What is causing this wet spot on the shotcrete?

[kwest]

Hi all, shotcrete was done over a month ago and we have noticed a couple spots on the outside of the concrete that are wet. We have had a lot of rain..and the mason has been working in the area, but I’m stumped on why this is always wet.
We asked our builder and they are not 100% sure yet, but think it may be due to a void where water gathered. They are still “looking into it”. We got smart and drew a circle around the hole and it’s obviously decreasing in size as we have finally had almost a solid week without rain.
we do have some pipes running along that area for a water feature on a nearby column.
Everything is pressurized and we haven’t seen any drops.
I’d appreciate any thoughts on what this could be!

 

[kwest]

The mason put some grout on it and it has since gotten smaller. This pic shows the size it was and where it is now.

 

[JamesW]

It looks like you have a trail of efflorescence going down the wall.

If it's not coming from the plumbing, I would suspect that there might be a void in the wall where rain water is collecting and then slowly bleeding through.

It looks like there might be a horizontal cold joint.

 

[ajw22]

Has your pool already been plastered and filled with water?

 

[kwest]

@JamesW - is this something that is concerning? It certainly concerns us..lol
We shouldn’t have a cold joint as they sprayed it all at the same time.

@ajw22 - The mason just finished coping and tile. Next will be the concrete decking. We still have aways to go.

 

[JamesW]

Is there plumbing in the wall there?

What does it like from the inside?

 

[kwest]

@JamesW - Yes, there is plumbing in the wall. It goes to a water feature in the column pictured below. We also have IFC pipes in that wall, but the pipes for that run lower as they are below the bench.
The other side looks like this:

 

[kwest]

Here are the pre-gunite pics:

 

[kwest]

Perspective from the back:

 

[JamesW]

It might be a leaky pipe. I would put some air pressure on the line and then listen to the wall for sounds of air escaping.

 

[kwest]

All the pipes are under pressure and we haven’t noticed a drop in pressure.

 

[ajw22]

Gunite is not waterproof. So water leaking through the way it is now does not mean much.

Your builder should put on the gunite a waterproof bond coat like...

Welcome To Basecrete - #1 Concrete Waterproofing Product

www.basecreteusa.com

Then tile and plaster on top of it to create a waterproof shell.

 

[JamesW]

The pool is not full. So, it's not coming from the inside of the pool.

The only thing that makes sense is that it's probably coming from a pipe.

I would drain the water out of the pipe and put air pressure on the line and then listen to the wall for the sound of air escaping from the plumbing.

 

[kwest]

Hi all- so the builder was out and checked pressure and no issues there.
they chipped into the area with the wet spot and found a void in the shotcrete. A BIG void.
also, the rebar is basically right on the edge of the shotcrete. They are telling us they are going to fill in the void with concrete. We asked them to add more concrete to the outside before they brown coat.
How concerning is this? We are worried...hope I’m just overreacting...as the pool builder seems to indicate.

 

[kwest]

One more pic..

 

[kimkats]

I know what I think but it is just my gut. I will do a shout out to some that should know the real deal for this @bdavis466 @jimmythegreek

 

[ajw22]

@bdavis466 @MinerJason thoughts on that void?

 

[bdavis466]

The depth of the rebar is concerning - it should be embedded a minimum of 3".

If the plumbing checks out ok then I would chip that area out until I find the source.

The void you mentioned should also be addressed

 

[kwest]

Thanks @bdavis466 - is it sufficient to have them add 2-3” of concrete to the outside shell at this point? I told them I wanted more shotcrete there and they said that it didn’t make sense to do that. What would you recommend? I’ve attached a picture of the rebar in that area before the shotcrete. There are several pieces of rebar running parallel there.

The builder is saying the water was draining along the rebar into that void. I don’t even know what to think about that.

I am so frustrated with everything going on. It is just one thing after another. We went with a well known company hoping not to have issue after issue, but no luck there.

Thanks so much to everyone here- y’all make this process bearable!

 

[kwest]

A better pic: