Comments for Tim's Blog

Comment on Initial Pool Plumbing & Electrical Work by Delmar Loeppky

Delmar Loeppky — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:58:49 +0000

Great plumbin information, we are a small company from the UK and just getting into this whole internet thing. Yes very late we know ;).

Comment on Shot-Crete, Gunite what’s the Difference? by admin

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:23:17 +0000

When the pool is being shot, you can have the crew shoot a test panel. To do this they will sometimes just shoot against a flat board and build up a 4 to 5″ depth of concrete. From this sample the lab can test for the concrete’s compression strength after 28 days. If a sample was shot and you still want the shell tested, a core can be pulled from the shell. A core is a large hollow drill bit that will be used to drill through the shell. The portion removed is then sent to a lab for testing.
Tim

Comment on Shot-Crete, Gunite what’s the Difference? by Kishor

Kishor — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:11:23 +0000

Dear Tim, Hello, We are building a pool , we have finished the pool structure and requested the concrete be tested for strength. It seems cube test wont give proper results. Is there a proper way gunite can be tested. I will appriciate if you can help me with any information in the matter.

Comment on Steel Reinforcement, It’s the Pool’s Skeleton! by admin

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:37:02 +0000

If you are asking how much steel is used in the concrete, there is no simple answer. The amount of steel required in a shell depends on the stress the shell must withstand. Ideally you start with a soils engineer who determines how much weight the soil can support. Then a structural engineer specifies the steel and shell thickness requirements. This is important, because I am not a soil or structural engineer. You want to get this expert opinion so that your investment is well protected. Generally speaking though, if the pool is positioned at ground level, in level terrain, in verified compacted soil, this ideal condition may only call for minimum reinforcement and is called a 30# wall. It would have a beam construction made up of 1/2″ steel and a rib construction throughout with 3/8″ steel on 12″ x 12″ centers, with additional steel positioned at stress points. However, I would never build this pool in my area because there are never ideal conditions. On the other extreme, if your pool is raised out of the ground or the soil cannot lend support to the shells side walls, you would have to build a 65# wall. This would probably be made up of 6 bars of 1/2″ in the beam and a rib work of 1/2″ steel throughout the pool on 10″ centers with additional steel at stress points. Some conditions even require double mats of steel to provide the needed strength to survive.
Tim

Comment on Steel Reinforcement, It’s the Pool’s Skeleton! by tim

tim — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:19:24 +0000

how to measure for the the steel in a gunite ? the floor and or the walls for the bond beam . what formula do you use . thanks T IM

Comment on Simple Water Features by Rob

Rob — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:31:15 +0000

I agree with you that water features dont need be massive to be effective.