When to put the pool decking in?????

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mitch10196

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Jun 27, 2010
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I live in Massachusetts and am almost done with my pool installation. Liner and water go in this week. The pool company is telling us that we must wait at least 3 weeks before pouring the deck/cement patio. That gives enough time for the ground to settle. But every single person I talk to who has a pool says WAIT till after the winter! They say do it next Spring because waiting it out through a winter will help prevent cracks. When I tell the pool company this, they say that you don't have to wait; concrete cracks at some point no matter what. And, that they pack the ground so hard, that 3 weeks is sufficient. And if I don't do it within the 3 weeks, they make me sign a waiver that their not held responsible if anything happens to pool structure due to the decking not put in yet. They say the decking helps stabalize the pool as well. 3 pool companies here have all the said the same thing. And what do they care? they are not doing the cement... another company does that.

But when I speak to my neighbors and friends who have a pool, they say wait!

So, now I don't know what to do. I am wondering if anyone up North has advice on what I should do???
 
I finished mine on september 9th. I didnt put in the decking until the following June. My 2 neighbors didnt put theirs in until the following spring either. And, we all used different pool companies. Even my pool builder said dont put it i until the spring. I wouldnt sign any waiver, I dont care what they say. The deck does not stabilize the pool, only the backfill does that.
I live in central mass. Where in mass are you?
 
LIsten to bk406. The longer you can wait, particularly over a freeze/thaw cycle, the better off you are.

I was able to wait a year on mine (I know that's excessive) and 7 years later still don't have a single crack. I'm sure it will sometime down the road but I've enjoyed having 2500' of crack free decking thus far.[attachment=0:3j5nlppf]temp054.JPG[/attachment:3j5nlppf]
 

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Thanks for your responses. I've got to wonder though... why do all the pool companies up here say do it within 3 weeks. I had 3 pool companies bid on my pool and all said the same thing. And they aren't doing the decking. If I wait till the Spring, is it best to wait for the fence too? What a pain... don't want to do the fence till the decking/layout is done. Should have done my pool in September. Technically though, the kids can still use it. People say just put the green carpet down.
 
Bottom of contact says:

The Contractor recommends the installation of a concrete deck of at least 3 feet minimum around the entire circumference of the pool within 3 to 6 weeks of pool installation to complete the monolithic integrity. Owner acknowledges the contractor has explained the importance of the concrete deck and understands the contractor or manufacturer will not be responsible fo rany damage such as cracking or impressions to the pool floor caused by surface water due to the unitmely installation of the conrete deck.
 
I installed in October and poured concrete the next April. That was on the advice of my PB

However I don't know if your more extreme winters would make a difference or not.

I would wait as long as possible. Three weeks is not very long and if it doesn't rain to help settle the dirt it doesn't matter if its 1 day or three weeks anyway.
 

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If they don't pour the decking... why on earth do they care then?? 3 pool companies all say do it within 3 weeks. Although they all did say a few years ago, yes, they advised to wait... but not anymore. And, I wonder why???
 
For all of you who waited till the Spring and have a fence around the pool... did you wait to install the fence too? Is the orange construction fence sufficient/up to code during the wait? Want to do my fence AFTER my patio.. but not sure if that's legal.... let alone safe!
 
Orange construction fence is not to code. I did my fence before my deck, but i did pavers. If i did do concrete, it would have been pretty easy. If they cant get a truck in the back, they can use a mud buggy, or pump it from the street.

I'm also curious what they are going to backfill your pool with.
 
mitch10196 said:
They will backfill with the ground they dug up... as it's all around the sides. Can I attach a picture or do I need to create a URL to the picture?
Click to expand...


I'm getting ready for my pool to be put in sometime this week. I asked the excavator what they were going to use for the back fill, he said it all depended on what came out. See where I live it could be either sand or clay. If it's clay, they'll mix it with sand and dirt.

As soon as they start, I'll get some pictures up.
 

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