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When is Epoxy Not the Right Choice for a Pool Leak Repair?

pool leaks can be fixed with epoxy but when is it. the right choice

Epoxy repairs are a great solution for many of the leaks that we find during a leak detection, and as you may know, there’s no charge for an epoxy repair. However there are a handful of situations where epoxy is not the appropriate solution. The purpose of this article is to bring clarity to those situations. So when is epoxy not a good solution for a pool leak?

Epoxy is not a good solution for a pool leak when there’s no gunite or finish material for the epoxy to bond with.

Plastic alone is simply too smooth for epoxy to adhere to, which is why epoxy is not the right repair for leaks occurring in cracked plastic fittings with insufficient gunite or pool finish material surrounding them. Epoxy will not adhere to the plastic and in turn, will not stop the leak. A construction-type repair is required to properly stop the leak.

Epoxy is not a good repair for a pool leak such as a cracking skimmer canister.
An outright crack in plastic such as this crack in a skimmer canister cannot be properly repaired with epoxy.
A pool leak at a cracked plastic light niche cannot be properly repaired with epoxy.
The crack in the back of this pool light niche cannot be properly repaired with epoxy.

Epoxy is not a good solution for large pool leaks.

Large leaks that pull in a lot of water are likely to draw in the epoxy as well. Epoxy needs time to set in order to be effective and the suction in larger leaks prevents that from happening.

This large leak in the floor of a pool cannot be repaired with epoxy.
Large leaks, such as this hole in the pool floor, will draw the epoxy into itself. Therefore, epoxy is not a good repair solution for large leaks.

Epoxy is not a good solution for leaks if there has been major shifting or deterioration in the pool structure.

Epoxy cannot keep the foundation of your pool or a portion of your pool from continuing to shift. We have found that large cracks in a pool are indicative of continual shifting. That shifting will almost certainly continue, causing the crack to spread and the epoxy to fail.

Cracks totalling more than 6 linear feet (a single crack or the sum length of multiple cracks) can be indicative of major shifting and will require a construction-type repair to properly stop the leak and address the shifting.

A pool that is showing signs of structural shifting cannot be properly repaired with epoxy.
Epoxy is not a good repair solution on a pool showing major signs of signficant shifting.

Epoxy is not a good solution for pool leaks if a previous epoxy repair has failed in the same area

Epoxy on top of a previously failed epoxy repair will not be a high-quality solution. This type of leak will require a construction-type repair.

Reapplying epoxy on top of existing epoxy repairs rarely resolves a pool leak permanently. This skimmer needs to be replaced to stop the leak.
Epoxy repairs on top of epoxy repairs are rarely a reliable solution to a pool leak. This leaking pool skimmer needs to be replaced to completely resolve the pool's water loss.
A failing epoxy repair throughout a shifting tile line is causing this pool to lose significant amounts of water. Reapplying epoxy on top of these failed repairs will not solve the problem.
Shifting throughout this tile line has created major pool leaks throughout the years. While a reasonable solution on a mid-size crack when initially detected, re-applying epoxy on top of previous failed epoxy repairs is not a quality solution.
As stated, epoxy repairs on top of failed epoxy repairs will not permanently stop a pool leak. This pool skimmer is continuing to shift resulting in major water loss in the pool. A permanent construction repair is required.
A large leak was found in previous epoxy repairs where this pool tile line meets the pool skimmer. Adding more epoxy on top of this failed repair may stop the leak temporarily but will not be a permanent, quality solution.

Years of experience with all types of leaks and repairs have given us a great understanding of which solutions work for what situations. These simple guidelines allow us to give you a solution you can trust and allow you to get back to enjoying your leak-free pool!

Ok, but when is epoxy the right solution? It’s pretty straightforward: when the inverse of the above conditions occur.

Epoxy is a great choice for stopping your pool leak when:

  • There’s substantial gunite or finish material for the epoxy to adhere to.
  • There’s a small or mid-size leak and no major shifts in the structure of your pool have occurred.
  • The surface is clear of any previous repairs made with epoxy.

An epoxy repair is a great, long-term solution for all of the following pool leaks:

An epoxy repair is a great solution for a leaking pool jet face with adequate pool finish material.
The outer edge of this pool jet was found to be the source of this customer's pool leak. This leak can be properly sealed and repaired with epoxy at no further charge! There is plenty of pool finish material for the repair to grab onto resulting in a quality, long-term repair for this pool leak.
The edge of the pool light niche is leaking but can be properly repaired with underwater epoxy. The epoxy will be a high-quality long term solution to this pool leak.
This customer's pool was losing water through an unsealed joint between the bottom of their pool light niche and pool wall, resulting in major water loss. An epoxy repair would be a simple, high-quality solution to this problematic pool leak.
Many large water features offer many opportunities for pool leaks. This beautiful pool had a leak at the bottom of this water feature where the pvc pipe joined the bottom of this copper bowl. Concrete had originally been used to secure the bowl to its foundation. This concrete provided a secure backing for a high-quality permanent epoxy repair.
Many large water features offer many opportunities for pool leaks. This beautiful pool had a leak at the bottom of this water feature where the PVC pipe joined the bottom of this copper bowl. Concrete had originally been used to secure the bowl to its foundation. This concrete provided a secure backing for a high-quality permanent epoxy repair.
Leaks in pool tile lines can often be repaired with epoxy. A leak detected in this pool tile line was easily repaired with underwater epoxy.e
Even small leaks can cause major pool water loss. Epoxy is a great repair solution for this pool tile line leak.
Underwater epoxy can be used to fix holes in missing pool grout, stopping pool leaks.
Missing grout doesn't always mean an active pool leak, but in this case, this pool was losing significant water through this missing grout. Epoxy placed cleanly in the hole and blended into the pool finish and existing grout will resolve the leak.
Mid-sized cracks can be repaired with underwater epoxy, resolving the pool leak.
You can see the crack running from the top of this tile, down into the pool wall. For moderate sized cracks that don't continue to grow aggressively, epoxy can often stop the leak or until the pool is due for resurfacing.
Epoxy is a great solution for this leak between the skimmer face and the pool grout.
This leaking gap between the skimmer and the tile grout is a perfect situation for an epoxy repair.
An epoxy repair resolved the pool leak on this spa spillover.
This spa spillover is leaking on all sides, resulting in major water loss for the home owner. An epoxy repair resolved the leak with no further headaches or water loss.
Epoxy can repair many types of pool leaks in water features. This sheer descent is missing grout along the bottom which allowed water to leak behind the wall. A simple epoxy repair stopped the leak for years to come.
Another gap at the bottom of this sheer descent was allowing water to be lost behind this pool wall whenever the pump was running. The customer had even replaced the valve closing off this feature. A small amount of water was getting past the new valve all day as the pump ran, not noticed by the customer. A fresh epoxy repair stopped the water loss and allowed the customer to enjoy their leak-free pool again.

We hope this walk-through has clarified when an epoxy repair can be made and when a construction-type repair may be necessary. Remember our technicians are not paid a commission, so only the best, long-term solutions will be recommended!

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