Pool paint / epoxy - how to safely empty pool?

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jerrodlv

Member
Aug 30, 2024
7
Milwaukee, WI
hello! Bought our new home last fall, and are now pool owners. Previous owners used a pool company , but upon testing I found extremely high CYA and some other chemical imbalances, so we chose not to continue with that company. We rode out the season and closed it up.

Now, I’ve had to lower the pool for a few reasons
1. Correct the CYA. If I had to guess it was 250ppm+. Hard to tell on the Taylor test kit when it’s getting that high…
2. The pool light is missing. Not just the bulb, but the whole light housing / fixture. There is a cut electrical cable exposed in the niche. I’ve got a new light on order and the same place who ordered it lined up to come install. They said the water level needs to be lowered to below the light (that’s where the water levels currently sitting, until that work is done.
3. While lowering it, I noticed spots in the bottom of the pool where the paint is peeling. One spot in particular is quite large. It’s concrete floor with fiberglass walls (I think). Since it’s already painted, I think I need to go forward with a repaint. Been doing some research around epoxies and such.

The epoxy will obviously require me to fully drain the pool, however all the talk about pools popping up has me a bit spooked to drain it any further. My question is around this… what do I do to safely drain the pool so I can peel, clean, prep, epoxy?
I’ve read some talks of relief valves in the pool to allow ground water in if required, but not sure if my pool has that. I am in southeast Wisconsin, if that’s important.

Any experience or suggestions here?

Thanks!
 
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Did you do the CYA dilution test? Take equal parts pool water and tap water and mix. Use this solution as your pool water and when doing the test just double the result. See if this helps narrow it down some?

They just dont make pool paint like they used to. Shame. If you decide to go that route, consider how high your groundwater table is? If its too high you risk floating the boat oops, pool, out of the ground. No Bueno! For the light repair you just need to drain under the fixture.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Welcome to TFP.

jerrodlv said:
hello! Bought our new home last fall, and are now pool owners. Previous owners used a pool company , but upon testing I found extremely high CYA and some other chemical imbalances, so we chose not to continue with that company. We rode out the season and closed it up.

Now, I’ve had to lower the pool for a few reasons
1. Correct the CYA. If I had to guess it was 250ppm+. Hard to tell on the Taylor test kit when it’s getting that high…
Click to expand...

CYA > 90 dilution Test​

For CYA > 90ppm, repeat the test, adjusting the procedure as follows:
  1. Fill the mixing bottle with pool water to the lower mark (15 ml line).
  2. Continue filling the mixing bottle with tap water to the upper mark (30 ml line).
  3. Shake briefly to mix.
  4. Pour off half of the contents of the mixing bottle so it is again filled to the lower mark (15 ml line).
  5. Continue the test normally by adding R-0013, but multiply the final result by two.
If you need to dilute the pool water further, then apply these ratios:

Pool waterTap or distilled waterMultiply result by
112
123
145
Note that when doing a diluted test, you multiply the range of the test and the error rate of the test, so the results are a ballpark—not an absolute.

See CYA Testing for tips on how to read the test results.
jerrodlv said:
3. While lowering it, I noticed spots in the bottom of the pool where the paint is peeling. One spot in particular is quite large. It’s concrete floor with fiberglass walls (I think). Since it’s already painted, I think I need to go forward with a repaint. Been doing some research around epoxies and such.
Click to expand...

You have a Hybrid Pools - Further Reading
 
You may want to follow what is being done here…

DIY Hybrid Pool Renovation

- Originally built/installed 1988 - Made by Hallmark - 18,000 gallons - 3 foot shallow end, 6.5 foot deep end - Approximately 36x18 feet - 300 square feet of fiberglass, ~700 square feet of gunite A little backstory: We purchased this home in 2022, partly due to the great back yard and pool...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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jerrodlv said:
I’ve read some talks of relief valves in the pool to allow ground water in if required, but not sure if my pool has that. I am in southeast Wisconsin, if that’s important.
Click to expand...
The hydrostatic valve (if it exists) will be in the main drain or possibly drilled directly into the floor in the deep end. Look for a 2” diameter plug looking thing in the drain.
 
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YippeeSkippy said:
Did you do the CYA dilution test? Take equal parts pool water and tap water and mix. Use this solution as your pool water and when doing the test just double the result. See if this helps narrow it down some?

They just dont make pool paint like they used to. Shame. If you decide to go that route, consider how high your groundwater table is? If its too high you risk floating the boat oops, pool, out of the ground. No Bueno! For the light repair you just need to drain under the fixture.

Draining - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
I did the dilution test last year and still couldn’t get a reading, so I chalked it up as “at least 250 and needs to be drained”. I’ve already drained it to the light niche to get a look at the type of light that the niche takes, so that part is already in process, and the pool level is sitting just at the bottom of the light opening waiting for that work to happen.

