New fiberglass crack - should I be worried?

[thejeff]

Hi guys,

After fixing an issue with both of my pool lights break off due to ice movement this winter, I came across a crack in the corner of my Leisure Fiberglass pool... This is new to this year, although I do recall noticing a small hairline crack previously. It seems like it grew wider and longer.



How worried should I be about this?

It does not appear to be leaking. The crack is black in the photo due to dirt/grime from the winter.

I am thinking of at least drilling shallow holes on each end of the crack and filling with epoxy or perhaps fiberglass resin to stop it from getting worse? Thoughts?

Appreciate the help!

 

[ajw22]

If the crack is not leaking I am not sure I would drill stop crack holes at the end and possibly start a leak.

Fiberglass is very repairable and I would find a fiberglass repair shop who works on Corvettes or boats and see what they say about repairs.

Do you know the manufacture of the pool and have you contacted them to ask for repair advice?

@Texas Splash thoughts?

 

[Texas Splash]

An indication of ground movement I suspect. How old is this pool? Is it still under warranty? I believe most have a 10-yr period.

 

[thejeff]

Thanks guys. The pool is 3 years old. It was not installed by a "Leisure Pools Authorized Installer" or whatever. We did a self-install (my father-in-law owned and operated a foundation business and was known as the most meticulous around - the base and backfill were immaculate, as was the concrete collar around the pool. It was properly installed with no expenses spared or shortcuts taken. Honestly better installed than the certified installers that just did my brother-in-law's pool. I believe we may not qualify for warranty because it was not installed by a certified installer... I would need to check into that.

As for stop drilling the crack, the plan was to fill the drill holes with marine epoxy like JB Weld MarineWeld or 3M 5200 to avoid any leakage.

I will contact Leisure Pools to see about warranty but won't hold my breath. Going under the assumption that I'm on my own.

 

[thejeff]

I did contact a fiberglass shop that I trust. He mentioned that to properly fix it, you need to strengthen from the back to stop crack from reopening (he did not specifically look at the crack in my pool). Trying to repair from the front usually does not last very long especially with our Canadian freeze-thaw cycles. I am debating trying the marine epoxy, stop-drill to see if it'll stop it from getting worse. If not, I would consider digging behind the pool and fixing from behind and getting a professional in. The location of the crack is only about 1.5-2 feet from the top and happens to be underneath artificial turf around my pool... certainly something I want to avoid if possible but at least it's not at the bottom of the deep end.

 

[Texas Splash]

Jeff, I agree that you should wait until you have a chance to engage with Leisure. I don't doubt for a second your father-in-law's install was just as good (if not better) than anyone who might have been contracted, but we know the game - same with chemical maintenance arguments and warranty's. I seem to recall other FG pools being repaired from the inside only. After all, if you had a crack at the bottom there would be no way to get to the backside from underneath, so I'm curious to hear what Leisure Pools tells you.

 

[dianedebuda]

Don't have the freeze/thaw cycles you do, but FWIW, here was my repair from last fall: repair 2 leaks

 

[thejeff]

Thanks for the responses - drained the water just below the crack and seeing the crack in the dry it appears to be gel coat only... I can't see there being a structure crack behind it. I was able to find a fiberglass gelcoat repair guy that will come see the pool soon. He will most likely repair the gel coat. I may have to order some gel coat from Leisure.