Pool and deck repair/renovation

[WendellnLA]

Well, it’s time to take care some issues on my pool and concrete deck.
I decided to drain the pool due to the main drain being plugged and not flowing at all. Just easier to access it. Also, there was a plug screwed into the main drain port in bottom of skimmer. Not sure why it was blocked off. And CH getting up around 1400 at last check. With the Vegas water we have CH started a bit high and it been over 3 years since it was last empty.

I plan on diagnosing the main drain issue first. My plan is to start by trying to clear the line by using a drain bladder from the skimmer port. Then on to a snake if that fails. Any thoughts on my plan?
Now that the pool is empty, I am looking at the plaster and wondering if I should do anything with it. Any expert opinions on my plan of action on that issue? Doesn’t look too bad to me, but may have some calcium deposits.

The next issue is the concrete pool deck. It currently has a knock down texture that has started to fail in several areas and am looking for ideas on how best to repair. I am leaning toward grinding or shot blasting the whole deck and apply new texture/knock down. Or possible painting.
Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SinCityCJ]

With a separate IG spa and one pump listed, you should have shared suction. I would recommend posting pics of the equipment pad & the skim, as that may help the folks here determine how the main is set up and provide some ideas on why it isn’t working. Label the known piping , if possible. Add any other relevant info, i.e, it worked until “xxxxx“. Plug in the skim may just be an unused port, depends on how it was set up initially, skim model, etc...Could also have been sealed by a previous owner/ pool guy.

Whats the approximate age of the pool & plaster? Appears to have a fair amount of deposits and an acid wash is in order at a minimum.

3-4 yrs is typical for drain & refill in Vegas.

How long has the pool been dry? Getting pretty warm here now, so you will need to be hasty, IMO, to keep that plaster in shape.

The spray deck can be patched, but no way to match it exactly, given age, sun fade, etc... Best bet, IMO, is get a concrete contractor to look at it. You may have some other areas that are about to give up as well. Was there over spray from lawn sprinklers near the area that failed? Asking as the constant barrage from irrigation takes it toll on spray deck.

 

[WendellnLA]

Thanks for replying.

Whats the approximate age of the pool & plaster? Appears to have a fair amount of deposits and an acid wash is in order at a minimum.

House was built in 1971. I have owned the house since 2016, so age of pool/plaster unknown. Any suggestions on the acid wash? I am an accomplished diyer, but have no problem using professionals if I can find qualified/motivated people.

How long has the pool been dry? Getting pretty warm here now, so you will need to be hasty, IMO, to keep that plaster in shape.

Just finished pumping out last night, Tuesday.
how long do I have before I risk running into problems with plaster?

The spray deck can be patched, but no way to match it exactly, given age, sun fade, etc... Best bet, IMO, is get a concrete contractor to look at it.

Patching didn’t seem like a good option. Just too many bad areas, and as you mentioned, near impossible to match. The basic concrete structure appears to be solid,

And I don’t mind tackling the job myself. Any recommendations on finding contractors? I have not had much luck finding people that will show up and do what they say, when they say.

Was there over spray from lawn sprinklers near the area that failed?

No, I haven’t witnessed that since I have owned the house.

The main drain appears to be connected to the port that was plugged off. I will be looking into the main drain today and see if I can make sense of it.

I will get some pictures of the rest later today. But don't know how to mark up the pictures that I take on my phone with names of equipment, etc. I am a bit challenged when it comes to editing pics and video.


As I mentioned, I don’t mind using professionals to have the work done, but my budget is a bit tight right now. So anything I can do myself, helps the cause!

Thanks again for your thoughts/ideas!

 

[SinCityCJ]

Pics are the most helpful, don’t sweat the labels. Post what you find on the drain line. I’m wondering if it leaked and was just cancelled. Did it work when you purchased the home?

Keep in mind, Main drains aren’t necessarily essential, lots of folks cap them on reno or just don’t put them in at all on builds.

Acid wash isn’t difficult, just need to read up on it, go slow, wear PPE and neutralize the wash before pumping out. I haven’t priced it recently but you can get a couple quotes from licensed pool maintenance companies for compariso.
Look at yelp, angies list, houzz, etc... for reviews.

Send me a Pm for a contractor about the deck, I have a couple that are reputable.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Dont leave it empty for long. Make the drain repair attempt asap and fill it backup. Probably cracked line and they abandoned it. Plaster has been wet it whole life drying it out upsets older plaster. You dont need a main drain I dont bother installing them anymore unless it's a deep pool over 8ft

 

[WendellnLA]

Did it work when you purchased the home?

Not sure. Purchased the robot, and just cleaned the filters after every run. When I had the equipment pad redone, the suction cleaner line was stubbed off. Had the PG hook it into the plumbing. May have been like that since built. Not sure. While pool was empty, I pulled the valve guts for suction cleaner line and put water hose into it. Water ran to the cleaner port in pool, so it’s the right one. Funny thing is that when I look into the suction cleaner port in pool, it goes into a tee fitting. Not sure where else it would go to. Did they use a loop? Ran out of elbows during build and just stubbed off the other side or tee? Mystery!

Keep in mind, Main drains aren’t necessarily essential, lots of folks cap them on reno or just don’t put them in at all on builds.

While the pool was empty, I pulled the cover, and it was filled with fairly solid debris. I dug out what I could down into the 2” pipe. Ran agarden hose into the the skimmer port nearest the pool and cleared the blockage to the main drain. I will dye check it for leaks later


Acid wash:

I was going to DIY it, but I ran a check on Yelp for pool maintenance companies and requested acid wash. Prices ran from $550 up. The first response was my choice. Not the cheapest, but he came to the house and gave me a lot of tips and ideas. He had a good understanding of what I was looking for and we had a good rapport. He recommended an acid bath, as compared to acid wash. I refilled the pool starting last night about 7pm, finished this morning about 9:30 am. They will be out sometime tomorrow to get started.
I could have done it for about $200 materials/safety stuff, but decided to pay someone and get it done. I didn’t really want to keep the pool empty any longer due to warm weather forecast for next several days.

Most of the pipes on the pad are marked with their function. The valve on the left side next to the filter is heater on one side (default) and a flush/drain pipe on other, goes to the sanitary sewer.

Concerning the skimmer, there is the remnants of some kind of rubber adaptor that has melted into the suction port in the bottom of the skimmer. You can see the name Hayward moulded into it. That dog gone thing is stuck in there pretty good. Been picking out pieces, because that’s all I can get with pliers.
Will let you all know how the acid bath works out.

 

[WendellnLA]

Dont leave it empty for long. Make the drain repair attempt asap and fill it backup.

I read up on that AFTER I drained it! Lol
Filled it up last night/today after clearing the main drain. And to prepare for acid bath.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Good job pool looks good. The plug is fine in there it's just plugging the extra port and is likely plugged or capped underneath the skimmer. If you dont have a wall equalizer for the skimmer it's a dead port. You have a main drain line back to the pad correct?

 

[WendellnLA]

You have a main drain line back to the pad correct?


No, main drain plumbed to skimmer. I used a garden hose down the inside(closest to the pool) port in skimmer and was able to get the main drain to flow, blowing out a lot of debris. Cleaned out debris and replace cover before refilling pool.

 

[SinCityCJ]

Thats good news on the main!