The Start of a Big Problem?!?!

[sgtolv]

So my pool was completed in July and just last week I noticed a crack in my paver coping. The gap in a section of my paver decking is a little wider and I have about an 18" long crack on one of my benches that extends up into the coping. I'm worried this problem goes much deeper than the plaster. The width isn't enough to even fit a dime...yet. I'm worried though that this runs through the Gunite. Any ideas? This was an owner builder pool. Everything was done through licensed contractors. The dig appeared to go fine, the rebar was done as "max steel". Is this just a common settling issue or the tip of the iceberg? Help please!

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[Flippy]

I would think that is an issue. You should not have cracks in your pool. IMHO

 

[ssml11]

Question: does the crack in the plaster sort of lines up with with crack in the coping paver? If it does then I would advice you contact pool service company asap as it you very well have a case of cracked she'll. If the plaster and coping don't line up / are in opposite ends of pool then it may not be a big deal...but I would still have an expect check it out.

One thing I would try is finding pictures of when pool prior to plaster and seeing if in that section you see the shell looking "iffy". Good luck!

 

[gwegan]

Some overall pictures would be helpful showing where these problems are.

I have no idea about the pebble tec but I suspect your deck pavers are pushing your coping around. More pictures would be good. Also look at your engineer's standard spec sheet. How dos it specify the coping and deck installation and did they follow the spec.

I would get the pebble tec rep, your plaster installer and the gunite sub out there all at one time and have a duscussion.

 

[sgtolv]

Thanks for the responses so far. I'll add a picture from a little further out...

So you can see that the crack starts on the bench, extends to the wall and then goes through the mouth of the skimmer on the bottom left and then extends up to the coping. We had a minor earthquake her in Las Vegas right around the time I noticed this. The blame game is beginning. I started with the Pebble Tec company. He called my Gunite guy and said it's him. The Gunite guy said he would fix it. His foreman came out today and said he thinks it's a plumbing issue. This is the point when I wish I had a pool builder to yell at


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[Gilrock]

Wow I'm really sorry I know that's gotta make you sick in the stomach. That sure looks like a major structural crack to me because it goes all the way up the wall and caused tile seperation near the skimmer and seperation of the decking pavers. It sounds like the earthquake was the cause. I'm curious whether even if you had a pool builder they would warranty damage from an earthquake. They probably have some type of "acts of god" language in the paperwork. Maybe that type of damage could be covered by homeowner's insurance. Good luck. I'm sure it can be fixed but may cost a little more and may need to drain the pool to get it corrected.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

Yeah, I can't imagine this is a good thing. I would be raising **** for sure.

 

[zethacat]

Shouldn't the gunite be strong enough to withstand a plumbing issue? Sounds fishy. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in. I agree with having them all over at the same time. You don't want to have to keep going back and forth with the he-said-she-said malarkey.

 

[Foxy]

Did you ever get this figured out and resolved? I just sent you a PM about your build.

 

[sgtolv]

Yes, It was actually a leak near the mouth of the skimmer. I'm guessing that the water from the leak expanded the soil and caused the shell to crack which is troublesome because I had "max steel" put in during construction. The Gunite company honored their warranty and came out and did a pressure epoxy and paid to have the pebble tec patched. I'm really glad I had a pebble plaster because they blended the patch in great and it's not even noticeable. Ironically enough the gunite company was the most expensive of the bids I got...and the shell still cracked. So more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better quality. Sometimes you just have bad luck...But pool is patched and all is well

 

[bdex]

Good to hear. Glad it was a simple fix and you are back up and running as new.


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[Foxy]

Thank you for the update, glad to hear it worked out in the end!