Fiberglass Crack Repair On Pool Bottom - Best Materials

[bd6565]

In other postings for repairing crack pools I have pickup up bits and pieces on repairing major cracks in fiberglass pools.

I have a case of where hydrostatic pressure caused the bottom to bow up in the middle going length wise at about a height of 12".

I was able to run a pump and remove most of the water underneath the pool bottom.

Unfortunately the bottom of the walls were pulled in some when the bottom bulge in the middle. Now with the water removed from under the bottom, and the next day the bottom sunk down except at the high point of the bulge.

Now I have a sharp peak going down the middle of the pool and a major crack (the fiberglass is snapped/split) following the peak. The fiberglass is not separated in the crack, but seems slightly splintered.

This means during the dry season of July and August I will have to drain the pool remove the plug for the bottom drain and start the repair.

I have done fiberglass repair on some plastic shells (not pools) before and the general supply of fiberglass resin seems very ridge. I would like to know about other fiberglass resin that has some flexibility.

Is there a way to force the bottom of the side walls that slipped in a few inches by going from a sharp curve to a banana curve? Or should I just cut the fiberglass where the sharp peak is at and do stitches with heavy nylon fishing line, then overlay with fiberglass mattes (how many?) to complete the repair into a smooth look.

Thank you for any advice you may share!

[PoolGuyNJ]

This sounds like your going to need to pull the shell out entirely, make the repairs to the shell and gel coat, and properly reset the shell on a screed layer of small gravel. If there is a concrete apron around the shell, it is toast too. High water didn't do this. An improperly laid bed and low water in the pool did.

While I don't sell pools (I fix them), those shell installers I know all use trucked water and either washed in mason sand or small gravel for back filling during the addition of water, never letting either the backfill or water level difference be more than a foot so there won't be any bowing in or out.

Scott

[don pool]

My advice would be to call a professional fiberglass repair person. Regardless of what anyone may tell you, you do not have to remove the decking and shell to fix your pool. To state that "high water didn't cause your pool to crack, an improperly laid bed and low water did", might be a valid opinion, it is not a statement of fact. If the hydrostatic pressure under the pool shell became so great that it cracked the pool shell, I don't care how well you groomed the bottom of the shell before the pool was set in the hole, once the pool cracked, the hydrostatic pressure was relieved, and the excess water was removed from under the pool shell, the pool shell is not going to return to it's original resting place in perfect alignment.