Rebar too close to ground during shotcrete

[Myburneraccount]

I just had the shotcrete on my pool completed a couple of days ago. The ten man crew was walking all over the rebar cage (as expected), but by the time the walls were shot, the floor was bent to the ground. I was reassured 3x that they would lift the cage before pouring the foundation, but by the time they started, the weight of the concrete made it impossible for the guys to lift. The rebar even bent at the points they were holding.

There are large sections of my pool floor where I'm sure the rebar is touching the earth. Local codes require 3" above and below the rebar for proper coverage but, realistically speaking, how big of an issue is this? Unless I sound the alarm, there's no way for the city inspectors even to know what happened. I don't want to be PIA for my PB, so if it's not a big deal, I'm ok moving on.

 

[ajw22]

You in Long Beach CA or Long Beach NY?

Do you have a set of engineering plans of your pool build with an engineers stamp on it?

The strength and structural integrity of the pool shell will be compromised if the rebar is not properly encapsulated.

You should not rely on city inspectors to sound any alarms. If you are concerned you need to bring in your own engineer to inspect the work and provide a structural assessment.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

This is a very common problem that occurs every day when the pool rebar cage is not properly supported.
You stated that their is a large part of the concrete touching the earth, did you mean to say rebar touching the earth?
The rebar is most important on the vertical walls to help with the Shotcrete being able to stack higher, I have seen when a customer requested a seat in the deep end at standard height below water level and the Shotcrete crew had a very hard time not having the material collapse due to no rebar cage being installed prior to installation.
What PSI was the Shotcrete being used?
You do have a legitimate concern and that’s why the rebar is required to be 3” minimum incapsulated within the Shotcrete.
Looking at the picture you provided it appears that insignificant Dobies were used to keep the rebar off of the earth while the Shotcrete crews applied the product.
I provided a picture of proper amount of Dobies.

 

[Myburneraccount]

You in Long Beach CA or Long Beach NY?

Do you have a set of engineering plans of your pool build with an engineers stamp on it?

The strength and structural integrity of the pool shell will be compromised if the rebar is not properly encapsulated.

You should not rely on city inspectors to sound any alarms. If you are concerned you need to bring in your own engineer to inspect the work and provide a structural assessment.

Yes plans were stamped. Rebar was laid with correct clearance but everything went to **** when the shotcrete subs came through. Is it better to go with ground penetrating scan or just straight to engineer?

 

[Myburneraccount]

This is a very common problem that occurs every day when the pool rebar cage is not properly supported.
You stated that their is a large part of the concrete touching the earth, did you mean to say rebar touching the earth?
The rebar is most important on the vertical walls to help with the Shotcrete being able to stack higher, I have seen when a customer requested a seat in the deep end at standard height below water level and the Shotcrete crew had a very hard time not having the material collapse due to no rebar cage being installed prior to installation.
What PSI was the Shotcrete being used?
You do have a legitimate concern and that’s why the rebar is required to be 3” minimum incapsulated within the Shotcrete.
Looking at the picture you provided it appears that insignificant Dobies were used to keep the rebar off of the earth while the Shotcrete crews applied the product.
I provided a picture of proper amount of Dobies.

The walls and bench appear to have been properly encapsulated but the floor is my main concern. As you correctly pointed out the number of dobies was definitely lacking and the crew made no effort to stay off the cage. Given the photo, does this warrant a full stop on the progress of the pool? What would you recommend as next steps? Thank you in advance for your feedback.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Get the opinion from the steel engineering firm after showing them the picture you posted here.
They are the experts in this field and will have an opinion of what direction to go in next.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

I would not proceed with any more progress that has a direct impact on the shell of the pool.
Equipment pad layout and electrical work at the pad could still progress forward.

 

[Myburneraccount]

Get the opinion from the steel engineering firm after showing them the picture you posted here.
They are the experts in this field and will have an opinion of what direction to go in next.

Excellent advice. Thank you.

It seems like everyone is in bed with each other as the pool company pays the engineers and the independent rebar inspector. They all work in multiple jobs together so I know a conversation with one party will get relayed to each counterparty. I know if sounds silly but I don’t want to step on toes or go around the PBs back. At the same time I don’t want the PB to diminish the severity so I’m sensitive to the order of communication.