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Hi everyone,
I’m hoping to get some advice on the best way to fix my pool.
We moved into our home about 20 years ago, and I was told the pool is made of Besser blocks with concrete and some fiberglass patches, which were then painted over.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been repainted in a long time, and when I recently drained it to prep for either - repainting, adding a vinyl liner, or tiling, I discovered a large crack at the bottom.
I plan to do a lot of the prep work myself—sandblasting the sides, grinding if needed, and making sure everything is smooth and ready.
As a single mum on a mortgage with a limited budget, I’d love to hear your recommendations on the best, most cost-effective way to repair the pool,
so, it looks good and stays functional. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Hello @Avsvs
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your swimming pool.
It's good to hear that you are ready to tackle all the prep-work that's required to get your pool functional again. If there is one part where I suggest spending money on, it is on the repair of the crack in the pool. I recommend engaging the services of a professional pool restoration specialist, they should be able to determine if the foundation of the pool has been compromised or if the crack at the bottom can simply be sealed. Spending your budget on the best possible seal you can find means that you' won't have to worry about water draining out for years.
I also recommend having the pool pump checked out while you are having your pool damage analysed. I suspect that a new pool filter will at least be in the list of things that need to be changed, and I just want you to be prepared for certain parts of the pump system to be replaced, especially if it has been left outside for quite a while.
Once the main issues have been addressed, the last thing you want to make sure is that your pool fence is complaint. Is the magnetic lock still working, is the height of the fence still passing regulation are any of the posts rusting and needing replacement? I also recommend checking the rules and regulations of your local council in regards to pool fencing and accessibility.
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Good Evening @Avsvs
Woooooo as I am reading your job list 
I would definently spend a chunk of money and get the crack and base structure checked by a pool professional (one with abn and has references you can look at) They will also be able to tell you the things that you can do and shouldnt do repair wise. I had a mate who had his fibreglass pool surface repaired and it was a headache. I have a fibreglass pool that is old and probarly needs resurfacing and has cracks on the coping but its still going ok. Its on my list of things to repair one day.
Your pool walls look in resonable condition tho the concrete fill on the steps will need to be sealed, I would talk to the person you get to investigate that crack for suggestions on handling that.
If you have a sand filter, they are resonably easy to replace the sand. I actually bought a new replacement and watch the pool guy install it (I removed all the old sand from the old filter before he arrived to make the job cheaper lol) I kicked myself I didnt have the confidence as it was almost a reversal of removing the sand. I could probarly kept on using the same sand filter but with fresh sand (The sand does degrade and should be replaced every 10 years ish)
Is the pool a salt water or chlorine based pool?
I do think its a really nice project to follow through and also think that you could do a bunch of stuff yourself (or even just use you for labour) while the work is being done to fix that crack. Do you remember the pool loosing water before it was emptied? Looking forward to this project
Dave
