Width of shotcrete

[eguang]

Hi. I live in the Phoenix area. I am trying to build my first pool ever and I have a short list of 4 PB. One told me to watch out for pool shells made with 6 inch width of concrete, because they can crack and if the company goes out of business then I am without warranty. He (the owner) told me he uses 12 inches. The other 3 PB are the big boys of pool building in AZ. One told me they use 6 inches and 8 only when reinforcement is needed. Another one kind of got defensive and told me more about other materials they use to reinforce but never clearly answered my question about the width. So, is there an specific width of concrete I should be looking for? or it does not matter as long as they have the lifetime warranty and their company is a big one.

Thanks in advance!.

 

[JasonLion]

It depends on the pool. Thicker gunite is required when there is more stress on the shell. The amount of stress in turn depends on things like the depth of the pool, total size of the pool, and the soil conditions. 8" thick walls are fairly common, but there is no one correct answer without knowing all kinds of detail.

My guess is that this is more of a marketing ploy than it is a real issue, but it is impossible to be sure.

 

[Northrider23]

Most pools around me are being built with 6" concrete walls as a standard. I specifically stated that I wanted 8 inches all around and 10" for the spa. The spa ended up being 12" thick. It does however add to the price of the project as more concrete has to be used. In my pool we used a total of 60 yards. Was it really necessary? Not 100% sure, but it sure is build like a bunker.