Hole in Fiberglass Pool

[Skillset]

I am very upset!

I had a San Juan Fiberglass pool installed last year. It's 10K Gallons and nearly 6' deep at the deep end. 16x33.

This weekend, I discovered a tiny hole at the bottom in the deep end. It's 1/8" wide and 1/8" deep. You can't see it from the surface because it is so small. I called San Juan on Monday, and they said someone would come out in 6-8 weeks to inspect and possibly repair. Well, I just got a call (2 days later) indicating someone would come out to repair the pool. Talk about fast service!

In speaking with the repair guy today on his cell phone, he works for San Juan, but I could tell was not the brightest. Seems like he just fixes fiberglass pools. He told me he would need to drain the pool, then fill the hole and smooth it, and then I could refill the pool with a hose. When my pool was originally filled, I had a tanker deliver water.

I am very concerned about draining the pool. Everything I've read says don't do it. I have about 8' of pavers around the pool with bullnose paver coping. I am woried that emptying the pool will either damage the pool or the pavers. This is my greatest concern. The pool does have a standpipe and sump.

I am thinking about telling them not to repair the hole. The repair guy says cracks only get worse, but this is really not a crack, it's a tiny hole. I figure I could take a wait-and-see approach.

In any event, I plan on calling San Juan tomorrow and discussing my concerns.

Any thoughts out there ??

Thanks,
Marc

[mbar]

I had a chunk out of the side of my pool when the landscapers finished (no one owned up to doing it). The pool company sent someone over and they repaired it underwater. I know it can be done - no draining Two other fiberglass pool owners I know have had repairs done underwater too, so don't let them tell you it can't be done. The man that was here used a long snorkle to go under and do the job. They have special stuff that cures underwater. I would call your pool company again.

[Skillset]

Marie,

Nice to hear from you again. Thanks for the advice - it's very reassuring. I did call San Juan today and cancelled the appointment for tomorrow. I spoke to an engineer who did point out the risks of draining the pool - there is always a possibility of slight buckling that can damage infrastructure. No thanks! I just don't want to do that. The engineer felt the hole is probably cosmetic and that it probably would not get worse. I'm going to take a wait-and-see, since the hole is only seen if you are swimming on the bottom of the pool.

But, it's good to know that I can probably call a local builder or fiberglass repair company to get this addressed when filled. If they fixed yours underwater, I'm sure they can do it with mine.

Now, if I could only get the stains to stay away!

Marc

[mbar]

I have had very good results this year keeping the stains away. I had to do an ascorbic acid treatment at the beginning of the year, and since then I have not had a problem with staining. I have used proteams metal magic, and have been putting in a maintenance dose weekly. I also have been using a natural clarifier SeaKlear. I have been very careful to keep my ph below 7.4, and my alkalinity at 80. Except this last week it got away from me and my water got cloudy I also raised my cya to 50, and added calcium to keep the number around 170. So I am not sure of which one was the most important (probably the weekly dose of metal magic). I wouldn't worry too much about the small hole in the bottom, it is most likely cosmetic, but I can tell it bothers you - I will call my pool company tomorrow and see what it was they used to patch the underwater chips. It looked like a putty to me, but it was a long time ago and the old memory I will see what I can find out. Enjoy the summer and the pool Oh yeah, and if your pool is the same size as mine, you have more like 15,000 gals.

[Skillset]

Pool is actually 10K gallons. It's only 5'10" at the deep end. I'm guessing yours is deeper to account for the other 5,000 gallons.

I've been using the Metal Magic as well with great results. After use, I'm usually stain free for a few weeks. When the pool gets too stained for me, which is just a slight brown tinge around some of the radius, I'll put in a bottle and it clears in 2 days. My family doesn't notice the stains, but of course I do. I'm anal. I've not used a maintenance dose, but I will try it next season.

The reason why I think I'm getting stains is high Ph and high Cl. Unfortunately, I found this site late and my CYA was already 70 by using pucks. I'm on bleach now, but keep the Cl between 5 and 10 per the best guess. My Ph is pretty constant at 7.5 - I should probably lower a bit, which I know I can achieve by covering the pool a few days with solar cover. But, I know the higher PH and Cl is not good news for stains on fiberglass. But, I'm comfortable that I know the reasons why stains occur and I can easily get rid of them, so I'm not concerned. I have acid on hand in case I need it, but haven't tried it because the MM works great. I just wished it had a more lasting effect. I'll bet my situation gets better over time as the CYA reduces from evaporation and spillout and mixing with rain. I'll be able to run with less Cl. I did buy a metal test kit for Copper and Iron, but not really sure how to interpret the results. Probably a waste of money for me. Anyway, what's the deal with Calcium? How does this help? I have a test kit for that, too, but I can't remember what my results were. Since I've had the pool, I've shocked about 3 times using CalHypo.

Thanks for the offer to call about the hole. Actually, if they told me it was just cosmetic and will not get bigger, I'm okay with that. I'm really the only one that can see it. I was upset because I was not sure it could lead to something else. But, I still don't understand how a pool like this can get a hole. I don't use anything sharp.