epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
(OP)
Just want to reaffirm what I thought I have known for a long time- epoxy injection is the best method of concrete crack repair (generally), especially when its not really a structural crack per se?
The case is your basic backyard pool with a vertical crack. I have eliminated soil issues as a likely candidate due to the lack of distress in the pool deck and house. Its one vertical crack, maybe 1/4" wide, in the wall of the pool. I assume there is horizontal rebar holding the crack tight. Its about 20yrs old or so, in Florida. The last repair failed in about a year or so, don't know what they used (fancy caulk). Owner is a friend of my boss, so as a favor I had a look. I emailed her a link to an article about epoxy injection repair of cracks in vertical walls (basement). I told her this is the way I recommend doing it. It may be more expensive up front than other methods, but beats draining and refinishing your pool in a couple of years.
Thanks in advance for your opinion.
The case is your basic backyard pool with a vertical crack. I have eliminated soil issues as a likely candidate due to the lack of distress in the pool deck and house. Its one vertical crack, maybe 1/4" wide, in the wall of the pool. I assume there is horizontal rebar holding the crack tight. Its about 20yrs old or so, in Florida. The last repair failed in about a year or so, don't know what they used (fancy caulk). Owner is a friend of my boss, so as a favor I had a look. I emailed her a link to an article about epoxy injection repair of cracks in vertical walls (basement). I told her this is the way I recommend doing it. It may be more expensive up front than other methods, but beats draining and refinishing your pool in a couple of years.
Thanks in advance for your opinion.






RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
At 1/4" wide it's unlikely there is any reinforcing of significance or what little steel there is has yielded. Epoxy has it's limits and cracks of a 1/4" are probably on the maximum end of what can be repaired using most products. I think this might better be more of a gouge, explore, and full patch approach.
Also there would be a lot of water escaping through a crack that size. The deck probably just hasn't cracked....yet.
regards,
Michel
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
Unless the reinforcement has deteriorated (which would probably be evidenced by rust staining), it either was improperly placed or the crack is not really all that wide. It would take a tremendous amount of force to yield mesh or bar, and I can't recall ever seeing this in a pool which did not exhibit other distress.
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
The repair is already being done, and it is not what I recommended. From what has been told to me, they are using rebar "staples" along the crack, then they ground out the crack and are filling it with a hydraulic cement pool patching compound. I believe this has little tensile bond strength and is much more likely to crack than epoxy, though maybe the staples will do that job and the cement will do its job as a waterstop. Hopefully for the homeowner it works.
This was just a quick conversation several months ago, I did go and have a look but the pool had water in it. Then I emailed the homeowner a link with a epoxy injection synopsis (similar to a basement wall crack repair). This was just a friendly favor giving her my opinion and making sure I did not think there was a bigger issue at hand (soil problems), not an actual job where I performed an in-depth investigation and did repair drawings or specs.
Its one of those favors you wish you hadn't done, but it was for my boss' friend. He is not an SE...
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
I know vinyl lining of existing concrete pools is done here, but it is pretty uncommon. The 1/4" wide crack was an estimate from several months ago, and likely includes the width of the crack after being ground out before the last time it was sealed.
My experience with concrete repair outside of the pool world lead me to epoxy pressure injection, which I have had success with several times, not to mention countless structures using epoxy-bolt applications. My research indicated it is a very common repair for basement walls and many of those repairs are now warrantied by the good contractors. However, we have very few basements in Florida, so contractors who do epoxy injection are likely mostly on the commercial side of things, repairing concrete balconies on ocean side hotels and condos for exampled, not doing residential repairs. They are not to be found in the local yellow pages, hence the problem and disconnect.
Thanks all for the input, its in the books now. I hope for the homeowner's sake that repair holds up. I told her it may indeed work, but it just wasn't my first choice.
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
I will let the homeowner do whatever she wants, which I am sure is whatever repair method they started. Next time don't bother asking me and wasting my time.
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
As someone noted... it's a matter of determining if the cracks are active... that will dictate the repair.
Dik
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
Here is a link to some guidelines on when to use epoxy or some other method of crack repair based partly on ACI 224:
http://www.chemcosystems.com/tech_faqs.html
RE: epoxy injection - cracks in concrete
Dik