Hey VG- just a bit of an update. Good news, or at least an advance, concerning structural issues: I found the outfit that built my pool 30+ years ago, and I've got an appointment for a walk-around and consult with them, although they can't get to me before next week. They remembered the pool, a little vaguely to be sure, but they remembered. At least found out the pool is definitely gunite, since the name of their company is "Black Gunite Corp.", and they have been doing pools for a long time. So I'll be able to pick their brains about repairing cracks and caulking the fiberglass side walls.

One bummer, I was hoping they had built in sub-drains. Alas no, that was not SOP unless they hit a spring when they were digging the hole. So that has an important impact on another one of my questions: The South (long) side of the pool is built up against about a 25 - 30 degree hillside, and I'm quite nervous about draining the pool unless I'm pretty certain that the wall is not going to collapse. We've had a rainy year and had 4" last Friday... I've been thinking about putting a drainage tile along the length, if there would be any good in it. Of course that would only take away the runoff. I might not get to do any work IN the pool til next year, and that would suck. Can't investigate the main drain, for example, or do any masonry work. So. By the way, that was a swell idea about changing one of my returns into a suction!! That one is on the books for sure.

Take it easy chief. Any further thoughts will be greatly appreciated.