Strange water lines in pebble tec

[Jimbydude]

Hi,
I just did a partial drain of pebble tec pool,not quite half but i noticed that in one area the water was not drying as fast, leaving what looks like cracks.

On closer inspection i def see what look like lines of very hairline crack. At least i can see that some of the small stones are shesared.

Is this an issue or normal. Hoping it's just surface but the way the water spreads out is worrying.

Thanks in advance.



15k pebble tec
Salt water with chl gen

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jim,

That appears to be ground water weeping into the pool. Once the pool has water in it the pressure kind of equalizes and the leak is more of less not noticeable..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimbydude]

So what does that mean as far as integrety is concerned.

Best to leave it ?
Thanks for the reply

 

[Dirk]

Are they actual cracks (which I don't see) or water trails that happen to be shaped like cracks? Do they all start at the seam between the tile and the pebble? If so, I would suspect something amiss in the material that was used to set the tiles. That material needs to be as water tight as the pool surface, and if not water will pass through it. So it's either pool water that leeched through to the gunite and perhaps beyond, which is now leeching back into the pool, or it's as Jim said, it's outside water (from irrigation?) that is passing through the gunite and into the pool. Did you ever do a bucket leak test? If you pass that, then I suppose you're OK. But what you're looking at is not normal.

It's also possible that the water is coming from the connection of the coping to the tile. That usually cracks after some time, because of expansion/contraction of the two dissimilar materials. If that's the case, then your pool is probably sound, and you might be just overwatering your landscaping along the pool. Do you see those water trails elsewhere along the pool, where there is less or no landscaping? That'd be a clue. Or do you see any moisture above the tiles, just under the coping?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jim,

A lot of gunite pools weep a little.. There is nothing that you can really do except try to reroute the ground water, if it were bad enough... Once you put the water back into your pool, I doubt that you will ever notice it.

Jim R.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

The defects indicated in this thread are not accurate.

That’s classic setting bed and or joint porosity.

The water intrusion is above the waterline, that’s why the pool doesn’t leak. Photos appear to be relegated to one side & grading looks a bit wacky. One day you may have a loose coping stone, like all pools will.

As the dry exposed finish hydrates the spots look worse, like a sponge sucking up a spill.

If ground water were that high, your pool have turned into an above ground pool.

Finish your work & carry on.

 

[Jimbydude]

Hey,

Thanks to all how replied, I really appreciate everyone's time.

To answer Dirk, the surface of the pebble is definitely got hairline cracks, how deep I can't tell but as couple of you have noted most likely water is running down those from above and the stone at that point is already beginning to separate slightly.

So, like you said above, carry on and just monitor. So almost done filling, maybe I'll do bucket test.

 

[sktn77a]

To answer Dirk, the surface of the pebble is definitely got hairline cracks

How old is the pool? If it's still in the warranty period, I'd get the builder back to inspect it. If/when you fill it again, do a bucket test to see if you are losing water.