Just bought a home with a pool... so I'm a newbie. Got some questions

Just bought a house in Peoria, AZ (in the Phoenix Metro area).

My pool is a plastered pool. It's approximately 15 x 30 ft. and approx 8 ft at the deepest point. So I figure that comes to about 18k gallons?

Anyways, the house was a foreclosure, and the pool was left empty over the summer. Someone told me that I absolutely, positively need to get it replastered...without even looking at it. He went off the fact that the pool was empty through the summer and stated that the plaster is likely ruined. But to me, it looks fairly intact. There are a few hairline, barely noticeable cracks about... and a couple small areas where it looks like I could get away with by just sealing them up or spot-repairing them. But according to one person, regardless of what it looks like...it needs to be replastered. The person who told me this, works for a pool plastering company, so I'm not sure how truthful he may be (trying to sell pool contract jobs).

He stated that if I decide to fill my pool anyway, that dirt and mud would seep into the pool through the cracks of the plaster as water leaks out of the pool...and turn my pool into a swamp.

So I guess my questions are....

Is he right? Or is there a possibility that my pool might still be in servicable condition?

What would happen if a pool needing replastering, were simply ignored...and filled and continued to be used? I ask since I read in other places that replastering is mostly done for cosmetic purposes only.

How much should I expect to pay, (considering I go entry-level), to have it replastered?

Are there any other more economical alternatives? What about pool liners? Is there a liner that can be applied to the pool to reinforce the surface of the pool?

Someone also told me about pool paint/epoxy...that could be done "Do it yourself" ...and would be really cheap. Supposedly it can repair any cracks that might seep water. Anyone know if this is true?

What are all my options?

Hi Jacobfox,

I'm sorry that you haven't gotten any responses to your questions yet, and unfortunately, I can't answer any of them because my pool is vinyl.. During the normal swim season, you'd have several pages of discussion by now, but this time of year forum traffic really slows down and even the mods don't get by as much as we normally do. Just wanted to say don't give up on us, I'll try to alert a couple of folks that can answer your questions and see if I can get them by here. Didn't want you to think your questions were being ignored, it's just a slow time of year for us!

Hoping to get some folks by to give you opinions soon.....

My personal pool experience has been almost exclusively with plastered commercial pools . . . and I don't know of ANY reason why a plastered pool HAS to be re-plastered, just because a pool is leaking.

+ If the pool leaks, the problem is usually not the plaster, but something else. Once that's fixed, you may have to patch the plaster.
+ Rough plaster can be hard on swimmer's feet . . . but you can adapt and survive till next season.
+ Ugly plaster is, well, ugly. But, it's a personal issue and not a pool function issue.

If it were me, I'd drain and clean, once you are past danger of a hard freeze (which CAN damage the plaster) and then re-assess.

Hi Jacobfox

There's an old joke that to a small boy with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To a guy that works for a pool plastering company, EVERY pool looks like it needs a plastering job.
Ben is far more knowledgeable than me, but it should be clear that if a crack is simply a crack on the inside of the pool, patching it should be sufficient. If it penetrates the outside of the pool, water MAY seep in--if you have ground water, and you'll have to fix it. If not, I'd guess it won't and perhaps just patching from the inside, such as with pool epoxy may be enough.

Carl