I am a first time pool owner. I purchased a 2016 home with a gunnite pool that was installed in 2019. I live in north Texas (Frisco). In North Texas we are supposed to water our home foundation (typically done via drip line); moisture consistency throughout the year is supposed to prevent cracking and shifting. Should the perimeter of the pool should also be watered? This is not really possible on 2 sides due to pathways, but for the sides adjacent to grass where a drip line could be installed, is a drip line recommended to keep the soil moist?
Drip lines and watering pool
- Thread starter Jcangelo
- Start date
Would be curious to see who is recommending your foundation be watered. Usually it’s the opposite, you want to keep it as dry as possible.
You want to keep the soils dry around the pool. Moist soil shifts and sinks way easier than dry soil.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,118
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Welcome to TFP.
You are comparing two very different structures engineered differently and built differently. What you should do with one does not carry over to the other.
I will guess that your house is built on a concrete slab sitting on the ground maybe with tensioned steel in it.
You pool is an engineered structure deeper in the ground with much more rebar then your house slab.
More important for your pool is a proper expansion joint - Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading
You are comparing two very different structures engineered differently and built differently. What you should do with one does not carry over to the other.
I will guess that your house is built on a concrete slab sitting on the ground maybe with tensioned steel in it.
You pool is an engineered structure deeper in the ground with much more rebar then your house slab.
More important for your pool is a proper expansion joint - Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading
Bill1974
Well-known member
- Jun 18, 2014
- 660
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Interesting I have never heard of watering a foundation or around it. I think I understand theory, but can't say I agree with it. I would think proper preparation of the gound under and around the slab/foundation would be the preferred method so that watering it is not required. I would also say that the ground around the pool should not be watered either. Proper expansion joints and making sure each element can move indepentantly without affecting it's structual integridty would be my thinking if something be constructed on soil that not stable throughout the year. I would contact local civil engineers to find out what is the proper thing to do. How do you you know how much to watering the ground around your foundation so the soil is at a consistent moist level?
I did a little bit of reading about it and there’s quite a few articles about it being used (only in Texas) for builders who cut some cost out of homes by just building slab on grade and then forcing future homeowners to water the soil. Seems like a terrible idea to me but I’ll admit to not knowing enough to argue much about it. How much water is wasted watering the ground and how do you measure how moist the soil is are valid questions.
But no, I wouldn’t water soil around the pool structure, unless maybe it was an extremely severe extended drought that I was confident wasn’t going to continue.