Hi everyone! My wife and I just bought an older home ('77) that comes with a pool in significant disrepair. I've owned some hot tubs, but am admittedly pretty ignorant when it comes to pools. Tried to educate myself as much as possible but please forgive any stupid questions.
So my question regards bulging of the fiberglass walls. Here's some quick background...This pool is of indeterminant age and was already somewhat "old" when the current sellers moved in four years ago. The pool inspector guessed it was around 15 years old. It's 25x12. I had it inspected and leak checked, and all seems to be more or less ok. The inspector noted some bulging but didn't seem too concerned, however, because fiberglass pools are rare here (central Texas) he admitted he wasn't an expert. When we first saw the property the pool was about 3/4th empty (the house had been vacant for some months) so I highly suspect that's what caused the bulging. I plan on getting it re-gel coated.
SO...here are some questions I haven't really been able to find answers to on my own:
1) Is bulging ever just "cosmetic?" Or is always an issue that needs to be addressed before something catastrophic happens?
2) Since I don't know how long it's been bulged out, would trying to correct it and "bend it back" possibly cause more harm than good? It could have been bulged for a decade without issues and I'm almost afraid of cracking it by trying to fallen it out.
3) I've seen pictures of what looks like horizontal braces/jacks used to push the walls back into place, but all the written information I've found advocated messing around with the backfill...is that the only recommended way of fixing these issues?
heres a picture. Yup, looks pretty nasty
So my question regards bulging of the fiberglass walls. Here's some quick background...This pool is of indeterminant age and was already somewhat "old" when the current sellers moved in four years ago. The pool inspector guessed it was around 15 years old. It's 25x12. I had it inspected and leak checked, and all seems to be more or less ok. The inspector noted some bulging but didn't seem too concerned, however, because fiberglass pools are rare here (central Texas) he admitted he wasn't an expert. When we first saw the property the pool was about 3/4th empty (the house had been vacant for some months) so I highly suspect that's what caused the bulging. I plan on getting it re-gel coated.
SO...here are some questions I haven't really been able to find answers to on my own:
1) Is bulging ever just "cosmetic?" Or is always an issue that needs to be addressed before something catastrophic happens?
2) Since I don't know how long it's been bulged out, would trying to correct it and "bend it back" possibly cause more harm than good? It could have been bulged for a decade without issues and I'm almost afraid of cracking it by trying to fallen it out.
3) I've seen pictures of what looks like horizontal braces/jacks used to push the walls back into place, but all the written information I've found advocated messing around with the backfill...is that the only recommended way of fixing these issues?
heres a picture. Yup, looks pretty nasty
Us fiberglass owners enjoy some things about pool care unique to our FB pools, but at the same time we have those same precautions like not letting the water get too low. FB pools are known to shift or lift-up & out of their original position when the water weight is missing. Humor me please because I'm struggling to see on this small image ..... is the shell bowing-in or outwards? It looks like it's bowing inwards to me. If so, and as you noted, other owners have installed horizontal braces to span across the shell to stabilize it when empty to prevent collapsing inwards from the pressure of the earth around the pool. Some will also drill some holes in the bottom to allow upward water pressure to equalize and prevent an up-heaving effect when the ground gets saturated. You appear to have dodged that bullet though as the pool has been quite low of water and does not appear to have moved upwards.