Using a slurry around a fiberglass Leisure pool

[michaelwalsh]

I am having a Leisure fiberglass pool installed shortly. It will be a Riviera 30' x 15' pool. The contractor wants to use a slurry as backfill and I'm wondering if this is a good idea.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I'm not sure what this "slurry" contains but my fiberglass pool was backfilled with crushed stone.

 

[Pool Tool]

A slurry is generally a term for CLSM - controlled low strength material, which is a form of concrete. These materials flow like water so it will fill all the voids, cracks and crevices below the pool without having to compact as you would stone. Additionally, it has a low compressive strength - like 50-100 psi whereas typical concrete is around 3,000 psi strength. With this low strength it can be easily chipped out or removed if necessary, say a plumbing issue. Think of it as a liquid sand mix that will bond together once cured. It's typically used to backfill an excavation when you want as little settling as possible and I would think it would be a better backfill material than crushed stone because of the difficulty compacting the stone in tight places in and under the pool.

 

[Texas Splash]

Thanks PT. That's very good to know.

 

[michaelwalsh]

Thanks for the valuable information. Greatly appreciated

 

[poolnewbies5874]

Gravel was used during my install also.

I'd have them check the installation manual for your pool. Some manufacturers will void their warranty if what they specify isn't used...

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[1gasman]

Backfill can be either "p" gravel or a slurry..the important part is that the pool bottom has no hollow spots under it - the bottom of the pool must touch the ground under it totally. Another thing to consider is a main drain assembly ( the pool doesn't come with one) because with a main drain assembly a hydrostatic valve can be installed to allow ground water into the pool..reducing the risk of a pool "floating" because of severe ground water pressure.