12 Florida Pool Prosm • January 2024 DIGGING UP IDEAS for the quality of concrete. Most of the crack remediation and repairs that I am employed to fix have nothing to do with wet mix or dry mix and everything to do with shot placement techniques. Many times the failure is simply because of poor rebar placement and poor shooting techniques which result in voids behind rebar and plumbing. The other major issue is rebound and shavings being reused or repurposed as shelves, benches, and stairs. Once concrete has been cut off the shell it should not be thrown back in the pool. Throwing concrete with our hand or trowel does not offer the same compaction as the nozzle. If you are unsure about the quality of concrete being placed, bring a test panel with you. Traditionally 18 by 18 by 12 inches deep. Have the nozzleman shoot a couple of panels so they can have the samples cored and tested. There are many engineering firms that will test the strength of your concrete and insure it is conforming to ASTM. The concrete company is responsible for the placement and batch of the concrete. It is the pool contractor’s responsibility to choose the concrete supplier and installer properly and to make sure they are up to the minimum standard. It is also the pool contractor who should be overseeing and potentially executing the wet cure process. My years in the industry have had me exposed to many batches of bad concrete. As an industry, we need to demand better from ourselves and the concrete suppliers/installers. First, demand only certified nozzlemen be used. Second, the pool contractor should do quality control in-house and get shot test panels of the concrete. If your concrete company cannot produce the minimum requirement of 4,000 psi, you need to find a new concrete company, or have your existing concrete company rectify their methods to achieve the minimum. Third, I recommend any pool contractor who believes they sell a good product to go take the ASA quality shotcrete inspector class. Once you take the class go to one of your shoots and see if the crew is giving you a quality product. Finally, be sure to wet cure your pool shells. In the Florida heat you can have a difference of 30% in strength if your pool shell is not cured properly. Demand better to be better.
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