Gel Coat Problems & Cracks In A Fiberglass Pool
by Kathleen
We just had a fiberglass pool installed in Michigan. When they were installing the pool and leveling it over and over it droped from the crane. They assured us it was fine but now we are seeing white streaks on the bottom and sides of the pool. It looks like someone took a paint brush with white paint and painted the bottom. I've looked through your site and am wondering if it is spider cracks in the gel coat from the drop or the leveling or possible from a faulty pool shell. I've contacted the pool company and they are still trying to figure it out. They havent physically come to see it but I have emailed pictures. I was wondering if you could take a moment of your time and give me your expert opinion. I have included the pictures. Thank you Kathleen Thanks for the question Kathleen Although fiberglass is easier on chemicals, this is one of the drawbacks of having a fiberglass pool. Due to their nature, fiberglass pools may have some spiderweb cracks in them. Not all of them, but some. Most of these cracks are superficial and should not affect the integrity of the pool. This is due to construction and the gel coating they receive during the manufacturing process. The questions doesn't say how far the drop was, so I can only guess. I'm wondering if the white streaks appeared on their own, or did someone try to cover them over or do a temporary fix? Your question says "It looks like someone took a paint brush with white paint and painted the bottom. " If they did, here's some questions to ask: Why did they do that? What product did they use? Is this normal procedure to fix a crack like this? If so, can you show where it says that? How long will this repair last? Do you warranty/guarantee the repair? For how long? Is that in writing? If there's a leak in the cracks, who will come out to repair it, a rep. from the company or a sub contractor? Are they licensed? By whom? The cracks could have been their already. The drop or uneven leveling may have exacerbated a problem that was already present. Not personally being at the site, it's a bit difficult to determine from the picture if it is from the drop, poor quality, or both. What I would advise you to do is not fill the pool just yet and stop all installation until you can get a rep. from the company to take a look at it. Don't touch the pool nor allow anyone else. This is between the fiberglass company and the installer. They need to come to a decision on how to fix the problem. If you fill the pool, you're putting thousands of pounds of pressure on the surface of the pool. Anything that you may do may cause the company or installer to put partial blame on you. They can say "It wasn't like that before, but you did such and such, and now it's worse. That's not covered under the warranty". If it was truly damaged by the drop or uneven leveling, then anything extra done to the pool or job site will cause a delay in getting your pool up and running. The installer was either directly from the fiberglass company or a sub contractor. The company should have a warranty/guarantee against workmanship and the sub contractor for installation. Take lots of pictures and videos. Document everything, including names, times, and dates. Hopefully the company and installer can resolve the issue, but if they can't or there's a delay, you have recourse because of your documentation. To post a reply, or if you have a similar question, you can see your post on the Q&A page in the "Fiberglass Swimming Pools" category. Swimming Pool Questions and Answers Check back to this post for answers. Hope this helps and have a great Summer. Robert Comment: Gel Coat Problems By: Kathleen From: Michigan Date: July 7, 2011 I forgot to add that the gel coat is a marine blue. This is a little darker than a powder blue so you can see the white marks clear as day. Thanks for the reply and all the great information. I guess the pool was dropped about 20 feet from the crane. I've taken a closer look at the pool now that the water is still and can see five, foot long hairline cracks in the fiberglass. What are your thoughts on that? Answer By: Robert Date: July 7, 2011 Obviously you've been to the fiberglass page, but take another look at it: Fiberglass Inground Pools Many fiberglass pool have multiple layers. 1 - 2 gel coats, an epoxy layer, a resin layer, etc... A drop from 5 feet is a little different than a drop from 20 feet. Now, I had 3 fiberglass pools when I had my pool route in Arizona. They all had the hairline cracks in them, but they never leaked and were very good with chemicals. BUT, the pools are never closed. Yeah, the water temperature may get down into the 40s or so, but not frozen solid. In Michigan, you probably close the pools because of the harsh Winters. This will cause the pools to expand and contract just a bit which will put more stress on the cracks. It's not so much the hairline cracks, which are easy to fix. It's what's underneath the cracks that should be a concern. It's the possible structural damage to the pool. The reinforced laminate might be broken or cracked. If this is the issue, you're more than likely going to have eventual leaks. This means draining the pool and getting it fixed. Refilling the pool (another added expense) and balancing the chemicals again (another expense). I have a general understanding about fiberglass pools and have repaired a few, but I've never built them. You must be sure the structural integrity of the pool is intact. And that can only be done by someone from the fiberglass company or an authorized sub contractor. I would get everything in writing. Have the pool examined by a qualified tech to be sure the pool is structurally sound and in good shape. Once they've done the job of inspecting the pool and say all is well, you'll want to get that in writing. Name, date, signatures, exactly what they've done etc... Don't be hesitant to press the issue. I've seen too many pool nightmares and many pool contractors who get their money and go on to the next site. Hope this helps and keep me informed. Best of luck with your pool. Robert |
