Hi all,
Looking for some advice and opinions on how I should be handling all this.
Until 24 hours ago we've had a very good pool building experience but we've discovered a major issue.
Details. Building roughly 15x30 (approx 15,000 gallons) concrete pool with pebble interior and builder spec appears to be pretty high end. Builder is not on the cheap side and has a good reputation and has been very responsive in general.
Interior was installed on Wednesday with the installer coming by to do a final wash on Thursday afternoon and start the hose running. Pool filled up in approx 39 hours so it was Saturday a.m. when we turned off the hose. After that, we observed pool level dropping quickly; approximately 1 in every 3 hours. My back of envelope calculations is about 140 gallons of water an hour. I don't see any noticeable cracks, water in yard etc.
First response was to turn the hose back on and keep the water above the tile. After a few questions to the builder's message app, I was told not to worry and that may just be an issue with the hydrostatic valve and to NOT continue filling it. Thus, the water has dropped now about a foot and will obviously be even lower by Monday a.m.
My questions.
1- How worried should I be? This seems like a real issue.
2- Does the builder's thought that it is the hydrostatic valve seem reasonable?
3-It seems like a lot of water has gone somewhere in my yard (underneath the pool?). Does that mean any short term or long term risks for the site? Should I be insisting they consult an engineer?
4-Now my new plaster interior is exposed as per builder instructions. Doesn't this put my interior at risk? Certainly the interior company could claim the warranty is now void. Do I have to push for a new interior at this point?
5- By my estimates I will have thrown thousand of gallons of water down the drain that are coming out of my water bill. Is it reasonable to expect the builder to pay the next time we fill the pool?
Like I said, the builder so far has always been very responsive and has never given us a hard time about anything but they also seem to not think this is a big issue (it is the weekend I recognize) or perhaps they know it is a huge problem that is going to cost them a ton of money and another day of inaction will not make their loss much higher.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Looking for some advice and opinions on how I should be handling all this.
Until 24 hours ago we've had a very good pool building experience but we've discovered a major issue.
Details. Building roughly 15x30 (approx 15,000 gallons) concrete pool with pebble interior and builder spec appears to be pretty high end. Builder is not on the cheap side and has a good reputation and has been very responsive in general.
Interior was installed on Wednesday with the installer coming by to do a final wash on Thursday afternoon and start the hose running. Pool filled up in approx 39 hours so it was Saturday a.m. when we turned off the hose. After that, we observed pool level dropping quickly; approximately 1 in every 3 hours. My back of envelope calculations is about 140 gallons of water an hour. I don't see any noticeable cracks, water in yard etc.
First response was to turn the hose back on and keep the water above the tile. After a few questions to the builder's message app, I was told not to worry and that may just be an issue with the hydrostatic valve and to NOT continue filling it. Thus, the water has dropped now about a foot and will obviously be even lower by Monday a.m.
My questions.
1- How worried should I be? This seems like a real issue.
2- Does the builder's thought that it is the hydrostatic valve seem reasonable?
3-It seems like a lot of water has gone somewhere in my yard (underneath the pool?). Does that mean any short term or long term risks for the site? Should I be insisting they consult an engineer?
4-Now my new plaster interior is exposed as per builder instructions. Doesn't this put my interior at risk? Certainly the interior company could claim the warranty is now void. Do I have to push for a new interior at this point?
5- By my estimates I will have thrown thousand of gallons of water down the drain that are coming out of my water bill. Is it reasonable to expect the builder to pay the next time we fill the pool?
Like I said, the builder so far has always been very responsive and has never given us a hard time about anything but they also seem to not think this is a big issue (it is the weekend I recognize) or perhaps they know it is a huge problem that is going to cost them a ton of money and another day of inaction will not make their loss much higher.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Yes, the HSV could be the culprit. Some debris from construction or the pebble install may have left it jammed open slightly. Not thrilled about leaving the water level low, but this is a unique situation. I suspect allowing the water level to fall will also make it easier for them to get down there and check the valve.