Can anyone look at these pics and let me know if it is probable that this is ASR? Pool was shot with gunite in April of 2021 in Georgetown, TX. I'm hearing alot about asr recently. Noticed these cracks the other day with a white substance on them, we have no leaks currently. Any help/advice would be appreciated. Called a engineer said he charges $6500 for a core sample, insane price. Pool builder seems to be dragging their feet but my contract states I have a lifetime warranty on the pool shell.
Cracking in plaster, Possible ASR symptoms, Central Texas
- Thread starter Mryden1982
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,789
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Welcome to TFP.
Is the pool leaking water?
How deep are the cracks?
They look like spider cracks in the plaster but not deep enough to be through the gunite.
A warranty is only as good as the person behind it.
Is the pool leaking water?
How deep are the cracks?
They look like spider cracks in the plaster but not deep enough to be through the gunite.
A warranty is only as good as the person behind it.
Pool has no leakage, there is a white substance coming out of the cracks that appears to be calcium. They look like cracks in an egg shell. It's a gunite pool. Pool was installed in April of 21. I called an engineer and this guy quotes me $6500 to check core samples to see if it's ASR. He says he can't diagnose it unless he sees the lab results. Anyone else deal with ASR and does it look like this? I've heard it's mainly in shotcrete pools.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,789
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
ASR - Concrete Cancer - Austin, TX
Has anyone had experience with this issue? Alkali–silica reaction - Wikipedia. 3yr old - fresh water pool with cracks all over the walls Apparently the Shot Crete company (among others here) had not mixed right and messed up a number of pools. Edit by Jim R. thansk
www.troublefreepool.com
What to do with ASR?!
Our pool was built in 2018 and recently started cracking and losing water. Our pool builder is not helping at all. How do we go about getting the $8k test covered and start the process to get our money back to rebuild? How long will it take and what can we do in the meantime? We have 2 young...
www.troublefreepool.com
Preventing ASR
Hi folks, we are under construction with the dig done and forms being built and just learned about the nightmare of ASR happening to many pools in the Austin area. We are using a pool builder out of Round Rock. They said their gunite is mixed with ash to prevent ASR and the pool shell is...
www.troublefreepool.com
- May 23, 2015
- 25,753
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
ASR cannot be diagnosed from the outside of the pool by looking at the plaster. Only a core sample or removing the plaster can tell you what you want to know.
Your situation looks more like pools that develop cracks in the plaster that extend down to the gunite shell. Once the water is in contact with the gunite, it becomes very mineralized (high in calcium) and alkaline (high pH). This causes calcium carbonate to form which looks a lot like the white stuff coming out of the crack. That is the most likely cause.
ASR is caused by inappropriate supplemental cementitious materials being added to the concrete mix. Sulfate bearing compounds cause ASR. So you can’t really diagnose ASR without having a sample of the concrete to analyze.
Your situation looks more like pools that develop cracks in the plaster that extend down to the gunite shell. Once the water is in contact with the gunite, it becomes very mineralized (high in calcium) and alkaline (high pH). This causes calcium carbonate to form which looks a lot like the white stuff coming out of the crack. That is the most likely cause.
ASR is caused by inappropriate supplemental cementitious materials being added to the concrete mix. Sulfate bearing compounds cause ASR. So you can’t really diagnose ASR without having a sample of the concrete to analyze.
Gotcha, so just because there is calcium forming around the cracks doesn't automatically mean ASR?
With cracks like this, is it something that needs to be repaired soon?
Thanks for all the info and help.
With cracks like this, is it something that needs to be repaired soon?
Thanks for all the info and help.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,753
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The only way to repair them would be to drain the pool and inspect the cracks. If they are less than the width of the quarter, then it will be impossible to fill them with plaster patch. So they would have to be keyed to make a wider channel and then patched. It will look ugly no matter what you do.
There are epoxy patch materials you can mix up (white and black) to match the background grey color of the plaster cream. You then drain the pool, blow out the cracks with compressed air, and then smoosh (that’s a technical term) the epoxy into the crack. It’ll still be visible but it would stop water from getting in.