hole in gunite, builder isn’t filling with gunite?

[Katy Tx Mom]

After the gunite was cured the plumber came and noticed the jets were positioned too low. They removed a large amount of gunite and fixed the jets. I attached a pic of some of the conversation with the builder. Plus today he told my husband that the material that will fill the hole is stronger than gunite. But isn’t the shell supposed to be gunite?
Thank you ahead of time!

 

[jamjam]

the patch material will be formulated to bond to the already cured gunite - the plaster is what makes your pool waterproof. Gunite is just a formulation of cement and aggregate applied through a hose via a specific process. All that matters is the patch is structurally sound and bonds properly to the existing shell.

 

[Bperry]

After the gunite was cured the plumber came and noticed the jets were positioned too low. They removed a large amount of gunite and fixed the jets. I attached a pic of some of the conversation with the builder. Plus today he told my husband that the material that will fill the hole is stronger than gunite. But isn’t the shell supposed to be gunite?
Thank you ahead of time!

Your text message picture just references “thin set” and so since the hole is way below the tile, he assumed you were just asking about tile.

They will patch the hole with some kind of cement, maybe not gunite. The plaster will go over the gunite and patch to provide waterproofing.

 

[klanel]

That is a huge hole! Seems like they would use the same material removed but that would involve pumps/compressors/concrete truck.

 

[Bperry]

That is a huge hole! Seems like they would use the same material removed but that would involve pumps/compressors/concrete truck.

Yea, you’re think these guys would remember the “measure twice cut once rule”.

 

[jamjam]

i think it has more to do with the patch mix being designed to make better adhesion to the rest of the cured shell

 

[JamesW]

“measure twice cut once rule”.

They were using the "Measure once, cut twice" rule.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Are they using Flex-Pipe on any of the repair inside the wall?

 

[Katy Tx Mom]

Are they using Flex-Pipe on any of the repair inside the wall?

It rained and filled up right after that pic so we haven’t seen what’s in there. They are coming tomorrow to drain it so we will see. It looks like it.

 

[tomfrh]

Some clarification - gunite is simply concrete. Concrete is a mixture of sand, cement and aggregate (and possible admixtures).

I disagree with the posters above who claim the gunite (concrete) shell provides no waterproofing function. The concrete shell absolutely helps retain water.

It is difficult to do infill patches in concrete (aka construction joints) that are as leak proof as virgin unbroken concrete. It is common in the construction industry to add secondary measures such as waterstops at such joints, to help provide an additional barrier where old concrete meets new.

If this was my pool I would be ensuring they get this right as you could be encouraging future leaks. I’d want an epoxy bond between old and new.

 

[Bperry]

Some clarification - gunite is simply concrete. Concrete is a mixture of sand, cement and aggregate (and possible admixtures).

I disagree with the posters above who claim the gunite (concrete) shell provides no waterproofing function. The concrete shell absolutely helps retain water.

It is difficult to do infill patches in concrete (aka construction joints) that are as leak proof as virgin unbroken concrete. It is common in the construction industry to add secondary measures such as waterstops at such joints, to help provide an additional barrier where old concrete meets new.

If this was my pool I would be ensuring they get this right as you could be encouraging future leaks. I’d want an epoxy bond between old and new.

I don’t think anyone was implying that concrete provides NO water proofing (the Hoover dam is made of concrete) just that the plaster is what does the final water proofing. Concrete itself tends to be porus and allow moisture to seep through slowly. That’s why basement foundation walls get water proofing membranes and coating to prevent water intrusion in areas with high water tables.

 

[Katy Tx Mom]

Your text message picture just references “thin set” and so since the hole is way below the tile, he assumed you were just asking about tile.

They will patch the hole with some kind of cement, maybe not gunite. The plaster will go over the gunite and patch to provide waterproofing.

Thank you

Some clarification - gunite is simply concrete. Concrete is a mixture of sand, cement and aggregate (and possible admixtures).

I disagree with the posters above who claim the gunite (concrete) shell provides no waterproofing function. The concrete shell absolutely helps retain water.

It is difficult to do infill patches in concrete (aka construction joints) that are as leak proof as virgin unbroken concrete. It is common in the construction industry to add secondary measures such as waterstops at such joints, to help provide an additional barrier where old concrete meets new.

If this was my pool I would be ensuring they get this right as you could be encouraging future leaks. I’d want an epoxy bond between old and new.

Thank you so much for the good info!! Should I ask for an additional warranty of some sort? It’s so hard to trust after having past issues with home contractors.