New Build SEPA

[Dave1096]

Don't like the idea of just "plugging the leak" with plaster (although hydrostatic pressure should be pretty low at that depth). Call the pool builder and ask him to come out and look at it. Looks like they did a great job on the rest of the pool so hopefully, he'll have a workable solution.

Their solution was to fill in/pack the area around the light with hydraulic cement. Hopefully that's an adequate solution, but I'm more concerned with the root of the issue which is the ground water being that high around the pool. Makes me nervous thinking about the pool just sitting their empty for the next 3-4 months.

 

[bmoreswim]

Late reply here but you can always fill the shell 2/3 full with water to hold it in place, as cheap insurance. Your fence is in place so there shouldn't be a safety concern. Just blow out and plug lines before doing so, as the water may raise to the level of the returns.

This post has a nice shot of a northern pool that waited until spring for plaster and was semi-filled for winter.

Baltimore Pool Build

 

[Dave1096]

Late reply here but you can always fill the shell 2/3 full with water to hold it in place, as cheap insurance. Your fence is in place so there shouldn't be a safety concern. Just blow out and plug lines before doing so, as the water may raise to the level of the returns.

This post has a nice shot of a northern pool that waited until spring for plaster and was semi-filled for winter.

Baltimore Pool Build

Thanks B. Taking my builder's lead on this for warranty purposes, but I'll ask if this is something they'll do. Pool isn't very accessible at the moment.

 

[Dave1096]

Plaster will be sometime around mid-April. In the meantime my pool looks like this full of half-frozen dirty water. I have alot of the white goop oozing out of my gunite that others have posted about which doesn't concern me based on what I've read in those threads.

However, I am a little uneasy about this vertical line running down the wall. I can't see any crack, but I'm wondering if it might be indicative of a crack deeper in the bond beam? Does this look normal, or should I be concerned?

 

[ajw22]

Cracks are what concrete does. The rebar holds the structure together. The plaster waterproofs it.

 

[Dave1096]

Cracks are what concrete does. The rebar holds the structure together. The plaster waterproofs it.

Thanks for the peace of mind. I wasn't sure if structurally this would cause problems later post plaster, but it doesn't sound like something to worry about.

 

[SecoSteve]

Any update on your plaster yet? How about your yard? Did you get it back in shape yet?

 

[Dave1096]

Any update on your plaster yet? How about your yard? Did you get it back in shape yet?

The yard is still a work in progress. Actually just had some landscaping around the pool area done yesterday which made a big difference. I'm not convinced the grass seed will be sufficient enough to make me happy in the backyard so mulling over putting down more seed vs. sod. The dog run for sure will require sod.

We don't have a plaster date yet, but just had our pre-plaster meeting and was told the 2nd or 3rd week of April. Soon.

 

[SecoSteve]

That looks great. Coming along nicely. Might be a little early for grass to get a hold. I have the same situation with my electric trench. Any concerns with the water in the shell? Ours never pooled any water over the winter. Maybe I should be the one concerned that it's not holding water

 

[Dave1096]

That looks great. Coming along nicely. Might be a little early for grass to get a hold. I have the same situation with my electric trench. Any concerns with the water in the shell? Ours never pooled any water over the winter. Maybe I should be the one concerned that it's not holding water

Alot of that is ground water that came up through the hydrostatic relief valves since the fall. We have a relatively high water table here. The builder is here now as I type adding additional pumps to try to get the water out of the shell in preparation for plaster.

 

[Dave1096]

Still waiting on pool shell to empty so we can plaster. April showers haven't helped.

Tested my fill water today.

Cl - 1
PH - 7.2
CH - 250
TA - 80

 

[Dave1096]

It's funny to me how excited I am about my robot that I can't even use yet being delivered today. Marina was great to work with and has significantly better pricing than I saw anywhere else for this model.

My basic understanding of how a robot works is it just kinda wanders around aimlessly sucking the whole time, and somehow after it has done its job there is nothing of interest left behind. So, naturally, we named ours Howie after the Philadelphia Eagles GM.

 

[TexasRain]

My basic understanding of how a robot works is that it wanders aimlessly sucking the whole time, and somehow after it has done its job there is nothing of interest left behind. So, naturally, we named ours Howie after the Philadelphia Eagles GM.

LOL GO BIRDS!

 

[SecoSteve]

It's funny to me how excited I am about my robot that I can't even use yet being delivered today. Marina was great to work with and has significantly better pricing than I saw anywhere else for this model.

My basic understanding of how a robot works is it just kinda wanders around aimlessly sucking the whole time, and somehow after it has done its job there is nothing of interest left behind. So, naturally, we named ours Howie after the Philadelphia Eagles GM.

View attachment 323854

Great name!! Kinda makes me wonder how they won a Super Bowl with him. I guess he should only be used for free agents.

 

[Dave1096]

Finally, plaster day!! Felt like a year waiting for this day.

 

[SecoSteve]

Good luck with your plaster! Now get brushing! Be careful with the plastic part of the brush rubbing where the wall meets the floor. The first few times I started brushing, I scraped the floor. You’ll feel it if you’re too rough.

 

[Dave1096]

Still filling, should be done sometime this afternoon. Quick question, my neighbor's tree dropped a bunch of helicopters on the ledge before it was covered by water then it rained overnight causing some staining. These stains should disappear once chlorine is introduced along with all the brushing I'll be doing for the next month, correct?

 

[Dave1096]

A couple more pictures of the stains. My plan is to leave them alone for now and see what happens once I get to brushing.

 

[bmoreswim]

Yes, they will fade away as you add chlorine and circulate. Along with a little brushing to urge it along.

 

[Dave1096]

Thank you for the reassurance, B.