Inspection issue (what would you do?)

[hobbs009]

Greetings all! I'm a new pool owner and currently having an issue with my pool company. Looking for thoughts and insight on how to handle this.

I purchased my home in March and had an inspection completed prior to closing on the home. I used the company that had been already servicing the pool for years. Since the pool was still closed, they weren't able to test all equipment etc... but, they did all that they could. From the findings in their inspection report, I received a credit from the previous home owners to repair after the pool was opened. The majority of findings were equipment related (and a diving board that was too short).

Fast forward to May, my pool was officially opened (by the same company) and then I noticed a crack stemming from the shallow end skimmer that stretched feet in length. I took pictures and emailed to the pool company asking how/why it was missed during the inspection that I paid for. I reviewed their inspection report and all 5 topics, within their "assessment of structure" section, were marked as 'Good' (which is their best/highest option to select from).

The pool company reached out to their foreman, who completed the inspection, but he didn't know how/why the crack was missed. The pool company didn't offer much additional detail or an apology but said they would obtain a quote to repair. Today I finally received their quote (from a plaster company) and it was $960. They claim that includes a $480 discount, but didn't state why I was getting a discount... I guess they didn't want to acknowledge that they missed the crack.

Even if their quote to repair is discounted, they show little care/understanding that they didn't identify the crack during their inspection.

So, currently, it appears they are offering me a "deal" to fix a problem they never identified... yet marked my inspection report as structurally 'Good'.

Attached is a picture of the crack. I just wanted to get some other opinions before responding to their email. I appreciate your time and thoughts!

 

[HermanTX]

Wow. That is a big miss. You may want to read the inspection report fine print on what liabilities they assume. Also, maybe you have a friend or work associate who is a lawyer and can read it and give you their interpretation. You do not need to use the same pool company to repair it. Why not get a quote from another company so you have something to compare "the discount" to. Also, if this company had been servicing the pool with the previous owner, why did they not know this even before the house was sold? Could the crack have occurred between March & May? Could you offset this new cost by not replacing the diving board? Good Luck. Keep us informed as to how this is ultimately resolved.

 

[ajw22]

That crack with the dirt around it looks like it has been there for a while and not recently developed.

 

[hobbs009]

Wow. That is a big miss. You may want to read the inspection report fine print on what liabilities they assume. Also, maybe you have a friend or work associate who is a lawyer and can read it and give you their interpretation. You do not need to use the same pool company to repair it. Why not get a quote from another company so you have something to compare "the discount" to. Also, if this company had been servicing the pool with the previous owner, why did they not know this even before the house was sold? Could the crack have occurred between March & May? Could you offset this new cost by not replacing the diving board? Good Luck. Keep us informed as to how this is ultimately resolved.

Thank you for the reply. I will take a look at the inspection report again this evening and keep you posted on that.

I can reach out to another company to obtain a quote on the repair. I've had a smaller repair job (light replacement) done by a different well reviewed company, just to see how they handled the job... but with bigger thoughts of switching away completely from the current company. Thanks again!

 

[hobbs009]

Just for reference... picture of pool attached with the skimmer/crack location circled

 

[Chasarms]

The bigger question should be why did it crack, and is there some kind stress from the structure settling? You don't want to have it fixed only for it to open up again.

 

[hobbs009]

The bigger question should be why did it crack, and is there some kind stress from the structure settling? You don't want to have it fixed only for it to open up again.

Yes, that's a good question. Had it been found... I know my realtor would've dug deeper.

Not knowing when the crack began... I know the pool was built about 14 years ago.

 

[sktn77a]

A surface crack in the plaster is one thing. A structural crack in the gunite underneath is something very different. @jimmythegreek

 

[hobbs009]

A surface crack in the plaster is one thing. A structural crack in the gunite underneath is something very different. @jimmythegreek

Went back through my older emails and found this quote... from the owner. I sent pictures of the crack and received this:

"He said the crack is a surface/cosmetic crack in the plaster but the skimmer should be okay. He said it would be an easy to repair."

Can it truly be determined from a picture... because they never came out to physically look at it.

 

[ajw22]

You have two crack areas. The skimmer box crack that I highlighted in red is more concerning as that crack looks like it was caused by some movement around the skimmer box.

The blue line crack is likely to just be in the plaster.

Post pics of the top or the skimmer and coping around that area. Are there any cracks on the surface?

What type of coping do you have and do you have an expansion joint between your coping and deck? If the expansion joint was compromised then the deck could have put pressure on the area to cause the crack.

I would carefully examine in and around the skimmer for cracks.

If the pool is not leaking water then all you can do is grout the cracks around the tile in the skimmer mouth and patch the plaster cracks. You will find out what is really underneath someday when you retile and replaster the pool and expose the gunite shell.

 

[hobbs009]

You have two crack areas. The skimmer box crack that I highlighted in red is more concerning as that crack looks like it was caused by some movement around the skimmer box.

The blue line crack is likely to just be in the plaster.

Post pics of the top or the skimmer and coping around that area. Are there any cracks on the surface?

What type of coping do you have and do you have an expansion joint between your coping and deck? If the expansion joint was compromised then the deck could have put pressure on the area to cause the crack.

I would carefully examine in and around the skimmer for cracks.

If the pool is not leaking water then all you can do is grout the cracks around the tile in the skimmer mouth and patch the plaster cracks. You will find out what is really underneath someday when you retile and replaster the pool and expose the gunite shell.



View attachment 153873

Thank you for the reply. Will look tonight and get some additional pictures.

I do feel like I was adding water to the pool every 2-3 days... but recently switched over to the auto fill device, so not really "seeing" the day to day level bc the auto fill is working correctly.

 

[ajw22]

You need to separate a leak from normal pool evaporation.

Evaporation of Pool Water - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Turn off your autofill and do the bucket test as described in...

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.

www.troublefreepool.com