When a new pool is constructed, the back-fill soil and rock placed around it may not be compacted properly to reduce the potential for any damage to it. As a result, the back-fill material settles under its own weight over a period of up to as much as 10 years. As the back-fill material settles, it fails to support the pool deck properly and open spaces (voids) form under the pool deck. Sometimes there is enough solid soil to keep the pool deck from noticeably dropping, or with vinyl pools there may be brackets installed that are designed to hold up the concrete despite a lack of soil support. Even these can fail over time.
When the soil has settled under your pool deck it starts to sink because it’s not adequately supported you need to have it repaired by professionally applied mudjacking methods. Many times the settlement is slow and steady, while other times the concrete can crack and drop significantly and suddenly. In either case you need to have it repaired immediately to avoid any financial liability.
What to look for to prevent a catastrophic pool deck failure.
Cracks
Occasionally, cracks indicate settlement, but cracks are a guarantee in almost all concrete, so just because concrete has cracked doesn’t mean that it has settled. Large cracks usually form before settlement occurs over time, so they can be a good early indicator of problems that will appear later below your concrete pool deck.
Before
After
Pool decks are typically installed with a small amount of slope to help rain water move away from the pool. You may not even notice that the pool deck is not perfectly level but if it feels like you’re walking downhill when you step out of your pool, the deck is probably starting to settle.
Trip Hazards
When pool deck slabs that are next to each other settle at different rates, trip hazards can develop at the joints between them. Concrete pools typically develop trip hazards between the individual pieces of concrete, and also the coping where the deck concrete is lower than the top of the coping stones or bricks.
Decks around pools can be especially dangerous if not cared for properly.
The concrete lifting team at Mudjack Experts uses advanced mudjacking techniques to solve virtually any sagging or settling concrete problem.
Mudjacking pool decks can keep your property safe and allow you and your guests to more fully enjoy the outdoors.
Leveling concrete is what we do and we do it better than anyone else in Southeast Wisconsin.
Call Mudjack Experts today!