sinking pool

Jump to latest Follow Reply
texanoob

texanoob

0
Sep 8, 2018
4
Round Rock, TX
Hi! I'm a first time pool owner and unfortunately I was just told that my pool is sinking. I bought this house less than a year ago and according to the paperwork I found, the pool was put in 10 years ago. I noticed a leak shortly after we moved in and they replaced a part on the pump and it was fine. It started to leak again a couple of weeks ago and they told me it was because there is pressure being put on the plumbing from the walls which are off level by 2.5".

I had a soil stabilization company out and the estimate to fix this is around $7000 (!) with no guarantee that it will last or that the pool or plumping won't be damaged in the process. I'm in Central Texas and the ground is clay. I'm a bit shocked at the cost and I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with this and what they did about it.

The yard is on a hill so the pool walls are exposed. I'll attach some pics.

pool1.jpg
pool2.jpg
 
Welcome to TFP. Sorry this problem was the reason you joined us.

I would like to hear what the soil stabilization company says they will do.

Is that a gap I see on the bottom of the pool wall? How far under the pool does that gap go? This looks to me like soil erosion from water draining down the hill. Water eroding the soil from the sides and bottom of the pool leaving gaps for the pool structure to settle into. It looks like they built the pool more on the ground than in the ground. The PB may have over dug the pool and back filled areas which is a no no as the back filled areas are not as strong as the non-dug ground.

You have any idea who the original PB is? Not to complain to him but maybe to get a better understanding of the underlying pool structure.

I would want to understand the root cause of the settling to make sure the fix addresses it. Are you trying to fix soil erosion from water drainage or settling from poorly compacted fill under the pool?
 
If you can just re-do the plumbing lines (and get them underground) to stop the leaks, I'd do this and live with the sloping pool. It's not moving very fast if its only sunk 2.5" in 10 years and it's probably pretty stable by now. Plant bushes to cover the ugly concrete wall and enjoy it!
 
tn,

Welcome to TFP... a great place to find the answers to all of your pool problems, even if your "Rocks" are not "Round"... :shark:

I am trying to understand how the pool "sinking" is causing you to have a leak at your pump... :confused:

The pictures show that the ground is being eroded away and exposing the pipes, but is the shell actually sinking???

Where is the leak now? Is the plumbing leaking or is the shell leaking?

How did they determine the 2.5" of off level?

I guess my point is... is the problem really the pool sinking or is the leak being caused by something else???

Your last picture does not make it appear the pool is way off of being level.. Maybe just the pic.

Tell us more about what is going on... Post more pics from the other side and the end of the pool.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome. I have been lurking for a while and only recently decided to try to maintain the water myself, but then I ran into this issue. To answer some questions:


The pool repair company said "Pool has started to sink one the wall side and has caused some serious strain on the plumbing. The pool is out of level around 2-3 inches from side to side."


The soil stabilization company said "An examination of the swimming pool indicates that one side of the pool has settled approximately 2 inches. Also noted during the inspection; standing water in some areas around the pool as well as soil settlement." They have a proprietary "method" to "void fill and lift" the pool.


Yes that's a gap under the pool wall. The realtor originally suggested we bring in bags of soil and fill it that way. I don't know who the PB was - I found a comment about the "new structure" in some insurance paperwork. As for what I'm trying to fix - I don't know! I'm totally clueless about all of this and just want to make sure everything works and I'm not allowing a bad situation to get worse. I'd much rather be focusing on pool automation and pretty lights right now.


From what I understand the leak is coming out of those pipes in the ground because there is water pooling there when it hasn't been raining, and I've had to fill the pool more than usual to keep the water line up.


Here are more pics (yes, lawn and water balance are also works in progress - also note it just rained before I took these):
2018-09-21 18.25.33.jpg
2018-09-21 18.25.37.jpg

plumbing and gap 1: 2018 09 22
plumbing and gap 22018 09 22
view from the side: 2018 09 22
view from the other side: 2018 09 22
zoom out from the last one: 2018 09 22
 
tn,

I am still puzzled??? When you look at your pool from inside at the water level... Is the water level on one side of the pool 2" lower or higher than the water level on the other side of the pool? Show us a pic showing the water level inside the pool from a couple of different places.

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
tn,

I am still puzzled??? When you look at your pool from inside at the water level... Is the water level on one side of the pool 2" lower or higher than the water level on the other side of the pool? Show us a pic showing the water level inside the pool from a couple of different places.

