shotcrete job quality concerns

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MetoRaph

Member
Mar 16, 2021
15
Jacksonville, FL
I am in the process of getting my pool built. the concrete or shotcrete went in the other week. And I am having some concerns over the quality of the application. I expected it to be rough and textured but there are so many voids, gaps and missing chunks. some parts can be pulled off by hand. there is a small rust spot (see pic). metal is protruding arround the light casing. the builder brushed it off as normal, and that the finish will cover all the gaps and holes. I'm just very concerned about future leaks and problems down the road. is this normal or should I be concerned? thanks so much!!!20210319_094824.jpg20210319_094824.jpg
 

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The pictures are pretty close up. Specifically for that void area, can you show a pic from further back? And also the thickness of that one section? It looks like it's only about 4" thick but that could be an optical illusion.
 
I'm not an expert, but that does look a bit thin to be a pool wall. I'm in the middle of a pool remodel and my PB used gunite for our steps. It's a bit rough but so is the entire pool shell right now. :rolleyes:

Looking at my picture I see small voids but nothing as bad as what you have. I'm told the pool surface needs to be rough for my pebble to adhere correctly, but I'd be worried about the how deep some of those voids appear to be. The bottom of your pool looks good so I'm confused as to what they were thinking about for the sides. I'd call your pool builder and ask them to come out and talk to you.
 

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Can you get a pic of the whole pool so we can see the big picture. It is the plaster that makes it water tight, but there should be no rebar visible. It will just bleed through the plaster. If you have concerns I would contact the PB and tell them not to proceed to the next step until your concerns are dealt with. If chunks are coming off in your hand it sounds like they tried to reapply the rebound .. that is a no no.

Lemme call in some construction guys.

@bdavis466, @ajw22 , @Jimrahbe, @jimmythegreek
 
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What gunite specifications are in your contract?

Construction Best Practices - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

  • Concrete, 8" to 9" thickness with a strength of 5,000 psi
  • Generally speaking, concrete walls are about 8 inches thick and the floor is 6 inches thick.

The rough areas don’t bother me. They will be smoothed out by the plaster.

Do you see any areas where the rebar is not fully encased?
 
there are no exposed rebar. it was shot at 5000 psi and it's more than 8" thick except for that one spot. there is only 1 tiny area that looks like a rust spot above the light, its a very thin piece of metal (see pic). Also what concerns me is the lack of concrete around the light housing front and back ( see pics). i have also attached photos of the whole shell from roof top and another angle. thanks for all the feedback. PB is coming to address my concerns this Wednesday.
 

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The plaster will buildout and waterproof around the light niche.
 

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Ok.. yeah.. I would point it out to your PB.. say hey this looks thin here what gives. My guess is it thin toward the top but thick enough lower down. If there is supposed to be something attached to the bond beam that could be problematic if its thin. But I would ask him. Let him explain what's going on.
 
Your ruler is at an angle so the thickness is much less than across the measured section you show - looks too thin to me. Also, any exposed rebar (or surface rebar) will rust and stain through the plaster. I wouldn't be happy with either.

Oh, and pool builders will tell you anything to get you to back off. When you start having problems a couple of years down the road, they'll be long gone with your money!
 
Do you have plans for this pool or are you in an area that has no inspections? The roughness isnt ideal but I've seen worst. The bond beam thickness is very narrow in those pics, that isnt normal should be 8" minimum generally often 10 to 12"
 
mguzzy said:
Ok.. yeah.. I would point it out to your PB.. say hey this looks thin here what gives. My guess is it thin toward the top but thick enough lower down. If there is supposed to be something attached to the bond beam that could be problematic if its thin. But I would ask him. Let him explain what's going on.
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yeah, it seems to be much thicker at the bottom. but still I will address with the PB on Wednesday. thank you
 
sktn77a said:
Your ruler is at an angle so the thickness is much less than across the measured section you show - looks too thin to me. Also, any exposed rebar (or surface rebar) will rust and stain through the plaster. I wouldn't be happy with either.

Oh, and pool builders will tell you anything to get you to back off. When you start having problems a couple of years down the road, they'll be long gone with your money!
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no exposure
sktn77a said:
Your ruler is at an angle so the thickness is much less than across the measured section you show - looks too thin to me. Also, any exposed rebar (or surface rebar) will rust and stain through the plaster. I wouldn't be happy with either.

Oh, and pool builders will tell you anything to get you to back off. When you start having problems a couple of years down the road, they'll be long gone with your money!
Click to expand...
I meant to say, no rebar is exposed . I was just concerned about the overall roughness of the shotcrete job and the thinness of some of the areas. thanks
 

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