Beware of the floating pool!




Pool Floated 3 feet out of ground

    Soon the rains will start coming and it will be time to deflate the water wings, put away the margarita machine, and retire it for the season....But one word of warning....  Many of my customers have decided to defer maintenance on their swimming pool and drain it in the mean time.  The often unforeseen consequence is that a swimming pool with no water can also be a boat.  As the water table rises during the rainy season or water seeps in from the sides, the pool can lift out of the ground. I have seen them as little as 6" to as much as 5 feet out of the ground. 
     If the plan was to remodel the pool, it will now have to be removed completely, back filled and then re-dug in the shape of the new pool. A BIG mistake.  Alternately, if your plan had been to remove the swimming pool using the partial removal technique it changes the process significantly and would include an increase in price.  On the flip side, if you had planned on a full removal it makes no difference exept that we may need to wait a few days in between demolition and backfill to allow the cavity to dry.
Click Here to watch what happened when I poked some holes in the bottom of the above pool....
It actually surprised me that so much water was still under this pool because it was late July but due to the clay type soil in the area it held the water for months.
    If you must drain your pool I would suggest the following to avoid this problem:
1.  Break 2 holes. One in the deep end and one in the shallow end. The holes should be broken at least 2 ft. X 2 ft.  Do not cut the holes with a concrete saw because you will cut the rebar and the repair will be more difficult. Use a small jack hammer and break small bits of concrete and remove all of the rubble leaving dirt and rebar exposed.
BEWARE: Do not drain your pool completely all at once during the rainy season. It is best to drain it until the shallow end is exposed. Break your first hole in the shallow end. Then drain the rest and break the hole in the deep end.  This process does not guarantee that your pool will not move but will reduce the likelyhood.
    Swimming Pools are designed to hold water and that is what is best for them. If at all possible do not drain your pool until you are ready to act on your remodel or removal.  If you have any questions regarding your swimming pool removal or draining feel free to call me.
Ryan Crownholm
925-933-4448
http://www.ihatemyswimmingpool.com/