Sigh..another reason to worry. Pool builders..your opinion please

12 years ago

Here's an overall view. The back wall is the worry du jour. We wanted to cover it in Cultured Stone. The plan was to strip the black board off and then Thoroseal. The white pipes you see sticking up are going to be deck jets. The BIG white pipe sticking up will be cut to ground level and capped. It's a sump pump.

One day they built the boxy things around the jets prior to Thoroseal. First mistake. This was when I really started noticing that the ground along the whole back wall wasn't drying up - despite 80-90 degree days and no rain. We're on clay but the water on the ground stayed the same for 2 weeks. Landscaper wondered if we'd turned the sprinklers on. No.

Now I'm noticing all that rebar showing through. And on the inside of the pool, in the same location where it's really wet on the outside is a return. The pool IS NOT losing any water, tho. And we have not turned the deck jets on which was another theory.

I also noticed one area where the rigid PVC which supplies the back wall returns is partially exposed. How big of a problem is the rerod and PVC exposed? Also, any idea where the water might be coming from? Pool builder will come in the next couple days to look.

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Comments (6)

poolguynj
12 years ago
Is the auto filler on?

Are/were there sprinklers there before?

If you look down the sump pipe, where is the water level?

Are the neighbors up slope to you watering the grass a lot? It could be runoff.

The rebar showing indicates that the form was tied to the rebar without any space between. This will cost some strength but I don't think it is much. If it was the horizontal rebar, I would be more concerned, The rebar should be entirely encapsulated. It does appear that this is only true near the bond beam though. The PVC pipe proves that.

I wouldn't worry about the pipe.

They can move the blocks out of the way. That was dumb on the builder's part because they get to do it again.

Scott
banana_fanna
Original Author
12 years ago
Scott...some answers:

Is the auto filler on?
No

Are/were there sprinklers there before?
There was one head but we haven't turned them on in over a week and it wouldn't explain the pattern that the water is making in the dirt. See explanation below.

If you look down the sump pipe, where is the water level?
It's high. The tube extends to the depth of the pool - 8'.
It looks like there's about 4' of water in there. When the landscaper looked this morning he said, "That's a lot of water." But was stumped where it might be coming from. He says to wait til PB gets here before jumping to any conclusions. What would that much water mean to you?

Are the neighbors up slope to you watering the grass a lot? It could be runoff.
They are very slightly upslope but the wetness only runs the entire 45' length of the pool and about 3' wide. And it bumps out around each deck jet box. It's the damndest thing. I'll take a pic tomorrow of the 'pattern' that the water is making in the dirt.

**Thanks so much, Scott. I appreciate your feedback more than you know. My husband has been travelling all month (not that he's much of a pool expert anyway ;-) and it's been hard to do without his support right now so your feedback helps.*** I'll post a couple more pics tomorrow.
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banana_fanna
Original Author
12 years ago
Here's another picture of the "pattern" that the water makes. See how it surrounds the boxes and then hugs the entire length of the pool? Again, we're not losing water nor are those deck jets ever turned on.

Pool builder didn't come today. :-)
poolguynj
12 years ago
I think it is just ground water. Notice it gets more pronounced as you get away from the the sump pipe and moves down hill.

You're positive you aren't losing water?

Scott
banana_fanna
Original Author
12 years ago
5:15 in the morning. No rest for the weary :-)

I don't think I'm losing water as I've lost only an inch or so in 2 weeks of 85 degree+ weather. After reading your post at 4:30 I went outside and put the Bucket Test together - just to make sure.

Hope the neighbors didn't see the sleepless lady next door, with a flashlight, laying belly down on the pavers in her night gown applying a piece of duct tape to the waterline tile. And then filling a large tupperware storage bin with water, pitcherful by pitcherful by the light of the silvery moon....
Cuckoo, cuckoo.

I'll report back later. Thanks again, Scott.
poolguynj
12 years ago
Insomnia sucks.

Scott