Epoxy injection of cracks in concrete is like putting a bandaid over skin cancer.... you no longer see it, but it is still there.
It's all great in theory, BUT...
The theory behind epoxy injection of concrete, is to seal cracks and to restore the integrity of the concrete (seal the crack).
Cracks are like people - they come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, tight skinny cracks cannot be effectively sealed.
Fat and wide open cracks are not good candidates for epoxy injection. Why? Because they indicate that there is a substantial structural issue.
Wheels falling off beforee the race even starts
If your brand new pool is full of cracks before it is even plastered - there is a PROBLEM! Do not listen to your pool contractor, something is WRONG.
The bottom line is that swimming pools should not crack. PERIOD. They are designed to hold water. How can they do that when they are full of cracks?
Practical experience tells a different story
Personally,
I have NEVER seen an epoxy injection job that sealed the cracks all of
the way through a shell.
I have cored a number of pools that were
previously epoxy injected, and in none of the cases did the epoxy get
any deeper than an inch or two.
It did absolutely nothing to seal the
cracks on the back of the structure to prevent ground water from
entering the concrete and attacking the reinforcing steel.
The purpose
of complete encapsulation and proper coverage over the steel, is to
protect it from corrosion.
Contact the author, Paolo Benedetti of Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa at:
info@aquatictechnology.com or 408-776-8220.
Visit his website at: www.aquatictechnology.com.
All Contents © Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa, 2013.
All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label cracks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cracks. Show all posts
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Woodside Atherton Swimming Pool Designs
It's Cracking BEFORE it's even finished...
Cracks - everywhere...
Recently a client hired me to inspect a brand new pool that they were in the process fo having built on their estate, on the Woodside - Atherton, CA border.
It seems that the shotcrete that was placed a few weeks ago had developed cracks all over. The pool builder assured them that this was a normal occurrence and that there was nothing to be concerned about.
Many Possible Causes
There were many possible causes.
The gunite company could have used too much water in their mix design. The rapidly evaporating water would have caused shrinkage cracks.
The pool may have been cured improperly, allowing the water in the concrete to depart too rapidly, causing shrinkage cracks.
The gunite could have been mishandled after placement (e.g. walked on), forcing water to the surface. That accelerates the water loss and causes shrinkage cracks.
The gunite crews could have cleaned out their hopper, mixer and hoses by spraying that rubbish all over the inside of the pool & then "broom finishing it."
How bad is it?
After sounding the shell with a "tuning fork," it was determined that there were hollow pockets of concrete.
Only taking core samples of the concrete, directly over some of the cracks, would tell for sure. If the cracks extended through the structure, then someone had a lot of work ahead of them.
That bad
It turned out that the cracks extended through the structure. Since a swimming pool is supposed to be watertight, cracks are unacceptable.
Epoxy injection is equivalent to putting a band aid over skin cancer. It only hides the problem.
The only solution was to demolish the affected areas and to replace the shotcrete.
You would not accept a cracked concrete foundation or bridge... so why would you accept a cracked pool?
Contact the author, Paolo Benedetti of Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa at: info@aquatictechnology.com or 408-776-8220. Visit his website at: www.aquatictechnology.com. All Contents © Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa, 2013. All rights reserved.
Cracks - everywhere...
Recently a client hired me to inspect a brand new pool that they were in the process fo having built on their estate, on the Woodside - Atherton, CA border.
It seems that the shotcrete that was placed a few weeks ago had developed cracks all over. The pool builder assured them that this was a normal occurrence and that there was nothing to be concerned about.
Many Possible Causes
There were many possible causes.
The gunite company could have used too much water in their mix design. The rapidly evaporating water would have caused shrinkage cracks.
The pool may have been cured improperly, allowing the water in the concrete to depart too rapidly, causing shrinkage cracks.
The gunite could have been mishandled after placement (e.g. walked on), forcing water to the surface. That accelerates the water loss and causes shrinkage cracks.
The gunite crews could have cleaned out their hopper, mixer and hoses by spraying that rubbish all over the inside of the pool & then "broom finishing it."
How bad is it?
After sounding the shell with a "tuning fork," it was determined that there were hollow pockets of concrete.
Only taking core samples of the concrete, directly over some of the cracks, would tell for sure. If the cracks extended through the structure, then someone had a lot of work ahead of them.
That bad
It turned out that the cracks extended through the structure. Since a swimming pool is supposed to be watertight, cracks are unacceptable.
Epoxy injection is equivalent to putting a band aid over skin cancer. It only hides the problem.
The only solution was to demolish the affected areas and to replace the shotcrete.
You would not accept a cracked concrete foundation or bridge... so why would you accept a cracked pool?
Contact the author, Paolo Benedetti of Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa at: info@aquatictechnology.com or 408-776-8220. Visit his website at: www.aquatictechnology.com. All Contents © Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa, 2013. All rights reserved.
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