sneakyleaks
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![[*]](./images/corporate/default_icon.gif) posted on 9-7-09 at 04:01 AM |
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old crack in steps
A customer had a large crack in there steps. Someone tryed to fix it with a epoxy putty when the water leaked down past it. Well the putty has cracked
open and it is leaking again. I put flexable sealer on it as a temperary fix. I plan to take all the putty off (its not very secure) and start over.
The crack is about 4-5 inches long. Any suggestions on how to best fix this would be great.
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Sdewolfe
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| posted on 9-7-09 at 07:47 AM |
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There are several methods described in this forum in past posts. Take a look!
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sneakyleaks
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| posted on 9-7-09 at 10:18 AM |
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I had looked through all 6 pages, before I posted my message, and yes there are a few post concerning cracks in steps. My concern is this is a year
old large 4-5 in. crack that has had alot of putty applied at different times. It is not a new,quarter inch long, clean crack. It has a lot of hard
putty on and around it. If I remove it it could possibly drain thousands of gallons of water quickly. We are trying to avoid draining the pool down
below the crack accidentaly or on purpose. I know to fix it 100% customer needs a new set of steps. We are just trying to help her avoid that and not
have someone keep adding hard putty every couple of months. This is why she called us. Thanks for your suggestion.
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reedpool
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| posted on 9-7-09 at 11:40 AM |
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If the crack is because of poor support under the step it will be alot cheaper to lower the water to fix the leak, but unless the steps are in really
bad shape they do not have to be replaced. But either way the cost of the water will be the smallest part of the job
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trackerm
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| posted on 10-7-09 at 06:32 AM |
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As in any specialty, I am afraid you are just putting a band aid on the problem. How old are the stairs? Yes, we are in the business to help our
customers in "buying time" in the event that a new, full replacement is inevitable. We are not in the business of leak detection of making
"permananet" factory like repairs that will last for years in the event that something really needs replacement. All we can do is the best we can
and explain to them that replacement (and yes at a cost) is a reality. Many people think we are miracle workers and can breathe new life into an old
part. Sometimes we can, in this case I would not beat yourself up on this one, replacement will soon be a necessity.
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reedpool
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| posted on 10-7-09 at 07:04 AM |
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Trackerm is correct but you should be aware that the technology to refurbish/renovate old steps is available. I know that the following link is for a
company that could not service most areas but the link may be of interest that are not aware of these repair methods.
http://www.poolsteprepair.com/
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sneakyleaks
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| posted on 10-7-09 at 05:03 PM |
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Thank you guys for your input. I told the owner that my flexible sealer, on top of the glob, was a temperary fix that might hold and might not. Its
held so far. 3 days. She has decided to replace the liner next year and we will deal with the steps then. You know the old " if I can get one more
season out of it" quote. Have a great weekend. Thanks
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4Leakman
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 posted on 15-7-09 at 01:48 PM |
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Try his out!!!
I am going to assume that you are speaking of plastic/acrylic/fiberglass steps here while I did not see any reference. I have very successfully used a
product called Plast-Aid, a very unique two part multi-purpose plastic repair. I won't go into its uses here, you can find it on there website
Plast-aid.com to see that. I thought it was sold here at Anderson but I can't find it listed currently.
The company alludes to it being used in a water environment but I haven't tried that. I HAVE used it to repair steps, skimmers and other materials
that it is compatible with. Great stuff.
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reedpool
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| posted on 16-7-09 at 05:50 AM |
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Plast - Aid is available from Anderson- see ad on front page of this site
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4Leakman
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| posted on 16-7-09 at 09:30 PM |
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dang
| Quote: | Originally posted by reedpool
Plast - Aid is available from Anderson- see ad on front page of this site |
I thought that I got it here but I could not find it listed yesterday.
Maybe those wild and crazy guys in Minnesota decided to put the ad back in after reading that post yesterday!!!
Great stuff!!!
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pooltech1
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| posted on 22-7-09 at 11:12 PM |
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Plast-Aid is such a great resource! I have actually used it on a domestic pvc main line running at 150 psi and four years later has held. We had to
dig under a high-end stamped and tiled driveway in Beverly Hills and had no room to cut and rebuild this three inch main so we tried the Plast-Aid and
it worked perfectly. Also comes in handy for doing spa jet repairs when the venturi tee is in the gunite and there is no way to cut it out with out
core drilling a new penetration through the structure. I use it as a last resort but the times I have had to it has saved a lot of labor and the
customer some cash. I always advise the customer that it's not the preferred repair and I limit the warranty, then let them make the call.
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