The back part of my pool patio settled a little bit and caused some cracks a year ago.
However, recently we saw the pavers drop significantly causing what you see in the pictures. The drops happened overnight.
Can’t tell if I have a big problem with erosion or this is common after rain.
Do I need an environmental engineer to evaluate or just a paver company to level things out? I’m in south Florida.
by Vast_Butterfly_5043
27 Comments
Major problem. They didn’t backfill the pool correctly. Your have to remove all of the pavers and sub base to fix
Fix this before it becomes a major issue.
That is a pool deck … not a patio
Maybe someone from r/pools can chime in but I’m pretty sure that the coping of the pool should be separated from the deck and have a flexible sealant joining them. Also,you have another problem that should be rectified ASAP. If it happened after a rain even then you may have an erosion related issue due to groundwater.v
Not to be funny, but are there known sinkholes in your area? Another possibility is that you might have a pipe that’s starting to fail. Have pool water levels changed along with this drop?
This is normal around pools unless the installer went out of the way to mitigate the issues. Unfortunately pool companies don’t compact their backfill when they install a pool so there is always settling around the apron. Even when they install your pool apron, they’ll slam it in because it’ll typically survive the warranty period.
Unfortunately when it comes to hardscaping you don’t need to have any kind of certification or licensing so any asshole with a truck and a saw can claim to be a hardscaper. You’re going to have to pick the pavers up, level out the base and reinstall them. In 2 years be prepared to do it again.
Concrete, vinyl or fiberglass pool? Was the water level lowered at all recently?
This ALWAYS happens around pools because contractors don’t properly backfill and compact around the pool edge.
I’m having the exact same problem
Remove pavers, excavate material down to base of pool, recompact subgrade to 90%mdd, replace excavated material with a-1-a class backfill compacted to 95%MDD in layer depths not exceeding 200mm. Last layer of 150mm to be higher quality aggregate basecouse material. 50mm Sand/grout laying course. Replace pavers on top.
If done properly then it Should not settle in its lifetime.
What kind of sub base was used under the pavers
IDK what the standards are in Florida but up in my region (northern Midwest) we require a minimum of 4’ of concrete around the pool to cover the over dig and prevent this exact issue.
It’s not a huge issue it’s just a bad paver dude
The Substrate settled, causing the cracks. Now it is washing away even more. You have to remove the pavers, fill in, tamp down, level all over again.
Good luck!
Repost this on /r/pools
I miss the days when pools were installed for 10,000 with no errors. LOL my parents installed a pool in our backyard in 1994 and it was 10k with a heater and patio. Plus they gave loans so you only put down a couple grand.
Is the pool using extra water these days? might be a leak creating a sinking situation.
I would have it checked by a pro.
Yeah typical moleman symptom, you might have to get someone to come dig him outta there. My Bubba once let it happen and they dun drug em into the mole hole 🤣
Act quickly, if water is draining in those areas.
If you have a vinyl liner any dirt, sand they used to support the sides can shift and may bulge the liner.
Depending on the ground water level is it possible that the pool is getting lifted up? I know that emptying a pool can sometimes cause it to pop up.
Bad backfill and those landscaping bricks should be floating and separate from the base because they are thin and decorative.
Check for leaks too. If you have autofill turn it off.
Add a 5 gallon bucket in the water on the 1st or 2nd step. Level it to water in the pool. If they evaporate at different rates by a lot you can have a pool leak.
If you have an auto fill on your pool, turn it off to see if the pool is losing water.
Yes. Your pool installer made it look pretty, but what he left you with ain’t.
Did you empty your pool recently? Even for a short period of time? A pool is nothing but a boat when it is empty, and a small amount of groundwater higher than the bottom of the pool may cause it to float. And if soils fell from the sides while floating, they can keep it from fully resettling when refilled.
Best case: the base for the pavers was improperly prepared and you’ve got settling/cracking as that’s settled.
Worse case: the backfill for the pool wasn’t compacted and now settling causing cracks in the pavers.
Worst case: pool is leaking and eroding backfill around the pool causing settling and cracks in the pavers, and possibly pool wall might blowout in the future, water behind the liner etc.
Call that pool installer back ASAP and don’t let them charge you it was there responsibility to do the job right the first time when they were installing.