Crack repair for gunite pools
A crack in a gunite shell is a structural problem with a structural fix. We inject, staple, and rebuild cracked shells across the Jackson metro, and we warranty the work in writing.
Call (443) 364-3676First, what kind of crack is it?
Not every crack is a crisis. Surface crazing, the fine spiderweb pattern in plaster, is cosmetic and gets handled during resurfacing. The cracks that matter go through the shell: you can catch a fingernail in them, they run diagonally from a corner, a skimmer, or a light niche, or they weep water. If the pool is also losing water, the crack has almost certainly gone structural.
Around Jackson the usual cause is the soil. Yazoo clay swells and shrinks with the seasons, and fifty years of that cycle will work on any concrete structure sitting in it. That history changes how the repair has to be done.
How we repair structural cracks
- Polyurethane injection. For cracks in shells that still move seasonally. The material stays flexible after it cures, so the repair flexes with the soil cycle instead of breaking beside the old crack. This is our default on clay-belt pools.
- Epoxy injection. For cracks in stable shells where movement has stopped. Epoxy is rigid and stronger than the surrounding concrete once cured.
- Carbon fiber staples. Set across the crack in cut channels, they hold the two sides together so the crack cannot keep spreading. We use them with injection on longer cracks, typically every 12 inches or so.
- Skimmer separation rebuilds. The joint where the skimmer meets the shell is the most common failure point on older metro pools. Fixes range from an epoxy throat rebuild to cutting the skimmer out and resetting it.
What it costs
| Repair | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Single crack injection | $400 to $900 |
| Long or multiple cracks with staples | $1,500 to $4,500 |
| Skimmer separation repair | $800 to $2,500 |
| Shell assessment with dive gear | $150 to $250 |
More detail, including what pushes a job to the top or bottom of each range, is on the cost guide.
The honest part
A structural repair on a moving shell buys you years, and usually many of them, but the soil does not stop moving. If drainage around the pool is feeding the cycle, we will point at it and tell you what to change, because gutters and grading are cheaper than our return visit. And on the rare shell that has moved too far to save, we say so plainly instead of selling you a repair that will not hold.