Time to Think About Your Swimming Pool

Here we are, deep in the midst of February, and I want to talk about your swimming pool. That's crazy, isn't it?

What's even more crazy is ignoring any cracks in your swimming pool, ignoring any paving or decking that looks like it's risen or sunk from the lip of the pool, and ignoring any mysterious leaks in the pluming which serves the pool. More likely than not, the swimming pool is the focus of your backyard and figures greatly into your family's plan for summer fun. It's also one of the largest investments a family makes in their home. So, it'd be crazy to ignore cracks, paving and decking problems, and plumbing problems with your swimming pool.

Why are these clues important and what do they have to do with foundations? Read on and find out.

Cracks in your pool indicate that one or more parts of your pool are moving in different directions and/or different rates than the rest of the swimming pool. This is exactly the same as what happens to your home's foundation: Changes in the moisture content of the soil around and under your swimming pool causes the pool (or parts of it) to shift up and down and side-to-side. Most people don't connect swimming pools with foundation piers, but swimming pools are very heavy affairs and need support. Think about how heavy the pool's structure is, and then add to that thousands of gallons of water, and you have a very heavy item riding on and in the soil.

If you see the paving or decking around your swimming pool rising or sinking below the edge of the pool, what may be happening is that the pool itself is moving, not the paving or decking. As with cracks in the pool, lifting and sinking of the swimming pool are indicative of soil problems.

As for plumbing leaks, these can be caused when the pool shifts and pulls the plumbing fittings loose or apart. Why did the pool shift? It could be that it is riding up and down, left and right, back and forth on soil that is expanding and contracting due to changes in its moisture content.

So, what can you do about this? First off, have a structural engineer look at the pool and determine what's going on. If indeed there's a problem with the pool moving about, then you need to consider foundation piers. Just as foundation piers support your home's foundation and limit its movement to negligible amounts, they can do the same for your swimming pool.

And, as with foundation repair on your home, the proper location and installation of piers under your swimming pool can be done with limited impact on your landscaping, decking, and schedule.

If you have questions about foundation piers for pools, feel free to call us at 972-272-19000 and we'll be happy to provide you with answers.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Piers for Pools (cont'd)

This is the second part of a post concerning foundation piers for swimming pools. If you missed the first part, take a look at last Tuesday and get caught up.

Steel piers are the preferred choice when installing or augmenting piers for swimming pools. The advantages you get with steel piers for home and commercial & industrial foundations apply to swimming pools, as well. Steel piers don't require curing time like concrete does, so construction time is reduced. Steel piers require a smaller "footprint" when they are constructed. Steel piers are incredibly sturdy and a proven reliable solution.

One important thing to note about piers for pools is that the piers shouldn't be anchored to the pool. Why, you ask? Because the pool must be free to move a little bit. The pool is going to move no matter what; the key is that it's only allowed to move so much before it is stopped or stabilized. If the pool is anchored to the piers, then when the soil around and under the pool expands or contracts and pushes or drops the pool a bit, the pool is going to crack where the piers are anchored to it. This is because the pool is trying to move but is tied down at the piers.

Be sure to check out some of our slide shows for piers for pools and let us know what you think.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Piers for Pools

We've talked about piers for pools before, but now's a good time to recap. If you have a swimming pool, then no doubt you've had a chance to enjoy it. Did you notice anything different about your pool while you were out there?

For instance, does the water line appear to be at a kilter? In other words, is it not level? If this is the case, then part of the pool is higher than the other, which gives the appearance of the water being lopsided. It may be subtle, maybe an inch or two across the entire pool, or it could be more pronounced. Whatever the degree, this means that one end of the pool or the other has shifted up (down). Much like when you hold a glass of water and tilt the glass, the water stays level but runs diagonally across the glass, your pool is tilting and the water appears to run diagonally (though, not as dramatically as that glass of water).

This is the same behavior as when part of the foundation of your house lifts or drops. It means that the soil in or around your pool (or building foundation) has swelled or shrunk and the foundation has moved as a result. And, just as with your house, the shifting of your pool can cause problems. Sometimes the problems are cosmetic. For instance, the lip of the swimming pool can rise above or drop below the surface of the sidewalk or deck around it. On the other hand, more serious problems can occur, such as stressing and breaking the plumbing or creating cracks.

What can you do when this happens? Well, you can address it just as you would with your residential foundation or commercial foundation: You can level and stabilize your swimming pool with foundation piers. You can prevent further problems and correct existing ones when your swimming pool is back to level and no longer moving in unpredictable directions and amounts. Adding piers to the pool or augmenting existing piers with new ones is the best way to protect your investment in one of the most expensive additions to your home, and it insures that you and your family can enjoy your pool -- rather than regretting it.


In our next post, we'll discuss the specifics of steel piers for swimming pools.


Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com. Or, feel free to ask us anything! We love questions -- and we've gotten some really good ones lately. Fill out our Ask Us Anything form and look for your answer in your email. Plus, we'll update this blog and our websitehttp://www.acefoundation.com with the questions and answers we've received and given over the last few months.