Save money by patching your pool yourself

A patch in time, just like the proverbial stitch, will keep your pool looking good for years — and save big repair bills. If you can find your leak, see below for what to do.

• One way to find leaks is with food dye.
• Place dye at suspected trouble spots, such as cracks or blistered areas. If it moves through the wall, you've found a leak.

• In pools with vinyl liners, attend to tears or punctures as soon as possible.
• Repair tears with a manufacturer-supplied patching kit, many of which can be used above or below water so you won't have to drain the pool.
• Some repair kits come with a small can of adhesive and a vinyl liner patch.
• Simply brush on the adhesive, and apply over the tear. Others have the adhesive preapplied to the patch.
• Just remove the paper backing and press in place.
• Liner tears longer than five to eight centimetres (two to three inches) may not be repairable, in which case you'll have to replace the liner.
• In pools finished with plaster, repair hairline cracks in the plaster at least once a season.
• The plaster is the layer — usually applied over Gunite or Shotcrete pool floors and walls — that forms the waterproof membrane around your pool. To repair it, lower the water level below the damage.
• Clean loose pieces from cracks and fill them with plaster, marine-grade caulking compound (don't use ordinary house caulk), or a two-part epoxy putty.
• Smooth with a trowel or your fingers, and allow the patch to cure before refilling the pool. Call in a pro to handle large cracks.
• Some wear scuba gear to make the repair underwater, avoiding the expense and time involved in draining the pool.
• Fibreglass pools can also be patched if the damaged area is small. Drain the pool to below the damage, and let it dry.
• Abrade the damaged area with 100-grit sandpaper. Mix and brush on a two-part liquid epoxy, and lay on your patch of fibreglass cloth.
• Smooth with a bristle brush, making sure you haven't left any air bubbles under the cloth. When the adhesive dries, brush on another coat of epoxy liquid.
• Sand to feather the edges of the patch. Reapply the liquid epoxy one or two more times. Then sand lightly, and paint to match the rest of the pool.
• If the damage is extensive, the entire pool may have to be recoated.
• A coat of epoxy paint will improve the appearance of an older fibreglass shell.