PVC penetrations

[ocular]

Pool built 3 yrs ago, shotcrete with tile finish. The pool has a infloor cleaning system on its own circuit. (PCC2000). The pool has a about 12 wall PVC penetrations excluding the infloor pop-ups. The penetrations all had scalloped out cavity around each pipe on the internal wall that was trowelled at the time of the pour. The shell was cured by spraying for a week and the tiler tells me that the penetrations were treated with Xypex megamix + Xycrylic Admix and tiles applied. Due to pool builder delay it took then took another 8 months before water was put in the pool (thru hot Australian summer). I was plagued by leaking penetrations that the pool leak guys tried to fix but after one was epoxied another would show up and so it went on for two years. i finally bit the bullet and the pool was drained and all the pentrations taken down and carefully rebated and packed with epoxy ( only one of the floor popoups) and retiled. It is good to have a pool that doesn't leak. So much easier to keep clean. fortunately there is no sign of structural damage to the shell. hopefully I have a permanent fix now.

No one has been able to give me a reason as to why I had so much trouble with leaky PVC penetations. Does xypex suffer if it is left without water for 8 months? Would have there been concrete movement around the penetrations that caused the xypex to fail. Would welcome thoughts from the guys who use this stuff and understand concrete construction. Is the current fix likely to be long term?

thanks

 

[Bama Rambler]

I really hope you get some info on this.

I suspect that the pool being left dry for so long had something to do with it. I also think that the fix you have now is a long term fix.

 

[waste]

Hey ocular (saw you yesterday on the 90 v.s. 2- 45 issue)

I'm not familiar with the '"X".....' mixtures you speak of

However, when I was building shotcrete pools in the late 80s and early 90s, there was a problem with the 'shooters/ gunners' hitting the through wall pipes from all angles to fully seal the wall (apparently, bending their knees or shooting from any angle other than straight on was a foreign concept :lol: )

Not that this will help you but, what we started doing was gluing ribbed sleeves on the middle of the pipes which make a 'keyway' to stop leaks. If we hadn't installed one, we'd chip out the wall around the pipe and pack in 'Waterplug' (hydrolic cement) to make the seal before the plaster was applied.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Ted, I started to mention water stop collars but figured it was too late for the OP. As long as I worked in construction, we required them on all penetrations. I've always wondered why the pool industry didn't require them.

 

[ocular]

Ted, I started to mention water stop collars but figured it was too late for the OP. As long as I worked in construction, we required them on all penetrations. I've always wondered why the pool industry didn't require them.

Sounds like a good idea at construction time.

This stuff looks interesting too, asphalt tape that swells, like thick insulation tape , wrap around pvc pipe penetration near centrre of concrete. Made in Japan, another Xypex product.

I agree, why is this not a standard? - with water now regarded as a finite resource simple measures like this would save a lot of water.