New build skimmer rebar question

[Newpool74]

Gunite shoot and when I look at the skimmer it has a piece of what looks to be rebar showing that goes into the top notch

cant tell if this is a continuous piece or a single piece that is just used to hold it in place

PB said not an issue - thoughts ?

 

[Dirk]

No rebar should be exposed to the elements, especially pool water. It doesn't appear to be doing much of anything structurally, but be sure the PB either cuts it off (as far to the left as possible), and/or it gets completely sealed in by subsequent layers of mortar or plaster or concrete decking. Even then it's not great, because it's supposed to be well buried (encased) in the gunite. But he's probably right, it'll be OK.

 

[Newpool74]

No rebar should be exposed to the elements, especially pool water. It doesn't appear to be doing much of anything structurally, but be sure the PB either cuts it off (as far to the left as possible), and/or it gets completely sealed in by subsequent layers of mortar or plaster or concrete decking. Even then it's not great, because it's supposed to be well buried (encased) in the gunite. But he's probably right, it'll be OK.

Thanks
There is a notch in the skimmer where it looks like the rebar sets in it and then wired
PB said the masons will just cut it and mortar stone around it and coping
If you zoom into the picture, I can’t even tell if the right side of that bar is continuous or if was just a piece to help keep the skimmer stable

 

[Newpool74]

No rebar should be exposed to the elements, especially pool water. It doesn't appear to be doing much of anything structurally, but be sure the PB either cuts it off (as far to the left as possible), and/or it gets completely sealed in by subsequent layers of mortar or plaster or concrete decking. Even then it's not great, because it's supposed to be well buried (encased) in the gunite. But he's probably right, it'll be OK.

Also
All the crud on the backside of the Gunite wall - is that normal

guess I didn’t think of the back wall after seeing the interior so sculpted

there is all the shavings from when they peel off the forms boards - then some of the back board I can’t tell if they just left in on or it left a residue or pattern - looked like some sort of a peg board
Some “wall waving” on the backside which PB said was ok, and that it was the form board just moving when getting shot

 

[Dirk]

If the inside shape is correct and the rebar is about in the middle of the gunite, and it's thick enough, what the back looks like doesn't really matter. There shouldn't be any organic material behind the gunite if there is going to be backfill and a deck poured, because the organic material will rot and leave a void. The forms should all be cleared out for that reason, but a few scraps would not make a huge difference. If there is too much of it, or even if you don't like it, then ask the PB to have it all removed.

The little piece of rebar looks like it ends on the right. If that's the case then it can't be doing much in the way of structure or support. His explanation of how they'll cut it off and mortar it over is what I also thought would be an OK fix. It's not clear why it's there, perhaps it's as you guessed, just to hold the skimmer at the correct height. You just need to follow up and watch the sub do that, as sometimes when a detail gets passed along it can get overlooked.

I think it's good to stay on top of these things. You just have to temper it to make sure you're not overstepping or second guessing your PB more than necessary. Asking about issues here is a great way to keep both the builder and you in check. So keep the questions coming.

So far, I don't see anything too weird about the work, or too weird about you asking about it. It sounds like you've got good communication between yourself and the builder, and that's the ideal situation.

@jimmythegreek, do you see anything of concern so far?

 

[Sparks22]

Here is a picture of one of my skimmers before gunite. They used a single piece of rebar to span across the form boards and wired the skimmer to it to hold the skimmer in position for when the gunite got sprayed around it. It seems like it is simply a method to suspend the skimmer in place for the gunite application, and isn't really intended to be structural.

 

[Dirk]

Thanks Sparks, that explains it.

 

[Newpool74]

Here is a picture of one of my skimmers before gunite. They used a single piece of rebar to span across the form boards and wired the skimmer to it to hold the skimmer in position for when the gunite got sprayed around it. It seems like it is simply a method to suspend the skimmer in place for the gunite application, and isn't really intended to be structural.

View attachment 166232

Thanks - seems like that is exactly what it is
Seeing that it is showing after Gunite shoot doesn’t appear to be an issue and if they just cover it with mortar when they do stone work should that be fine

is that a similar process they did with yours ?

 

[Sparks22]

Thanks - seems like that is exactly what it is
Seeing that it is showing after Gunite shoot doesn’t appear to be an issue and if they just cover it with mortar when they do stone work should that be fine

is that a similar process they did with yours ?

Yep, they left it and the mortar for the coping covered it up!