1969 gunite pool ladder brackets are threaded, looking for how to attach a new ladder to the deep end

[CMH-CVG]

Been searching for a way to use the existing threaded ladder brackets in a gunite pool built in 1969 in Ohio/USA to install a new ladder. There used to be a ladder based on photos prior owners have sent me, but they don't have memory or knowledge on why the ladder is missing.

I want to avoid cutting the stone/rough pebble deck and install the new wedge style brackets.

Will try sliding a ladder onto the bracket holes and see if they fit, and if they remain secured enough to use. However I don't think there is a way to hold the ladder from being lifted or not be loose.

For winter close out, the ladder would have to be removed, and there is no automatic cover system either.

Measured Dimensions
a) Internal Diameter 2.2 inches (56 mm) using a caliper
b) Both brackets are 17 inches apart (edge to edge) or about 17+1.1+1.1 = 19.2 inches apart center to center, which I believe matches standard pool ladder width.
c) Brackets are also positioned 17 inches (edge to edge) from the edge of the pool or 17+1.1 = 18.1 inches from the center

Attach is an image with included dimensions.

I have contacted as many pool companies I have found via google search (USA, UK, Australia) and none have any suitable suggestions or memory of a threaded connector.

I have not been able to determine if the thread is metric or imperial, and I have also not found any suitable threaded PVC type pipe that fits into the existing holes to use as a standard to help the search.

My next move, then is to purchase a ladder that fits the width dimensions and determine if they fit inside the holes and can be adequately used.

Also, on ladder selection, what brands are recommended that are 100% proper grade stainless steel to avoid corrosion? I have read in the forum about ladders that have shown rust from the inside, not related to the stainless steel bolts, indicating they most not have been all the right steel quality

Thanks

 

[ajw22]

Let's see if @1poolman1 has seen this problem.

 

[1poolman1]

Let's see if @1poolman1 has seen this problem.

It is very likely that those threads are the same as a 2" pipe thread. Trying to find something that will fit will be very difficult at best. The ladder that was initially installed on that pool may have been made from galvanized pipe, many of that era were. Once the assembly was pieced together, the anchors were threaded on and the whole thing was put in place when the deck was poured. Not even sure they would have been bonded back then.

Its not the most fun thing to do, but installing new wedge anchors and a Saftron ladder that doesn't need bonding is probably the best course.
It can be done even without a large drill using a 1/4" masonry bit to drill a series of holes in a 4" circle and then removing the center portion by drilling it several times to break it up. Not real hard, but it is tedious to be bent over drilling all those holes.

Before I was able to purchase a large roto-hammer and 4" bit I did at least 30 that way, mostly handrails, but two ladders as well.

One of the ladders was a replacement for an older one that was no longer available. Trying to find a new one that matched the dimensions of the old to reuse the existing anchors was impossible, there is no "standard" dimension for ladders. They are all "about" 17.5" wide inside-to-inside, and "about" 20" center-to center but the distance from the anchor to the pool varies a lot. Had to drill new anchors in a location slightly away from the existing and filled the old anchors with quick-set concrete. That is likely what will have to be done in this case, but what is available in Ohio may be different to what I had access to.

 

[CMH-CVG]

Thank you for the insightful comments that provide a probable explanation.
Identified a Paragon 19" width ladder #42302 that has dimensions that could slide into the existing sockets.

You raise a key question about the bonding. If the original sockets are not bonded, and I find a stainless steel ladder that fits...what are the options left?
a) must be bonded, don't add a stainless steel ladder unless bonded.
b) If possible bond the existing sockets and or ladder. Would need to research how too, then add the ladder.
c) Believe a plastic ladder would also need bonding...
Thanks

 

[1poolman1]

Thank you for the insightful comments that provide a probable explanation.
Identified a Paragon 19" width ladder #42302 that has dimensions that could slide into the existing sockets.

You raise a key question about the bonding. If the original sockets are not bonded, and I find a stainless steel ladder that fits...what are the options left?
a) must be bonded, don't add a stainless steel ladder unless bonded.
b) If possible bond the existing sockets and or ladder. Would need to research how too, then add the ladder.
c) Believe a plastic ladder would also need bonding...
Thanks

Starting at c), plastic-coated ladders and rails DO NOT require bonding. That's why they are made. The coating, except for black, is cooler also.

b) you can test whether the existing sockets are bonded. With a good meter, one that can accurately measure in the range of 2 ohms, you can put one lead on the socket in the ground (test both) and connect the other to the bond wire at your equipment. If you don't have a bond wire there, and a pool that old may not, the pool may not be bonded unless it has copper plumbing, which passed as a bond because even pumps that old were metal, mostly bronze, and the copper plumbing connected them all. If you don't have a bond wire and do have copper plumbing, a ground clamp can be put on the plumbing and a bond wire (8ga) can then be used to attach to the bond lug on the pump and any other metal that is present in the pool equipment and within 5 feet of the pool. You may need a long piece of copper wire to accomplish the test. The best reading would be 0 ohms between all bonded parts.

a) "bite the bullet," install new anchors and a Saftron ladder if there is no bond at the pool. Its more tedious than hard. Installing a bond would require cutting the deck, finding or uncovering some bare rebar, installing a bond clamp to the rebar, re-burying the rebar in concrete, running that 8ga wire to the equipment and sockets. That would require cutting the deck even more. Then, the sockets would have to be dug out to attach the bond if they have a bond screw.

Before Saftron, and another brand that was very similar, came out, I did the whole run-a-bond wire for a pool that didn't have one. Vowed I'd never do it again and haven't. And that was when I was in my early 40s, a long time ago. Don't have a bond wire and don't like Saftron, there are others who will do it the wrong way.

 

[CMH-CVG]

Thank you also for your thoughtful insights and knowledge sharing. Will look at the options you are suggesting, and thanks for the Saftron ladder suggestion.
Separately I will be adding another thread regarding replacing the light in the deep end and hope I can benefit from this forum ample advice. Thanks,