Jim R.
Click to expand...

I would, but the rain last night filled the whole thing to the top, so you can't see anything :\

The water normally goes up to the middle of the tile line between two tiles on one side. On the other side the water line is about two inches lower.
 
tn,

Ok, that is what I wanted to know.. It is obvious, from looking at the water that the shell of the pool is not level.

So even if you did not have a leak, it would make sense to jack the pool back up.

I would think that the same people that raise house foundations could do the same thing for your pool. :confused:

I'm not sure what "soil stabilization" is, but I would want to see some piers going down to some solid rock, if this were my pool.

We got the same rain here.. Closed our local golf course for the next three or four day for flood repairs.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
To jack up your pool to level it will you need to drain the water? Your water weighs about 125,000 lbs.
 
The problem with jacking the pool back up is that it might crack. The best way to do this, if you decide to go this route, is with pressurized gunite/shotcrete injection that (hopefully) will spread the load over the entire bottom of the pool. They will have to empty the pool and drill several 4" holes in the bottom. This should be what the soil stabilization company was proposing. Still no guarantees that it will work or that the pool won't crack.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
They did say they will have to drain it and then I'll need to have someone else come out to repair any cracks. And there are no guarantees. I didn't have a special pool inspection - I thought the home inspection covered that but I've never had luck with inspectors anyway.

So, I'm wondering if I should 1.) ignore the problem until it gets worse while saving up, 2.) do the stabilization now, or 3.) get a big old loan for a remodel so that whatever I end up with will be under warranty.
 
Welcome to TFP. There are some smart guys on here if you listen to them it will save you some money and heartache. I’m not one of them but I would pile dirt on those pipes and fill in that void to prevent freezing as that’s the only real problem I would worry about. Then put some sod on the dirt to secure it. I don’t know what I would do with that bare concrete wall. Bushes, paint or a mural are all options but it may not be important. I would convert to salt water as it will make your life easier. Then buy a bigger bbq grill and a big Texas star and watch some football.
 
Hydro jack in or mud jacking is the only real possible solution. I would expect it to work if the company are pro's. 7k is not bad to fix a 60k pool. Also need to look at how water is getting under shell. I might expect some of the settling is due to the back wall not having any support. Maybe you can add dirt and maybe a boulder wall. Also het a few bods and more advice from contractors.
 
texanoob said:
They did say they will have to drain it and then I'll need to have someone else come out to repair any cracks. And there are no guarantees. I didn't have a special pool inspection - I thought the home inspection covered that but I've never had luck with inspectors anyway.

So, I'm wondering if I should 1.) ignore the problem until it gets worse while saving up, 2.) do the stabilization now, or 3.) get a big old loan for a remodel so that whatever I end up with will be under warranty.
Click to expand...

Frankly, I can’t see a warranty for anything less than a demo & replacement.
 
texanoob said:
Thanks for the warm welcome. I have been lurking for a while and only recently decided to try to maintain the water myself, but then I ran into this issue. To answer some questions:


The pool repair company said "Pool has started to sink one the wall side and has caused some serious strain on the plumbing. The pool is out of level around 2-3 inches from side to side."


The soil stabilization company said "An examination of the swimming pool indicates that one side of the pool has settled approximately 2 inches. Also noted during the inspection; standing water in some areas around the pool as well as soil settlement." They have a proprietary "method" to "void fill and lift" the pool.


Yes that's a gap under the pool wall. The realtor originally suggested we bring in bags of soil and fill it that way. I don't know who the PB was - I found a comment about the "new structure" in some insurance paperwork. As for what I'm trying to fix - I don't know! I'm totally clueless about all of this and just want to make sure everything works and I'm not allowing a bad situation to get worse. I'd much rather be focusing on pool automation and pretty lights right now.


From what I understand the leak is coming out of those pipes in the ground because there is water pooling there when it hasn't been raining, and I've had to fill the pool more than usual to keep the water line up.


Here are more pics (yes, lawn and water balance are also works in progress - also note it just rained before I took these):
View attachment 86838
View attachment 86839

plumbing and gap 1: 2018 09 22
plumbing and gap 22018 09 22
view from the side: 2018 09 22
view from the other side: 2018 09 22
zoom out from the last one: 2018 09 22
Click to expand...

A contractor name will appear on the building permit.. is the pool waterline level?
All I see are photos of the shore walls.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply