Glass Tile chipping and cracking

[Just-a-PB]

I know these glass tiles can't be cut

They can certainly be cut. They just need the right sharp blade, and some patience. All glass can be cut.

It appears that the glass comes all the way down to the deck.
The deck is going to expand and contract a little, putting pressure on the glass till it fractures.
From the picture it looks as though 3 or 4 of the tiles at the bottom are cracked.


I have glass tiled lots of pools and features, it just needs to be done correctly to avoid problems.

Here is one we finished recently.
All glass tile interior, and glass tile water wall.
Custom stainless rail, Jet paks, and waterway spa jets.
With the two intellibrite spa lights, it glows at night.

[attachment=0:11ezhf7e]IMG_1895a.jpg[/attachment:11ezhf7e]

 

[Lershac]

I wonder if the real problem here might not be the stuff thats depositing. Whatever you are leaching out... could it be depositing behind the tiles and as crystal growth occurs in whatever mineral is depositing, it exerts pressure on the tile from the rear and cracks it? Crystal growth and deposition can actually exert some pretty dang strong forces. I wonder if sealing up the TOP of the fault line to stop water from intruding would stop it.

 

[yostiger]

hello mud, your pool is beautiful! I am having Primera Stone installed tomorrow and my builder says that I should not put glass accent tiles because they will scratch. Do you have this problem? Does it really effect the look?
Thanks,
yo

 

[mud]

yostiger - not sure what you are asking... if the tiles are installed correctly the tiles won't "scratch... look is subjective.

 

[Just-a-PB]

Yos,
He is just protecting his butt.
Depends on the glass you are putting in as accents, some show scratches more then others.
As they trowel the finish, they can scrape, or cause the agg to scrape against the glass and scratch it.
It can be protected with some Blue, or Frog painters tape. I would leave that up to the finishers to install, they should be careful.
Especially when you buy them lunch and drinks.

 

[mud]

Haha, no I seriously misread what he was asking.... I did get a few scratches on the glass tiles in the plaster on the steps but they were pretty minor and so I'm ok with them. Wish more was done to protect them as Just-a-PB pointed out. What I don't like is glass cracking and falling into the pool...

 

[mud]

So based on what I read on Oceanside's website, a waterproof membrane of some sort should be placed between the shell and tile and as Just-a PB mentioned some sort of expansion joint is needed between the glass and deck.

Just-a-PB, am I missing anything else obvious in terms of what needs to be done to fix this glass?

 

[Just-a-PB]

Mud,
Did you look around the base where the glass meets the deck. Are there quite a few broken tiles? It looked like it in the picture.
What is puzzling to me is white suff you are removing, but you say the area is dry. Does this only happen after a rain?

 

[mud]

Took a look around the base last night and there are only 2-3 cracked tiles. The white stuff occurs pretty consistently but slowly. It shows up about 4-5 days after I clean it.

 

[wmac]

Would love to talk to you about your pool issue as I am having the same blue leaching? coming out a few areas in a new pool as well.
You could contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Would like to understand what you have found out and I can also share my thoughts.

Thanks

Bill

 

[Pool Defects Expert]

First -
All thinsets and grouts can contribute to efflorescence, since they all contain lime (calcium). In the presence of air and water, the lime is activated and begins to crystalize. This is why it primarily only occurs above water. Constant wetting and drying of a wet wall fountain, vanishing edge wall or water weeping through the shotcrete (gunite) can also activate the lime.

Secondly -
Materials expand and contact in the presence of heat and cold. Glass tiles on a vanishing edge or wet wall will expand in the sun, until they are doused with cool water when the pump activates. Suddenly the glass contracts. Thermal expansion cracking, is what led to the development of the ANSI 137.2 Thermal Shock standard and classifications. Glass is rather brittle and does not handle thermal shock well. This is why glass tiles works well as a kitchen back splash and poorly in a shower or steam bath.

Thirdly -
On a round spa, as the glass tiles expand the circumference of the circle enlarges. The spa structure will not expand at the same rate and the tiles will come loose (routine expansion joints will help). In an effort to relieve this stress, cracks may form randomly. On a spill over or vanishing edge spa, the water will now have easy access to the thinset, mortar bed or shotcrete (if the installer did not utilize a waterproof membrane). This only encourages more efflorescence. Many people incorrectly interpret these cracks as structural cracks. If they do not line up with interior cracks or fittings in the spa, then they are probably not structural.

Finally -
Elevated spas are notorious for leaking. There are so many pipes and air lines weaving through the steel, that proper encapsulation is very difficult. Shadowing and honeycombs are common around jets, light niches and plumbing. If the penetrations around these items are not sealed well, water will follow the pipes and fill these pockets. Eventually, they will manifest themselves on the exterior surface behind the tiles.

There are some good sources of additional information on the web about cracked swimming pool tiles and tesselated cracking.