Will Marbelite stop a small leak?

[grossman]

I'm restoring a 50 year-old concrete pool. The demolition and the sandblasting have been completed. On the weekend, I noticed that there's a small amout of water seeping into the pool along the seam at the bottom of the stair where it meets the floor of the pool in the shallow end. Although there's not a visible crack, we had two hot sunny days here and water was still slowing seeping in -- less than a glass of water per day I'd say.

I brought this to the attention of the contractor and he told me that the Marbelite will permanently seal this crack.

Is that true?

[Blue Diamond Pools]

No marbelite will not stop a pool leak. What your experiencing is what is called "hydrostatic pressure" which is water pressure building up from the ground releasing its self at the weekest point. This can be fixed by making sure your main drain has a hydrostatic pressure valve, or by installing a de-watering sump system. These are needed when your pool is under restoration or whenever it is empty. This releases hydrostatic pressure from building and in the end stops your pool from elevating out of the ground/cracking. This crack needs to be re-bared and epoxied.

Marbelite is not water proof but only water tight. You can install a waterproof membrane as in ie: Lati-Crete. Or use hydrollic cement for waterproofing areas of your pool as in : around plumbing/returns. Use it at a minimum of 3 inches thick. Also you can use expandable waterstops.

Hope this helps,

Blue Diamond Pools & Landscaping
Barrie, ON