Diving board base attachment

[NirvanaFan]

I bought my house last Fall and it came with an older, in ground pool. I used to be in charge of chemicals at a large public pool, so those aren't a problem. However, I have little experience with home pools.

My brother in law went a bit overboard with jumping on our diving board over the holiday weekend. The bolts that attach the diving board to the base pulled out of the base. I assume the bolts/nuts rusted from being so old. They were all stripped when I pulled them out. Google Earth shows the pool being installed sometime before 1994. I have no idea how old the diving board and/or base are. My plan was to take the base off the concrete, grind the nuts off the inside of the base, and weld new nuts onto the base. Simple enough job.

Well... it was supposed to be simple. When I was detaching the base from the concrete, one of the rods that is anchored into the ground snapped off. Awesome!
The other rods are a pretty rusted too.

So, my new plan is to detach the base from the rods, cut/grind them off at the concrete level, and then move the diving board 2" to the side. I'll have to drill holes into the concrete, anchor the threaded rod into the holes with an epoxy, and then attach the repaired base to the new rods/anchors.

Does that sound like a good plan?
Can I just move the location about 2" to the side without any trouble?
What epoxy should I use to anchor the rods? The "SR Smith Epoxy Kits" are crazy expensive. Can I use an epoxy like Quikrete high strength anchoring epoxy (Product # 8620-31) and a high quality stainless steel rod? https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/32/3254ef0f-d6d8-4a96-93b3-17d80b55dce6.pdf

 

[almostakeeper]

Use only "Sika" epoxy. How thick is the concrete at the new location ?. It will determine the length you can use on the concrete anchor bolts. You can always weld or bolt on a larger plate to the plate pictured to spread out the footprint for more anchor bolts. When using the bolt epoxy, clean the drilled hole out of any residue with air or water.

 

[Lake Placid]

I would have concerns about the integrity of the board. Useful life is generally 10 years-ish. If it’s original to a pool that was installed pre 94 you‘re talking about a board that is nearly 30 years old. Before you do anything, perform some serious due diligence on the history of the board to ensure your safety. If in doubt either abandon the whole thing or get a new one.

 

[NirvanaFan]

Use only "Sika" epoxy.

Why Sika brand? What makes their line (like 1 or 2) better than the Quikrete I linked?

 

[NirvanaFan]

I would have concerns about the integrity of the board. Useful life is generally 10 years-ish. If it’s original to a pool that was installed pre 94 you‘re talking about a board that is nearly 30 years old. Before you do anything, perform some serious due diligence on the history of the board to ensure your safety. If in doubt either abandon the whole thing or get a new one.

My brother in law gave the actual board a good test when he was breaking the base. It was probably the couple beers he had in him, but he was jumping on the end of it kind of like a trampoline. The board wasn't creaking, making cracking noises, and didn't seem to having any issues with a 200+lb person jumping on the end of it.

 

[1poolman1]

Not cheap, but designed for your application. The amount of strain on a board and its anchoring system are much higher than most people realize. For safety, use what is designed for the application.

Poolweb Diving Stand Anchoring Kit with Four 6 x 1/2 Inch Stainless Steel Bolts - 75-209-5868-SS​

 

[almostakeeper]

In construction, when adding a concrete slab against another, if a two part epoxy, Sika is not used to embed the rebar the inspector won't pass it. Never used the Quickrete, if it's a two part epoxy it shoud be similar.

 

[phonedave]

Sika makes good products - that is likely why the inspector specs it - they know its' performance. There are other similar products out there though.

You can buy a purpose designed kit as describe above, or go with separate epoxy and rod as you mentioned. Just make sure what you use is indeed rated for a diving board. There is a lot of uplift force going on.

I would consider welding a larger plate to the bottom of the existing stand. That way I could put the diving board back in the same spot, but have the anchors in new concrete (it would also cover the old mounting area, hiding the stains and holes)

Again, lots of stress on those parts. I would NOT trust myself to weld on that plate, but then I am an admitted crappy welder. I subscribe to the "a grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain't" and "the bigger the gob, the better the job" schools of welding. If you can lay in a good, strong, full penetration bead, then do so. Me, I would take it to the local welding shop to have it done.

 

[MWS]

What did you end up doing, and how did it work out?

If you use half-inch bolts, what size hole must you drill to leave room for the epoxy?