What to do with ASR?!

[Melissamiccichi]

Our pool was built in 2018 and recently started cracking and losing water. Our pool builder is not helping at all. How do we go about getting the $8k test covered and start the process to get our money back to rebuild? How long will it take and what can we do in the meantime? We have 2 young kids and cannot leave this pool empty, it’s a safety hazard. Any help is much appreciated!!!!

 

[ajw22]

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ASR - Concrete Cancer - Austin, TX

Has anyone had experience with this issue? Alkali–silica reaction - Wikipedia. 3yr old - fresh water pool with cracks all over the walls Apparently the Shot Crete company (among others here) had not mixed right and messed up a number of pools. Edit by Jim R. thansk

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[JamesW]

You can see the plaster, tile, coping and deck, but none of that really matters in diagnosing the problem with the concrete.

To diagnose ASR, you have to be able to see the actual gunite or shotcrete.

I would want to see about 10 square feet of the gunite structure to see if it has the characteristic cracking pattern.

At that point, you can probably get a preliminary diagnosis that it is probably ASR or it is probably not ASR.

You would also need core drilled samples to be taken for analysis to determine the definite diagnosis.

I would want an engineering team with structural engineering expertise and specifically concrete structures and geotechnical engineering expertise.

In my opinion, if it is advanced ASR, the only remedy is removing and replacing everything.

If is not ASR, then the remediation plan will depend on the diagnosis of the cause of the cracks.

You should check the pool for being level by checking to see if the water level is exactly the same around the entire perimeter.

 

[JamesW]

This is probably just a surface skim coat and not the gunite, so it really does not mean anything.

If it were me, I would strip off a bunch of the skimcoat to get a good look at the actual gunite.

Note: I am not giving you advice; I am merely giving my opinion about what I would probably do and this is not a recommendation for what you should do or not do.

Only you can determine what is best for you.

Maybe you need a professional to advise you like maybe an attorney or an engineer or both.

 

[JamesW]

The plaster looks bad, but it is just a coating on the gunite, so again, it does not tell you anything about the actual gunite.

If it were me, I would strip off a bunch of the plaster to get a good look at the actual gunite.

If the actual gunite looks good, then you can strip off all plaster and replaster.

If the gunite is confirmed to have ASR, then a complete removal and replacement of the entire pool is likely to be your best option.

Note: I am not giving you advice; I am merely giving my opinion about what I would probably do and this is not a recommendation for what you should do or not do.

Only you can determine what is best for you.

Maybe you need a professional to advise you like maybe an attorney, pool expert consultant or an engineer or maybe all three or none or other professionals.

 

[JamesW]

How do we go about getting the $8k test covered and start the process to get our money back to rebuild?

That's really outside our realm of interest to advise you on.

Maybe you have insurance that can get involved or the builder might have insurance like Errors and Omissions or maybe you can consult with a local pool builder to see what they think or an engineer or maybe you can pay for testing yourself or maybe the state or city has some sort of processes that can help.

Maybe there is a contractor's fund for assisting with homeowner complaints against the builder or maybe the builder has a bond that you can make a claim against.