Repair help, concrete-fiberglass combo pool, fiberglass repair and paint removal.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
I

IDoDIY

0
Jun 29, 2015
3
Ohio
Hi,
I could use help in making sure I do this repair correctly. I need to remove the paint and fix the cracks in both fiberglass and concrete.

First I need to blast of the old paint. Pressure washer isn't fully cutting it even with a rotating nozzle, there are about five coats of paint including the original 1970 coat. It gets most but then I need to grind it and that's slow, really hard work and really messy on the rest of the yard. What's the best way to get to bare concrete? Soda blasting seems like it would have least impact on the garden that's nearby, but will that work?
I was about to rent a big soda blaster but thought I'd better ask the experts first! I need to blast down to the concrete on the bottom.
I also need to remove the paint from the fiberglass, and I think the only safe way to do that will be to grind it off - let me know if there's a better way (I tried the pressure washer and sheared a little layer of fiberglass off it so no more!).

Second there is a crack in the middle of the pool right at the top edge of the ramp - it basically follows where the shallow end/deep end flag normally would bisect the pool, going through both the fiberglass and concrete.
Concrete repair seems straightforward since it's hairline, I can clean it and install carbon-fiber staples. There's a lot online about this.
Fiberglass though is a mystery, it's a 1/8" wide line that's nearly straight up and down.
What kind of fiberglass do I use to do the repair - should I get a boat-hull repair kit? Is this different from a fiberglass car-repair kit?

Details:
Pool is rectangular about 35,000 gallons, with a deep end, a flat ramp up to the shallow end, and shallow end. Salt generator for chlorine, DE filter, gas heat. One skimmer, one drain, two returns (one can also run a Polaris). Concrete bottom, fiberglass sides (one sheet of fiberglass unrolled around the perimeter of the pool, about 3' tall).

I'll post pics tonight if it will help.
Thank you!
 
Welcome to the forum. :wave:

The vast majority of folks here are pool owners and not pool contractors. There are many DIY folks but non that have self-proclaimed as extreme DIY.

Where I am going is that you may not get the kind of advice you seek. Pool water management? There is no better forum in the world. Reconstructing a swimming pool? Well, maybe.....let's see who can help you.
 
Its hard to answer your questions without some idea of what we are talking about. Pictures would really help.

You should look at this thread -- no fiberglass but great on extreme DYI renovation and crack repair. DIY Pool restoration project

AS to some of your questions.

I would pressure wash the whole thing a couple of times prior to any blasting. I have no idea what your surfaces are like but a couple of careful pressure washes should drastically reduce the amount of blasting. Pressure washing these surfaces is slow tedious work so stock up on the beer and expect to spend a great deal of time at this.

I think you mean sanding/ polishing the paint off the fiberglass right --

That takes some experiments start with a fine grit and then go more coarse until you find a grit that removes the paint efficiently but not the substrate. I'd then use a wet sander with diamond polishers. But that's me. Again this is slow tedious work.

As to the fiberglass -- boat repair -- there are threads on here on how to repair but I would have a boat repair guy look at it.

Finally -- if the concrete shell is good why not look at installing a vinyl liner and calling it a day?

Have fun and post pictures --



So go at it

Gordon
 
You didn't post pictures, but I can imagine.... because I had about the same disaster. If it is a concrete pool, why put fiberglass on concrete, well, there are a lot of answers, none of them good. If there is fiberglass, that is porous, so you have gel coat, right? Nope, probably not, at least not after all of the blasting and stuff. So, they painted it to seal it, why? Anyway, paint lasts a couple of years, at best. Period. The crack in the middle of the pool screams volumes, but I'm not sure what it is saying... pool movement? Attempted floating? Do you have a hydrostatic well?

Do you possibly already have a track for a vinyl liner? If so, I'd run, not walk, in that direction. Before I did ANYTHING on a big scale, I'd check the integrity of ALL of the piping: skimmer(s), returns, and main drain... if that comes back with no joy, I'd say the pool had at least partially floated in the past. At any rate, now you are digging up portions of the pool deck.

You aren't going to get any really useful help without providing the repair background on the pool, structural makeup, and pictures. Even then it is going to be a best guess at what to check, not a definitive schedule on repair.

Since you have a 45 year old pool, if you have a liner track, I'm betting you actually have a pool with a concrete bottom and wood sides, which was common in the day. Many of them were fiber-glassed and painted..... which created a huge mess......
 
* Hi - in case this website doesn't let me reply to each comment, a quick thank-you to all the responses. Unfortunately I posted a reply the night of my post, then got an error that I could not post again until something like 1000000 seconds so now I'm back.

gwegan said:
Its hard to answer your questions without some idea of what we are talking about. Pictures would really help.
You should look at this thread -- no fiberglass but great on extreme DYI renovation and crack repair. DIY Pool restoration project
* that is a great post - thank you - I'll read that in more detail, make some decisions and start posting pics.

AS to some of your questions.

I would pressure wash the whole thing a couple of times prior to any blasting. I have no idea what your surfaces are like but a couple of careful pressure washes should drastically reduce the amount of blasting. Pressure washing these surfaces is slow tedious work so stock up on the beer and expect to spend a great deal of time at this.
* bingo. I tried a few pressure washers 3100 psi/4000 psi with different tips and settled on the rotating nozzle tip. That got through a few layers. That nozzle is the key.

I think you mean sanding/ polishing the paint off the fiberglass right --

That takes some experiments start with a fine grit and then go more coarse until you find a grit that removes the paint efficiently but not the substrate. I'd then use a wet sander with diamond polishers. But that's me. Again this is slow tedious work.
* I will look into this, I tried a few combinations and I think a flat sander will work best. Again, I'll post pics once I get farther in to this.

As to the fiberglass -- boat repair -- there are threads on here on how to repair but I would have a boat repair guy look at it.
* I tried this, not a lot of luck finding a good boat guy. The most helpful said to try auto-parts store for the same fiberglass resins and materials. I need to read up on this a little more.

Finally -- if the concrete shell is good why not look at installing a vinyl liner and calling it a day?
* I see your point but this pool is high use. Neighbor kids, volleyball, basketball and it's only going to get rougher.

Have fun and post pictures --
* thank you! I will! This was helpful - thanks.


So go at it

Gordon
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply