How To Avoid Cracks In a Concrete Pool
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How do you avoid cracks in a concrete pool shell? When it comes to major swimming pool problems and expensive repairs there is not much worse than a cracked concrete swimming pool. So how do you protect yourself against this anyway? Or can you? The answer to both questions is that you can actually be proactive and protect your pool from cracks both from a design perspective as well as from a finished swimming pool perspective. Most of all the installer of your pool being of a high callibre is important. Perhaps as important as any oher individual detail of having a pool installed and having it last (without cracking) for decades.
Pool maintenance to prevent cracks - If you have an existing swimming pool then there is not much you can do about how the pool was built at this stage. What you can do is prevent the pool from cracking due to expansion and contraction forces. This is actually a fairly common problem for concrete pools to experience so much so that it has a name which is called "deck sheer". This refers to the horizontal expansion forces of a pool deck pushing against the vertical walls of the pool which are not designed to move. As such the walls fail and crack horizontally. To protect the pool from expansion forces you should maintain a flexible gap (commonly 1/2" in width) to isolate the pool walls and pool coping from the rest of the pool deck. In a seamless deck-coping installation a bond breaking element must be added in between the top of the pool walls and the pool coping itself to allow the coping to move on top of the pool wall without pushing the pool walls to move also.
Swimming pool engineering - Some concrete pools will have an engineer involved in the project and some will not depending on where you live and the builder / process you are using. In almost every case it would be better for you as the pool owner to have an engineer come in to design the structural elements, do soil samples and site inspections and make sure that your pool is going to be strong enough to withstand your local conditions. Expansive soils, flood plains, differential materials, uncompacted ground are all things which could end up causing a cracked concrete pool down the road.
Pool shell specifications - In addition to the ground and ground preparation for your pool installation the engineer also will provide details for the concrete compressive strength, concrete thickness, steel thickness, steel reinforcing grid, bond beam requirements...all things that will contribute to the overall strength and quality of your pool shell. There are many builders installing pools today with 6" or thinner walls, inadequate steel reinforcing, improper technical practice like not lifting the steel or using red brick instead of concrete / rebar chairs to lift the steel armature...so many potential ways to affect the final strength and quality of a pool shell!
Concrete pool waterproofing systems - Many concrete pools are built without any waterproofing system at all, which leads to long term erosion and leaching issues. These can contribute to early shell failure for concrete pools by exposing the rebar within the concrete to pool water. The chlorinated water will directly corrode the steel as well as include the steel in a galvanic couple with the rest of the metal components in and around your pool...all things which are avoided when you use a waterproofing system to make sure your concrete pool is not just water resistant but actually waterproof. Basecrete is one waterproofing system commonly used. Hydroban by Laticrete is another. There are many to choose from depending on the details of your installation and whether you have a weir wall in your design (water on both sides of a wall).
If you are worried about having a cracked concrete pool shell for your new pool installation you can always consult with Steve about your pool and help you to avoid many of the commonly encountered problems that can result with a cracked pool shell.
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