :hammer: (please remember that if you get hard rains or, if you do this in the spring, that rain and spring melt can cause 'surface water' to float the pool, if you don't have adequate drainage!)

What you'll want to do is drain the pool to expose the cracks and then chisel them out a little, so that any failed concrete is out. Then prep the area with water and acid to insure a good bond with the new material. I've had success with Waterplug, but there are a few different hydrolic cements you could use - this stuff sets up VERY quickly, so only mix small batches (just enough to let you apply it and smooth it within ~ 4 min)

Once you've patched the cracks and applied the hydrolic cement, follow the instructions on the pool paint TO - THE - LETTER!!!!!!!! You'll waste time and money if the paint isn't properly applied!!

If you have more questions on this, please feel free to ask :-D
 
Ted's procedure is absolutely correct. Use hydraulic cement (Lowes and Home Depot have it). This will permenantly fix your leaks. I had one that regular concrete would not stop when the contractor was cementing my pool bottom. It would just wash back out so he fixed it with hydraulic cement and it did the trick.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
 
The niches and light fixtures I installed on my DIY pool used a "sealing kit" that was pretty pricey and, in my opinion, was really just a 2-part epoxy.

However, that "kit" may have been a code requirement but I just can't remember. I will look in my storage shelter to see if I saved the box but I doubt it.
 
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