What do I do next?

[IndiGirl]

Hello Everyone,

I bought a house with a pool last August. It was a fixer upper, and that included the pool. We paid about $40k for repairs to the pool, and we moved in on New Year’s Eve.

Since then, there have been issues. First, it was around the skimmer, and after a few visits that was fixed. Then it cracked and was leaking. He fixed that. Now it has cracked near the skimmer and is leaking again. I’ve been hounding him for months, but he said he’s too busy to fix it.

My pool seems to be moving, and a huge crack has appeared on the deck.

I’m quite stressed out and not sure what to do next. Any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Let me start by saying it’s a bummer to see posts like this.

The picture you posted really doesn’t show enough detail. Could you perhaps post more pictures of the problematic areas both wide angle and close up? It also really helps if you could give a bit more information about the pool, its equipment, any history and what’s going on in the rest of your yard.

Pools can move and crack and that’s terrible. But they usually move and crack for a reason. And that reason usually can be found somewhere else. Movement and crack is the canary in the coal mine.

 

[ajw22]

He fixed that. Now it has cracked near the skimmer and is leaking again. I’ve been hounding him for months, but he said he’s too busy to fix it.

Who is he/him?

 

[IndiGirl]

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

My backyard is at the bottom of a small hill. The pool is on a higher level of the backyard. I have a Pentair FNS Plus Fiberlglass DE Filter Model FNSP48.

“He” is the pool guy the general contractor I worked with hired.

I hope these pictures are better.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Unfortunately it looks like the pool is not on stable ground. The crack in the plaster running vertically down the pool wall is a classic sign of the ground under the pool moving.

Can you show an overall picture of the pool and where the cracks relative to the deep and shallow ends?

Unfortunately, cracks like that cannot be repaired with simple patching. Your pool shell is not stable and the hundreds of thousands of pound of water in it will cause the shell to crack. This requires a lot more than a “pool guy” to fix. You’ll need to find a civil or geotechnical engineer to give you an opinion on the structural integrity of the pool possibly by doing core samples around and into the pool. You have to find out why the ground is moving and the plan can be figured out how to stabilize the pool shell. Whatever the case may be, remediating a failing soil base and structurally stabilizing an existing pool is going to be expensive.

Sorry, I’m sure that’s not what you want to hear but there are no simple solutions here. Start with your homeowner’s insurance to see what kind of coverage you have. Then start calling up professional engineers in your area to see if any deal with residential pool issues. I guarantee most will say no but they may be able to pint you to someone that does.

 

[ajw22]

It looks like you lack a proper expansion joint between your pool and deck. Yiu may also have unstable soil contributing to ground movement. You need an engineer to look at your entire situation and figure out the root causes of the movement and cracking.

Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[phonedave]

Do you know and of the history on this pool?

Such as when it was built, who built it, if it cracked before, if these cracks are new since you moved in, etc.

Has anybody in the area done any sort of serious earthworks projects recently, such as putting in a pool, adding an addition with a basement, groundwater modifications, etc.