jules Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 Hi folks, we have what I guess is a serious problem with our 8m x 4m rectangular pool. There are several problems : 1. The pool seems to have a definite 'lean' from right to left, dropping by about 6 inches max. 2. The tiling around the pool has a lip. Directly below this lip the concrete is deteriorating and the tiles are falling away. 3. The back of the pool is a 3 foot wall. There are rectangular marks on this wall which seems to indicate a leak ? The pool is about 10 years old; I'm not sure if its a concrete or shell type pool. The tiling is typically spanish style 2 inch square tiles. Frankly I don't know anything about pool repair and I was hoping some good folk here might offer some advice on what steps to take to repair everything. Do I need to have the whole thing ripped out and replaced ? The lean seems to indicate ground subsidence ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKN1997 Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 Hi folks, we have what I guess is a serious problem with our 8m x 4m rectangular pool. There are several problems : 1. The pool seems to have a definite 'lean' from right to left, dropping by about 6 inches max. 2. The tiling around the pool has a lip. Directly below this lip the concrete is deteriorating and the tiles are falling away. 3. The back of the pool is a 3 foot wall. There are rectangular marks on this wall which seems to indicate a leak ? The pool is about 10 years old; I'm not sure if its a concrete or shell type pool. The tiling is typically spanish style 2 inch square tiles. Frankly I don't know anything about pool repair and I was hoping some good folk here might offer some advice on what steps to take to repair everything. Do I need to have the whole thing ripped out and replaced ? The lean seems to indicate ground subsidence ? IN an of itself, the "leaning" would not necesitate ripping the whole pool out. sounds like the beam has to be fortified and rebuilt. but the leaning could also mean that the pool was poorly constructed and the shell might not be sound, but that's jumping ahead. Check your patio/deck. if it's a masonary patio, make sure that there is an expansion joint of at least 1/2" between the patio and the coping/shell. expansion joint is a space left in between, usually filled with some sort of flexible sealer. this allows the patio to move without pushing on the wall of the pool and pop your tiles off. If you have proper expansion joint, then the tiles and leaning are probably caused by poor construction techniques. maybe not enough, or no rebar, poor concrete mix, or it burnt a little before they shot it. before you take any course of action, you need to determine what actually caused the problems. you don't want to rip the pool out only to discover that it was fine and that a poor or missing expansion joint caused your problems. I almost forgot...the leaning of your pool...is the high side higher than the surrounding patio, or lower. if it's higher, then some sort of undeground water condition (water table or underground stream) could have "popped" it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted December 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 IN an of itself, the "leaning" would not necesitate ripping the whole pool out. sounds like the beam has to be fortified and rebuilt. but the leaning could also mean that the pool was poorly constructed and the shell might not be sound, but that's jumping ahead. Check your patio/deck. if it's a masonary patio, make sure that there is an expansion joint of at least 1/2" between the patio and the coping/shell. expansion joint is a space left in between, usually filled with some sort of flexible sealer. this allows the patio to move without pushing on the wall of the pool and pop your tiles off. If you have proper expansion joint, then the tiles and leaning are probably caused by poor construction techniques. maybe not enough, or no rebar, poor concrete mix, or it burnt a little before they shot it. before you take any course of action, you need to determine what actually caused the problems. you don't want to rip the pool out only to discover that it was fine and that a poor or missing expansion joint caused your problems. I almost forgot...the leaning of your pool...is the high side higher than the surrounding patio, or lower. if it's higher, then some sort of undeground water condition (water table or underground stream) could have "popped" it. Thanks for your reply, DKN1997. You suggest that the 'beam' may need may fortifying/rebuilding. What is the beam exactly ? How or where can I see the expansion joint ? I looked around the pool edge but there does not seem to be a noticable joint except for those between the tiles. Would a pool contractor be able to diagnose the problems or do I need construction people ? The pool lean is strange : No ,the pool is at no point higher then the surrounding patio. In fact it sinks into the ground on the low side of the lean. What I'm trying to say is that on the low side of the lean, it sort of looks like the ground has sunk and pulled patio tiling/pool side downwards by 6 inches. But there are no cracks in the pool walls or anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKN1997 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 the beam is the vertical wall behind the tiles, it's what the tiles are stuck too. if that beam is crumbly or pooryly constructed, the tiles will fall off. the expansion joint is a space in between the patio and the coping (top stones on top of tiles) it allows the patio to move independently of the pool. At this point, it would be easier for you to have a professional come in and get a quote to fix it. estimates are free and he will most likely at least tell you what caused this to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted January 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 the beam is the vertical wall behind the tiles, it's what the tiles are stuck too. if that beam is crumbly or pooryly constructed, the tiles will fall off. the expansion joint is a space in between the patio and the coping (top stones on top of tiles) it allows the patio to move independently of the pool. At this point, it would be easier for you to have a professional come in and get a quote to fix it. estimates are free and he will most likely at least tell you what caused this to happen. Thanks, DKN, for bearing with my elementary questions. I did get a pool contractor in and he said there was ground subsidence and that the pool would have to be ripped out, the subsidence problem fixed, then the pool rebuilt. Frankly I simply don't have the finances for such a big operation. I have been looking on the web for other solutions and I have seen people with concrete/tiled pools who have solved all their problems by getting a pool liner and having that installed. Do you think this could work in my situation ? Obviously the pool beam will need to be repaired as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynamictiger Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Not being able to see your pool ripping it out does sound a little radical. I would think that if it is ground subsidence and that there is no more it would be cheaper to build up the lower edge and relevel the pool floor, and fit a liner. Perhaps you should get two or three more on site opinions. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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