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Greetings, We've got an eight year old gunite pool here in Houston, TX. The pool has the following characteristics: - 40 ft long - 24 ft wide - 6 ft deep end - 3.5 ft shallow end - 12 man raised hot tub, situated near the deep end - approx 40,000 gallons or so Originally when the pool was built, it was level, however, over the years it has settled, so that the deep end is about 2.5 inches lower than the shallow end. I don't know how to tell if it is the deep end which has sunk or the shallow end which has floated up, I suspect that it is the shallow end which has floated up due to the cracks in the decking (hairline). Also, if you take a transit and shoot the pool, the deep end to about the mid-point is level, from this midpoint to the shallow end is where the rise occurs. This troubles me, as the rise is concentrated in a shorter portion of the pool and is therefore more pronounced and I can only imagine the stresses invoked at the point where the kink is. It is to the point now that the shallow end skimmer is close to being not covered, especially if the level gets a little low. Our question is, what can be done about the level of the pool? How is this typically fixed? We've had some people tell us that you will dig out the skimmer on the shallow end and make it deeper, but that just seems kinda wrong and not a true fix for what is going on. What have others done in this case? I've talked to the original builder who gave us a life-time structural guarantee and he indicates that unless the shell is cracked there is nothing that he's going to do. Even if it does crack, I'm sure we'll have to fight him tooth and nail. Michael

Recently remodeled our pool. When we put the pool in spa mode the jets don't create any disturbance (no bubbles). The heater still works and the Jandy e-pump is on highest rpm possible. Just not enough pressure to make the bubbles come when the spa is in spa mode. Any possible problems come to mind?

I am building a new pool this year and I live in MN, the ground is all sandy soil. I would like to combined two styles of pools, Gunite and steel panel. The reason why is the cost of all steel with the options of stairs all the way across 18' cost too much and also I would like a 10' tanning area, I also want to build a spectacular hot tub off the corner. Can I get pros and cons from some of the experienced pool builders.

I just bought this house in Dec. 2012. The previous owner had left the gunite pool uncovered for two, if not three, years. In April 2012, the pool was practically empty and looked like it was in decent condition. By the time December rolled around, it was filled to the brim with black water. Fast forward through winter and now spring. In an effort to keep the Mosquitos at bay, I had it drained to acid wash it. Well, I am told it's a minute away from concrete and couldn't withstand an acid wash. The problem is the bottom of the pool is completely black. There were almost two feet of leaves covering the bottom when we drained it. I don't know what the black stains are - black algae, tannins, metal reaction (there's a lot of iron in the water here). Someone suggested painting the pool with an epoxy paint, but if it's algae, wouldn't that be a bad idea? HELP!

I have a 30+ year old gunite pool that was recently renovated and replastered. This year I opened it up to find over 80% of the water was gone. A few dye test leak detections later it appears that the main drain is leaking out right around where the pipe meets the drain (it's an old all-gunite main drain, there is no PVC drain box). The hydrostatic valve I have is just an old hockey puck heavy plastic disk around an o-ring right near the drain but seperate (this was the initial suspect for my leak, but turned out to be ok...). The main drain line was pressure tested and it holds pressure just fine at 10 psi, so it looks like the drain line is good (thank God)! So I am thinking about replacing/updating the main drain itself and that means moving to a modern PVC type box and should hopefully stop the leak. Now my question. I noticed that the new PVC main drain boxes have built-in hydrostatic valves. Should I have the pool company "fill in" my old hockey puck style hydrostatic valve opening with cement and plaster, and use the new spring loaded one that comes in the PVC main drain box, or should I continue with the hockey puck style one? The water table is not very high where I live but I guess it was high enough to warrent a hydrostatic valve to begin with... I live in the northeast. I don't like the idea of "all it takes is a grain of sand, running the vacuum over it, etc." and the valve can get stuck open (my current hockey puck style), but I am not sure how reliable the new spring loaded ones are... so any advice is appreciated! Does anybody have experiece with both kinds of hydrostatic valves and/or have rennovated an old style main drain before?

In the summer of 2010 I had my 28,000 gallon free-form gunite pool renovated (plaster, tile, coping, and all new equipment) to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. That summer and last year we have been extremely happy with the new looking pool! I have been a pool owner for 6 years now and I have been opening and closing it myself without issue... until this year. This year when I took the cover off I was horrified to find that more than 75% of the water was missing. The water level dropped below all fixtures and outlets, and since I just had it remodeled I don't believe it could be structural either. The only other possibilities are evaporation (wishful thinking?), hydrostat pressure valve got opened somehow, or a crack in the main drain line caused by freeze/thaw (probably). I immediately started to fill it up and soon realized that if it is a leak I am just waiting time and money on my water bill. I put a few thousand gallons in it anyway just to see if the water level would hold. I marked the sides with duct tape at the water level, and I grabbed a bucket to try the "bucket test" for evaporation. It has been 36 hours and much to my surprise the water level in the pool appears to be holding. I don't really know where to go from here... should I keep filling it up from the garden hose in small increments and check for leaks (ouch I have to pay sewerage fees on my tap water too), or should I hire a water truck to fill it up (cheaper, but only if there is not a leak). We had a very mild winter this year, and I have a mesh elephant cover so is it even feasible that the water did evaporate (I remember 2+ weeks in March of 85 degree weather)? When I close the pool I do drain it down about halfway (just below the diving board light) because I anticipate lots of snow and precipitation to help fill it back up (which if you live in the northeast you know that didn't happen this year). Should I hire someone to do a pressure check on the lines and potentially diagnose a leak? I really don't have much cash on hand right now so I don't really know what to do... Does anybody have any experience in main drain line replacement and excavation? I know it has to be expensive but I'm wondering approximately how many $$$$ am I going to have to part ways with? I don't think my pool would do well without a main drain for circulation. This is very discouraging. Any help/advise is greatly appreciated!