Pool was plastered last Friday and was full of water by mid day Saturday. Just this morning we noticed a big crack in the plaster right at the skimmer. Is this fairly common or am I special? I imagine this is going to require shutting the equipment down and draining about a foot of water to be fixed? Anyone have this happen?
Cracked Plaster
- Thread starter HRR8998
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
That is more then a plaster crack.
You have instability can cracking along the skimmer mouth.
The crack radiates from the side of the skimmer on the right down and off the lefts of the picture.
It also looks like there is a crack on the inside of the skimmer mouth.
This is NOT normal.
Do you have any pics of what the rebar and gunite looked like around that skimmer area?
Post pics of what the skimmer and deck look like above there.
You have instability can cracking along the skimmer mouth.
The crack radiates from the side of the skimmer on the right down and off the lefts of the picture.
It also looks like there is a crack on the inside of the skimmer mouth.
This is NOT normal.
Do you have any pics of what the rebar and gunite looked like around that skimmer area?
Post pics of what the skimmer and deck look like above there.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Why did they put this white stuff under the skimmer mouth?
It looks like whatever they put there did not bond to the gunite and is delaminating from it.
It looks like whatever they put there did not bond to the gunite and is delaminating from it.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Here is the rebar:
I’m not sure what that is. They put the same stuff around the main drain. Here is a pic of the rebar.Why did they put this white stuff under the skimmer mouth?
It looks like whatever they put there did not bond to the gunite and is delaminating from it.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
In this pic the skimmer is not installed yet.
Usually the rebar wraps around the skimmer and the rebar and gunite encapsulate the skimmer and makes it part of the pool structure.
Usually the rebar wraps around the skimmer and the rebar and gunite encapsulate the skimmer and makes it part of the pool structure.
Toxophilite
Silver Supporter
Looks like the skimmer was not supported unless rebar and gunite was added later, and, now the body of skimmer is sinking under the weight of deck and water and pushing up in front.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You could be right and the white cement could be the the builders efforts of anchoring the skimmer after the deck was installed and the lifting began showing.
Toxophilite
Silver Supporter
Yep, sure looks like the PB saw it failing and attempted to secure from outside or to cover.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Here is an example I pulled from other folks builds.
You can see the rebar wrapping around the skimmer...
and then how it was encapsulated by the gunite....
at this point the skimmer is solidly part of the pool structure and nothing is going to be moving around it.
You can see the rebar wrapping around the skimmer...
and then how it was encapsulated by the gunite....
at this point the skimmer is solidly part of the pool structure and nothing is going to be moving around it.
There was no rebar added for the skimmer. They dug the hole, dropped it in and completed the plumbing.
The PB came out earlier this morning and said they’ve never seen this before. The plaster crew is supposed to come out later today to take a look.
I have a feeling I’m in for a (bad) ride…
I have a feeling I’m in for a (bad) ride…
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,304
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Discuss these pics with the PB.
He may not even realize what his subs did.
Don't accept just patching the crack. It will crack again.
They need to remove the deck, dig out around the skimmer, epoxy rebar connecting into the gunite, and put concrete around the skimmer to properly attach it.
@AQUA~HOLICS any thoughts?
He may not even realize what his subs did.
Don't accept just patching the crack. It will crack again.
They need to remove the deck, dig out around the skimmer, epoxy rebar connecting into the gunite, and put concrete around the skimmer to properly attach it.
@AQUA~HOLICS any thoughts?
They going to have to open the deck around the skimmer and I'd say a new skimmer is needed cuz possibly cracked from pressure above along with the plumbing connections, tie it in with rebar to the existing rebar stubouts if there are any and pour concrete.
Toxophilite
Silver Supporter
The skimmer is not an "add-on". It is an integral part of the pool's shell. They will need to excavate the area, tie in rebar to pool, and make it part of the gunite shell. With soil movement and decking weight and shifts, it will never work being part of peripheral to pool and part of pool just running through shell, no matter how much they try to make it work.
The PB and plaster company met onsite. The plaster guy was here first and started to signal this could potentially be a structural issue. My PB showed up and when the plaster guy mentioned perhaps this is a structural issue my PB shut that conversation down and told him to redo that section and that was that. Tomorrow they are supposed to drain the pool about 6 inches, re-plaster and re-tile. I’m going along with it because the pool has a 20 year structural warranty and we already have a pre-completion issue that’s acknowledged and if the issue continues or gets worse it will be the PB’s problem.
I wouldn't count on the warranty being there in the future. My PB closed up shop after my pool was completed. He decided to retire. Fortunately I had a good experience and am not concerned about issues down the road. Your PB may be a big name shop and in that case the warranty probably holds more water. Just something to consider based on the commentary above that this appears to be a structural issue.