If you’re noticing your water level dropping faster than
usual, it’s a good idea to check if its due to evaporation or a leak.
The first thing you should do is what they call a ‘’Bucket
Test”.
How to do the Bucket Test:
Fill
a bucket with pool water, about 3cm from the top.
Put
the bucket on the first step of your pool.
Turn
off your pool pump.
Using
a permanent marker or pieces of waterproof tape, mark the water levels both
inside and outside of the bucket.
Turn
your pool pump back on.
Wait
24 hours, and compare the water levels.
If the water level on the outside of the bucket has gone down more than the level on the inside, it’s likely you have a leak.
If the water level on the inside of the bucket has gone down by around the same rate, then your water loss is caused by evaporation. This can be resolved by using a pool cover.
A Glascon pool is a little unusual, as it has fibreglass walls and a concrete floor. The construction of this pool is a mix of two styles used for swimming pools – firstly – the wall is made from glass reinforced plastic (commonly known as ‘fibreglass”) and the floor is reinforced concrete.
The fibreglass wall has a smooth gel coat finish and was usually blue in colour, and the concrete floor was either painted or finished with a waterproof marble render. The problem with this system is, there is no chemical bond between the concrete and the fibreglass, so there is a risk of leakage at this joint. If there is some ground movement over time, the joint can open up slightly and pool water will leak out of this join, between the two structural elements.
The simplest and easiest way to fix this leaking, is to install an Aqualux pool finish. The design of the Glascon pool is similar to a prefabricated vinyl pool and therefore it is a very cost effective and straight forward process. The pool has an even wall height all the way around, and the floor slopes down into a bowl sort of shape to make the deep end. Having vertical walls means the vinyl finish will be economical and easy to fit. The pool just needs some simple preparation of new eyeballs fittings suitable for vinyl, a fixing extrusion fitted at the top of the wall and a face plate or under water extrusion around the skimmer opening.
The empty pool is measured for the Aqualux finish, which is made into a one piece waterproof membrane at the factory and then fitted in a day and the pool filled back again with water.
An Aqualux PVC membrane is an excellent solution to a leaking Glascon pool.
At least once a month we hear from someone who has a fibreglass walled pool, who has made the mistake of resurfacing it with pebbles.
This ‘Glascon’ pool in Brisbane is one of them. Glascon pools have a concrete base, and use a rolled fibreglass sheeting for the walls. A common issue with these type of pools which have a separate base and walls, is leaking in the joint where the walls and floor meets.
This leak between the walls and floor joint was precisely the case with this pool. The most effective way to solve these leaks is with the installation of a flexible, waterproof membrane such as a pool liner, or an Aqualux pool finish.
However, when the home owners approached some pool builders for quotes to repair the pool, one told them resurfacing with pebble would be effective, and add more value than a vinyl liner. As you do, they trusted their pool builder’s advice, and decided to go ahead with the pebble coat.
Costing many thousands of dollars to install, the pebble interior lasted around 12 months before it failed. It leaked, it cracked – and then it literally fell off the walls.
The only thing the pebble added value to was the builders wallet.
The pebble finish cracked and fell off after 12 months.
Naturally that pool builder has since left the Brisbane area, and not covered by insurance, the homeowners were left to sort out the mess themselves.
Luckily, this time around they found themselves in contact with a reputable pool builder. And rather than just go ahead and build a whole new pool inside the existing one, he suggested installing a pool liner, and put them in touch with Complete Pool Liners.
Complete were able to resurface the existing pool shell with an Aqualux Pool Finish, creating a waterproof membrane which covers the entire surface. The pool was finished and ready to swim within 2 weeks. The owners were happy with the price, and couldn’t be happier with the result.
The Aqualux pool finish puts a waterproof skin over the entire pool shell.