As far as paint, I think it’s my path of least resistance as of now. Since the pool was already painted, it is likely easiest just to keep up on it. The water table level is exactly my question. How do I know? If it’s higher than my deep end… what do I do? Probably call in the pros at that point…

If I can safely drain it, I feel comfortable doing the epoxy work myself.


ajw22 said:
You may want to follow what is being done here…

DIY Hybrid Pool Renovation

- Originally built/installed 1988 - Made by Hallmark - 18,000 gallons - 3 foot shallow end, 6.5 foot deep end - Approximately 36x18 feet - 300 square feet of fiberglass, ~700 square feet of gunite A little backstory: We purchased this home in 2022, partly due to the great back yard and pool...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
thank you, this is very topical and timely!
 
jerrodlv said:
I think that ship has sailed lol. Unless I strip it and do something else, but idk what the difference is if I do that now, or 4 years from now. The pool is already painted..
Click to expand...
For the new paint to have any luck of sticking, you need to strip all the old paint off anyway.
 

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jerrodlv said:
What’s the alternative finish option if I’m fully stripping the current paint layer? Plaster?
Click to expand...
Not plaster. Epoxy coatings, new layer of fiberglass/gelcoat.

Kinda stinks but Painting over a layer of failing paint isn’t gonna last very long, even with good paint.
 
Bperry said:
Not plaster. Epoxy coatings, new layer of fiberglass/gelcoat.

Kinda stinks but Painting over a layer of failing paint isn’t gonna last very long, even with good paint.
Click to expand...
Gotcha. I was looking at an epoxy actually (I shouldn’t keep saying paint..). So yea, the plan was an epoxy. I am not sure if forum rules allow links to products, but I was looking at a couple on popular pool supply websites and on Amazon.

The bottom of the pool is concrete, so epoxy felt like the best choice to me.
 
jerrodlv said:
Gotcha. I was looking at an epoxy actually (I shouldn’t keep saying paint..). So yea, the plan was an epoxy. I am not sure if forum rules allow links to products, but I was looking at a couple on popular pool supply websites and on Amazon.

The bottom of the pool is concrete, so epoxy felt like the best choice to me.
Click to expand...
You can link to products you are considering for our comments.
 
jerrodlv said:
Gotcha. I was looking at an epoxy actually (I shouldn’t keep saying paint..). So yea, the plan was an epoxy. I am not sure if forum rules allow links to products, but I was looking at a couple on popular pool supply websites and on Amazon.

The bottom of the pool is concrete, so epoxy felt like the best choice to me.
Click to expand...
I dunno the rules on that, but I suspect epoxy you can buy on Amazon isn’t the most durable option. I read about “ecofinish” which seemed like it might be an interesting option but I have zero knowledge of how it holds up. Might be worthwhile looking at it.

Home - ecoFINISH Coatings

Welcome to the world of ecoFINISH® - the premier supplier of cutting-edge flame-sprayed polymer coatings for pool applications.
ecofinishcoatings.com ecofinishcoatings.com
 
ajw22 said:
You can link to products you are considering for our comments.
Click to expand...
I was looking at something like this at doheny
Or this olympic brand epoxy with this primer

But I am not married to any product, I was just doing some initial research. Open to suggestions!

Bperry said:
I dunno the rules on that, but I suspect epoxy you can buy on Amazon isn’t the most durable option. I read about “ecofinish” which seemed like it might be an interesting option but I have zero knowledge of how it holds up. Might be worthwhile looking at it.

Home - ecoFINISH Coatings

Welcome to the world of ecoFINISH® - the premier supplier of cutting-edge flame-sprayed polymer coatings for pool applications.
ecofinishcoatings.com ecofinishcoatings.com
Click to expand...
Very interesting.. I wonder if there is even an installer in my area lol
 
Lots of threads on ecoFinish Aquabright that you should review.

It is labor intensive and expensive to install. It takes an experienced installer to get it right. Otherwise you are left with problems.

Google search results

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
jerrodlv said:
I was looking at something like this at doheny
Or this olympic brand epoxy with this primer

But I am not married to any product, I was just doing some initial research. Open to suggestions!


Very interesting.. I wonder if there is even an installer in my area lol
Click to expand...
Both links you posted are 2 part epoxy paints. Olympic went through a buyout a year or so ago and their paints are becoming scarce. Poxolon and Zeron were both fine options but you’ll get a max 5 year service life out of them….if you can actually get them. Like any other paint, prep is critically essential for longevity. If you don’t get the prep correct, the paint won’t adhere to the surface.

Tnemec series 66 or 73 high build epoxies are great. You may find it difficult to find assistance and procurement possibilities as they are designed for pro’s/industry vs homeowner acquisition.

Ramuc also offers high build epoxies….and are generally available at Sherman Williams. Good quality and they have become somewhat of a go to since the Olympic fiasco of a year or so ago…
 
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