Pool Repair

Unique underwater pool repair

So you’ve noticed a problem with your pool. Maybe you have some broken spots of plaster, a section of cracked tile, a rust stain that won’t go away, or you simply need a new main drain cover. You know the problems need to be addressed soon but draining the pool to do a total re-plaster or remodel seems excessive, expensive, and a gross waste of water.

So who do you call? The answer is H2Operations. With unique, yet proven techniques for performing pool repairs both above and below the water level (yes, underwater!). H2Operations can, at the very least, extend the life of your pool if not repair it permanently.

Repair Services

• Dry Services
• Underwater Services

• Hand Rail Installation
  H2Operations can install whatever type of handrail that you need fitted for your pool. Whether it’s a return to deck figure-4 or a 72” 3-bend that needs an anchor cut into the bottom step which H2Operations may perform underwater.

  Tile and Coping
  Whether your whole pool needs new tile and coping or simply a small section of tile has cracked and broken off, H2Operations can help you get your pool edge looking like new again.

  Broken Bond Beam Repair
  Often broken tile is more than simply broken tile. More oft than not tile that breaks and falls into the pool is a sign of a more serious problem with the bond beam of your pool. The area beneath the coping and behind the tile is what is referred to as the bond beam. There are several forces that act upon the beam and it is usually engineered stronger than the rest of the pool. One of the main opponents of the beam is the concrete deck that usually surrounds pools. If the expansion joint area between the two structures is too thin (or deck under-pour has made contact with the pool, the mastic fails and sediment builds up, etc.) there is no room for the normal expansion and contraction of the two structures and they push against one another. The layout of the deck gives it a lateral advantage and the pool is usually the structure to give way in the battle, cracking and popping off tile as the beam shears.

  H2Operations can make permanent repairs to broken bond beams and establish a sufficient expansion joint to assure that the root problem ceases.

• Main Drain Cover Replacement
  There has been a lot of change with regards to pool main drain safety over the last couple years in California. For new pools, there are to be two drains “T’d” together, but at least three feet apart, for each circulation/filter pump. These drains are to also be covered with an anti-entrapment suction cover that meets ANSI/ASME 112.19.8 standards. For homes with existing pools, the flat or non-certified covers are to be replaced with ones that meet the ANSI/ASME standards. Many cities and counties are enforcing this by not finalizing permits for building projects on single-family homes REGARDLESS of whether the permit project had anything to do with the pool.

  The good news is, in most cases, H2Operations can remedy the situation with a rather simple process of diving the pool, drilling, and screwing in a new, compliant cover into the existing frame. With old brass frames, and certain types of plastic ones, the process becomes a bit more involved. Making it necessary to remove the old frame and cement in and new plastic frame to hold the new anti-entrapment cover.

  In-Step Wall Ladder Replacement
  Broken or chipped wall ladder in-steps can be unsightly and, more importantly, dangerous to pool users. Once a step becomes broken, it is necessary to replace it as the sharp plastic edges can lead to serious user harm. In the past, to replace a step, the pool needed to be drained in order to complete the repair. With H2Operations there is no added cost or danger of draining the pool as it is possible for us to perform the repair procedure underwater!

  Broken Plaster Repair (Pop-Offs)
  There are a number of theories out there from both pool builders and pool service providers about what causes pop-offs to occur in pool plaster. Unfortunately, the issue still remains quite unsolved. Fortunately, thanks to H2Operations, the cost effective repair issue is no longer a mystery.

  The average size of a pop-off usually hovers somewhere around 8 to 30 inches around but can be as small as a coin or as large as a truck bed. When the plaster begins to delaminate, a blister forms, creating small hairline cracks in the stressed plaster. When the blister becomes too large to support itself, or someone steps on it, the blister pops off creating an ugly, and dangerous, crater. The extremely sharp edges of this crater can slice bare feet and should be fixed immediately.

  To remedy the situation, H2Operations breaks out the lifted plaster until good plaster-to-shell contact is reestablished. The edges are prepped and the gap is floated in with new plaster. Plaster will cure underwater. In fact, a cool, wet set is a perfect environment for cement to cure. H2Operations makes every effort possible to match the new plaster color with the existing pool plaster and often the patchwork is virtually unnoticeable.

  Rust Stain Removal (Rebar)
  Inside your pool shell there is a network of ribbed steel, called rebar, that help strengthen the structural integrity of your pool. This steel, along with the gunite (aka shotcrete) that surrounds it, is the backbone of the pool. When compromises, such as small cracks, form in the plaster and allow water to penetrate the gunite there is a potential for rebar corrosion to occur as water and steel meet one another. This corrosion typically shows up initially as a small dark spot on the surface of the plaster and is often mistaken for black algae. Depending on several factors such as location, depth of rebar, etc. this spot will continue to grow at varying speeds.

  Unfortunately once a conduit has been established between the rebar and the chemically charged pool water there is no real hope that the spot will go away by itself. The only real way to deal with the problem is to cut into the pool and re-establish a water tight seal between the rebar and the pool’s body of water. H2Operations performs this procedure on a regular basis and the entire process is completed underwater relieving any dangers of draining and saving our precious water resources (not to mention you time and money).

  A typical rebar extraction consists of chasing the surface stains into the gunite until the culprit rebar is found. Once the bar is reached, it is chased in both directions until the rust corrosion subsides and good steel is found. The corroded section of steel (or what’s left of it) is then extracted and the ends sealed with a high performance marine grade epoxy. The hole is filled in and troweled flush with a high strength plaster. Pigment color is used to match existing plaster color, often leaving the patch unnoticeable and certainly much more appealing than a rusty stain.

  Crack Treatment
  There are a number of reasons why your pool may have cracks, ranging from superficial hydration cracks due to prolonged sun exposure to leaking structural cracks caused by things like pool settling and earth movement. H2Operations specializes in treating cracks that loose water as an effort to stem water loss and protect the pools structural steel, preventing further damage. Cracks are a tough subject due to the fact that there is rarely any real way to “repair” them without doing some serious structural and/or soil engineering work, as the aforementioned forces at the root of the cause of leaking structural cracks cannot be stymied by a topical type application (this includes crack injection).