Securing a handrail

[Sumo1]

My pool deck is concrete and the pool is at least 20 years old. The handrail for my steps has been loose since we moved in. So loose, in fact, that I can easily lift it out. It's roughly a P shape with both ends going into the deck. The cored holes have no anchors or hardware of any kind in them and the clearance around the pipes is barely 1/32". When the rail is in the deck, the rear pipe has some tension on it, so that I have to push it down to make it go to the bottom of the hole. If I let go, it lifts about 1 1/2". I tried filling the holes with Fast Plug but with no room around the pipes, I just succeeded in filling up the inside of the pipes. Can anyone help?? TIA
Hal

Will try to post some photos.

[duraleigh]

There's two ways to fix it...permanently and removable.

Permanently....
Get a product (at HD/Lowe's) made by Sakrete called "Anchor" "Bolt and rail cement". It sets up VERY fast so be fully prepared before using it.

Then, if you don't have them already, you can get plastic escutceons that will cover the new cement you're about to pour. Slip them up on the rail.

Next build a brace that will allow you to quickly set the rail in it's correct position inside the holes.

Then, with the rail out, fill the holes about 90% full of the mixed anchor concrete (You've got about 1 minute from this point), and quickly place the rail down into the mix and resting on the prebuilt brace. Done. Give it another minute and slide the escutcheons down over your work and enjoy!

Removable.....
Essentially the same process except you'll need two rail anchors made specifically for pool rails and ladders. Make holes in the concrete big enough to accept the anchors with just enough clearance to get a little cement around them. If you get the hole too big, the escutcheons will not cover your work. Set the plastic anchors into the same mix and smooth and level it quickly. Then, simply place the rail inside the anchors and tighten the bolts onto the rail. You can then remove the rail anytime you choose.

Of course, the hard part is getting a uniform hole in that twenty-year old concrete. A 4" core bit and a powerful hammer drill makes for the nicest work but not something everyone has in their shop.

[Sumo1]

Thanks, Dave. Concerning the permanent solution, should I get all the hard Fast Plug out of the inside of the rails? Doesn't sound as though a plugged rail and a hole 90% full would go together too well. I don't close my pool anymore so I'm not concerned about removing the handrail. Should I be concerned about electrical bonding?
Hal

[duraleigh]

Oops! Good Point about bonding....I forgot. If you have a bonding wire there, by all means, it should be used. The inserts for the mounting brackets for the removable installation have lugs and the wire is pre-attached befor the concrete is poured. If you have no bonding wire there now, the only way I could see to get one is to use a concrete saw to cut a shallow channel in the existing deck in which to bury a new wire. Others may have a better idea.

[waste]

Just to mention,... there are anchors that sit on the deck (actually they are bolted to the deck) which will anchor the handrail -- bonding the rails is more difficult, but can be done, if the bonding wire is accessible.

[Sumo1]

Well, I haven't seen anything to indicate that there was ever a bonding wire. If I probe into the rail holes with a screwdriver, there only seems to be dirt below. Is bonding this handrail absolutely necessary? Where should I look for the anchors that bolt to the deck?
Hal