Can a Cracked Concrete Pool Shell Be Repaired?
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No concrete pool owner wants to deal with a cracked shell. Structural concrete cracks in any concrete pool (gunite, shotcrete, tile, ICF, cast etc.) is a problem that has few easy solutions. Most important, must have information is knowing and understanding why the shell cracked in the first place. Unfortunately most pool owners looking for a solution to a cracked shell start with finding the best repair products like injectable epoxy, concrete urethane or a water stop concrete repair product. Some even look at expensive structural repair staples as part of this repair process. The problem with any of these repairs - all of these repairs - is that they do not address the underlying problem of why did the shell crack. Something caused the uniformly poured concrete shell to move or crack which means no repair solution will work if the pool is continuing to experience these forces. The repairs are not as strong as the original concrete shell, which was already not strong enough to prevent the pool from cracking.
When you want to repair a crack in a concrete pool with a high potential for success this process usually involves X-ray pictures of the concrete to determine steel reinforcement sizing and spacing pattern. Core samples are also taken to determine the thickness of both the walls and floor, but also to test the compressive strength. The information determined with this testing would allow for proper engineering evaluation to determine why the pool cracked, and whether there is a viable shell here to be repaired or not. With a concrete pool that has cracked there is the distinct potential that repair methods will only be putting good money after bad, so to speak. Meaning that it definitely sucks that your pool has cracked but it will be much worse if you spend a few tens of thousands of dollars more to repair and refinish it only to have it continue to crack and leak immediately after filling with water.
In a best case scenario the pool moved or experienced a one-time force event and is no longer moving or experiencing extreme force loads. A repair on a concrete pool crack in a pool like this might work. A flexible concrete urethane or application specific concrete silicone would be my choices to repair a concrete crack, followed by a hydraulic cement or non-shrink grout patch. This would allow for some movement without failure, and provides a suitable surface to apply a new interior surface over. There is at least some hope with a repair like this that it may last short to long term. Here is a longer page that talks more about this crack repair process for concrete pools.
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