Your swimming pool is a lifetime investment. Over time it will require you to complete some basic maintenance tasks to extend the life of your investment. Some pool maintenance know-how is required for any savvy swimming pool owner.

One common task in swimming pool maintenance is the repair of the concrete pool deck. Cracks in the concrete of your swimming pool deck may result from soil conditions or heat and sometimes freezing thaw cycles. Learning how to repair these cracks yourself could save you money during the life of your swimming pool.

1. First you must prepare the crack in your swimming pool’s concrete deck for repair. Large cracks will not need preparation. However, small cracks must be opened larger in order to allow the filler material to penetrate and bind to the damaged area. To enlarge the crack in your swimming pool you can use a crack chaser blade. Crack chaser blades may be purchased at your local hardware store.

2. The second step in repairing the concrete in swimming pools is to make sure that the area you are repairing is clean, dry, and full of debris. Keep in mind that the bonding repair agent needs to be able to adhere to the existing concrete structure. Moisture and debris will hinder this process, making pool maintenance more difficult. Faulty pool repair may also be counterproductive and just make the existing problem worse. Keep your work area clean and dry with a vacuum.

3. The third step is to fill in the crack with a concrete repair agent. These include high strength epoxy and polyurethane fillers which can be found at the hardware store or in a pool repair shop. Use a metal trowel to smooth out the filler after you have filled the hole tightly with your concrete repair agent. Work quickly while filling in cracks in your swimming pool because most of these compounds are designed to set quickly. Also, some of these filling agents can be purchased with applicators that extend into the crack to allow for easy application. Do your research beforehand to ensure that your pool repair is effective.

4. Next, silica sand should be sprinkled on the wet filler agent to increase the hold of the filler. After you have applied silica sand to the filled crack, smooth out the filled crack with your trowel.

5. Paint or cover your pool repair with the same material as the rest of the pool to blend the repair and make it less obvious.

6. Repeat steps one through five for each crack in your pool.

Pool maintenance is a necessary activity to extend the life of your swimming pool. If the cracks in your concrete deck are too large for easy repair, it may be advisable to call a swimming pool repair company in order to make sure that the job is completed in a way that is sustainable for the rest of the life of the swimming pool. Use your judgment here, but remember that it is better to be safe than sorry concerning swimming pools.

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1. Concrete and Paver Decking Options
2. Pool Repair and Modernization
3. Concrete Swimming Pools