Cracks in fiberglass pool

[Poolnewb105]

Hey guys,

I just happened to notice 2 areas of cracking around the stair area of our fiberglass pool. 1 of them is about 10 inches long and the other is more of a spider crack with 4 separate branches about 10 inches long as well.

Do these hairline cracks look like superficial cracks in the gelcoat or is it something more sinister that requires repair? My nail just barely catches the crack when passing over it.

We have had more rain than usual this July but everytime I check the groundwater hole, it's completely dry. Although, the hole is located on the opposite side of the stairs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Texas Splash]

They do look like stress cracks. A little food dye in the area should confirm if they are anything more than cosmetic. How old is your pool?

 

[zea3]

Try turning off the pump and dropping some food coloring just above the crack. If it looks like the food coloring gets pulled into the crack it is leaking. If not its just gelcoat but still worth keeping an eye on.

 

[Poolnewb105]

They do look like stress cracks. A little food dye in the area should confirm if they are anything more than cosmetic. How old is your pool?

12 years old.

 

[Poolnewb105]

I just hopped in with some red food coloring and did not see any evidence that the cracks were sucking in the food coloring. These cracks are undetectable when running your fingertips over them but you can just catch it with your fingernail.

Does this mean it's just the gelcoat that's cracked and if so, is there anything I should do about it?

Thanks again for your help!

 

[avspin]

The fiberglass should be about 3/8" - 1/2" thick, multilayer. My fiberglass pool is nineteen years old and I have few stress cracks in the gel coat but they don't go through the shell. Like on a boat, you get small hairline cracks in the gel.

I'm not saying that's what you have, it's common to have hairline cracks. But you should listen to the comments above and try dye.

 

[cowboycasey]

It can be done DIY but not for the faint of heart.. Almost any mobile boat repair shop can repair your pool faster than you can imagine...

 

[Texas Splash]

Does this mean it's just the gelcoat that's cracked and if so, is there anything I should do about it?

That would be my suspicion. I wouldn't worry about it unless they get worse or you see evidence of dye getting pulled through. No sense opening-up that can of worms right now. That would be something to address in the future if/when you ever decide to have a complete resurface project done.

 

[Poolnewb105]

That would be my suspicion. I wouldn't worry about it unless they get worse or you see evidence of dye getting pulled through. No sense opening-up that can of worms right now. That would be something to address in the future if/when you ever decide to have a complete resurface project done.

Interesting. How frequently are fiberglass pools typically resurfaced? We live in the Northeast. Thanks.

 

[Texas Splash]

How frequently are fiberglass pools typically resurfaced?

Only when absolutely needed or if the owner had a gelcoat issue they wanted resolved or changed. No specific timeline really.

 

[dianedebuda]

We had ours resurfaced at about 30 years because we were getting surface bubbles on the floor. Will be resurfacing again in Oct mostly for cosmetics since the pool was a swamp for several years due to equipment & medical issues and has stains as well as a couple of pro, not DIY, crack patches.