Swimming pools can and will float

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Bob Boyd

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Feb 3, 2004
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A few words of caution to people who don?t know that concrete can float. If by any chance your pool is empty at the moment, and you are in an area with a high water table, such as Costa Azul or Perla Marina, I suggest you fill your pool as fast as possible or take a bar and break out the main drain to relieve the pressure. The water under the pool WILL cause it to float. As of this morning, we have 2 customers that have ?floaters? and this is a very serious and expensive problem that can be prevented
 

R0CKY

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A few words of caution to people who don?t know that concrete can float. If by any chance your pool is empty at the moment, and you are in an area with a high water table, such as Costa Azul or Perla Marina, I suggest you fill your pool as fast as possible or take a bar and break out the main drain to relieve the pressure. The water under the pool WILL cause it to float. As of this morning, we have 2 customers that have ?floaters? and this is a very serious and expensive problem that can be prevented
Thanks for the warning, Bob.
One would not expect one's pool to float away, and I imagine that it's a heck of a job to get it back into where it belongs.
 

Caz

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The water from the stream in Perla Marina was short-lived and is long gone.
 

gibbs

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I built gunnite and concrete pools for ten years and I have seen 20' x 40' pools 8' deep in the deep end float up 3"-6" out of the ground and crack at the break from as little as 2" of hard rain in 30 minutes.
Not very common here but I hear it is a spring shower in the DR. Every pool should have a hydrostatic valve in the main drain to relief pressure.
 

Steve Costa Azul

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Jul 15, 2006
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I built gunnite and concrete pools for ten years and I have seen 20' x 40' pools 8' deep in the deep end float up 3"-6" out of the ground and crack at the break from as little as 2" of hard rain in 30 minutes.
Not very common here but I hear it is a spring shower in the DR. Every pool should have a hydrostatic valve in the main drain to relief pressure.

I posted a very informative message, stating the importance of having a functional hydrostatic relief valve in the main drain but it was removed.....
Steve


It was removed due to your own childish posts, not because of another poster. If you have issues with me removing a post, I suggest you PM or email me, posting here will earn you no brownie points.

Next....
 
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Bob Boyd

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I totally agree on the hydrostatic valves plus every pool and spa, no matter what size, should have double main drains to prevent kids from becoming trapped by the suction. You just can’t believe the excesses we get!!! “It will cost me an extra 80 dollars, or we don’t let kids in our pool” are only 2 of them.
 

Steve Costa Azul

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Jul 15, 2006
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I totally agree on the hydrostatic valves plus every pool and spa, no matter what size, should have double main drains to prevent kids from becoming trapped by the suction. You just can?t believe the excesses we get!!! ?It will cost me an extra 80 dollars, or we don?t let kids in our pool? are only 2 of them.

Here in Ontario Canada, a pool builder is no longer allowed to have a direct suction line from a main drain residentially. Commercially on the other hand, the main drains must be minimum 1.8 meters apart, for obvious reasons. That 1.8 meters should 2 meters in my opinion.

It is NOT essential for a vinyl lined pool to have a hydrostatic relief valve in the main drain, or even have a main drain but I have never heard of a vinyl lined pool, in the DR.
Steve
 

gibbs

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It is NOT essential for a vinyl lined pool to have a hydrostatic relief valve in the main drain, or even have a main drain but I have never heard of a vinyl lined pool, in the DR.
Steve



I agree, I don't think a vinyl liner would be very efficient in the dR. Concrete lasts forever...unless there is an earthquake.
 

Steve Costa Azul

I love Rocky's Ribs!
Jul 15, 2006
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Pools

I agree, I don't think a vinyl liner would be very efficient in the dR. Concrete lasts forever...unless there is an earthquake.

I have witnessed how the pools are made in the DR for villas and they aren't concrete! They are made with cinder blocks, rebar & concrete poured in the holes of the blocks and a sand & cement mixture is troweled on to the face of the blocks. This is clearly done to save money on supplies compared to straight concrete.
Steve
 

gibbs

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I have witnessed how the pools are made in the DR for villas and they aren't concrete! They are made with cinder blocks, rebar & concrete poured in the holes of the blocks and a sand & cement mixture is troweled on to the face of the blocks. This is clearly done to save money on supplies compared to straight concrete.
Steve

And it's a great way to build a pool.. I was asked to re-plaster a pool that was built in 1959 that same way except the finish was white portland cement with marble dust aggregate and it was one of the straightest pools I have seen and the tile work was exceptional.
 

GREATZKY

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Sep 5, 2003
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when you say 'float' you mean the concrete is cracking or that the whole pool is pushing upward?

"I built gunnite and concrete pools for ten years and I have seen 20' x 40' pools 8' deep in the deep end float up 3"-6" out of the ground and crack at the break from as little as 2" of hard rain in 30 minutes.
Not very common here but I hear it is a spring shower in the DR. Every pool should have a hydrostatic valve in the main drain to relief pressure"



Conchman

Sea World San Diego had a 20' x 40' x 30' empty holding pool at the old Shamu Stadium start to lift a few inches on an extreme high tide!!!:hurt: It now has de-watering wells to alleviate this problem in the future.
Say "HI" to everyone down there for Stacy and I, hope all is well with you and your family...

T.C.
 
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