Pro-Cite, Satellite Beach, Florida

Pro-Cite
Greg's Cement Pondering
Observations and commentary from Greg Schmidt, Pro-Cite owner.

Scurvy Dogs! - Jul 23rd, 2007
Boy, how things have changed around here in the last few years. When property values kept rising while interest rates lowered, money was flowing to contractors and trades people. Homeowners grabbed it with both hands and spent it like they stole it. Not only did we see a proliferation of Hummers on A1A, we saw the emergence of numerous start-up companies making money right off the bat without paying their dues. Of course, anybody who has been in business long enough saw the writing on the wall, and a reversal was in store. If you weren't smart enough to see what was going to happen and put some money away, times will become very desperate for many people, and that time is here! Now, I'm no genius by any stretch of the imagination, but being in business for myself for over twenty years, I have personally weathered several of these business cycles. Yeah, I've kissed a lot of hard-earned dollars goodbye in these learning years making bad decisions, like expanding during shrinking economies. Ugh! I remember, back in the day (You can always tell your age whenever you use that phrase), I was only one of a few companies that resurfaced pools. Most new pool construction and service companies wouldn't touch it. Since then, everybody and his brother do it now, and many of them are newer companies that have never experienced a slow economy like the one we are in. And it will get worse before it gets better too! So, what is a young, new business owner with employees and payroll taxes going to do when his bills come due and he can't pay some of them? Uh huh, been there, done that. Yup, these are trying times for those guys, and their prices are the first to drop, along with laying off people. First of all, that means unemployment is going up, which puts strain on everyone. Second of all, even if a sale is made by lowering the price, much less money is made to pay all those bills. A slow bleed for sure. That may sound dandy to a homeowner that he has pool resurfacers calling them up AFTER they came out to bid on their pool, only to give them the NEW price with some gem of an excuse like "We are doing another pool in your neighborhood and can save money by leap-frogging between jobs". Of course, that other pool doesn't exist but who cares? Dandy? I don't think so. Sure, a few hundred dollars can be saved by the homeowner, but he has to wonder how much longer his contractor will be able to stay in business doing this, and whether he will be taking short-cuts on his pool, or if that all-important warranty has no worth. It's not just the younger companies operating like this now. Two of my biggest and oldest competitors used to be a thousand or more dollars ABOVE my price, ALWAYS! This year they are the same or less than me. Bottom line is that doing business with any contractor, new or old, that cannot maintain a stable and reliable pricing structure for his future customers cannot be trusted to maintain a stable and reliable work environment for his past and present customers. A contractor who gouges during the good times and cuts corners in the bad, is a scurvy dog, and we are surrounded.

'O6 wrap up - Jan 2nd, 2007
Hmmm, what can I say nice about '06? Not a very exciting year. I've had better and I've had worse. Indeed. Business slowed compared to the record-breaking years of the recent past thanks to belt-tightening due to numerous factors. I've had people say to me that prices should be much lower due to the lower demand and increased competition, but what most don't realized is that material costs keep rising, offsetting any lowered profiting. In fact, my cement suppliers send me price increases just about every two months. So, I'm making less money each job by not raising my quotes. Good news for my customers and bad news for my daughter's inheritance. And speaking of my customers, they were fantastic this year. I certainly continue to get better at picking them. Thanks to all of them! I rarely make an annual plan for the business because things usually don't go as I think they will. I'm just not that brilliant enough, I suppose. I usually hope for the best, plan for the worse, and take what life throws at me. That way, the disappointments are at a minimum and I get to be surprised every once in a while! Sweet.

"From the Hole" - Aug 17th, 2006
Ok, what does it mean when someone in the pool business "comes from the hole"? We refer to the "hole" as an empty pool. When you actually construct pools, you pretty much spend most of your time inside the darn thing. That's where all the hands-on experience is learned. So, if you actually work or have worked on constructing or remodeling pools, you are said to "come from the hole". That's a very good thing, by the way. Way too many pool businesses are run by people who have little or no actual "in the hole" experience. Many firms now subcontract most or all of the work on pools they sell. Ideally, each phase can be completed by professional specialists in their field and all the office needs to do is coordinate them. Realistically, a slightly different version of that business model exists. If building pools was easy, there would be a lot more competition, but understanding the tremendous quantity of morons doing it, how complicated can it actually be? Problems constantly arise when working on pools, trust me. If these problems are not addressed promptly and correctly, bigger problems are born. The bigger problems exist usually because of bad decisions. Bad decisions are made by people with not enough experience, little regard for the customer or the job, or a combination of both. Almost always, this leads to a bad experience for the consumer. So, with all the pool companies the consumer has to choose from these days, what are the best qualities a consumer should look for? First, pick a contractor who comes from the hole and isn't afraid to get back in it! A contractor who does a lot of the work himself is your best bet. Second, make sure he oversees any work done by others. A contractor that is always at the job site is likely to catch any problem right away and provide immediate solutions.

An "Act of God"? - Aug 29th, 2004
Call it writer’s block, I suppose, but it doesn’t go unnoticed that updates to this rant section I got going are becoming rare. Face it, although pool refinishing isn’t rocket science, it IS a science, although with a finite amount of useful information. Blah blah. Good news though. I am pretty caught up with my schedule and it is only a month to start new jobs. Just a few months ago it was up to three months. Thanks to the usual summertime slow period, the batteries in my pager have been on sabbatical. Thank goodness. I hate that darn thing.

I figured out what it means by “an act of God” this year because it happened twice to my customers. I’m not talking about weather either, but I will say that “Mother Nature” is to be respected and not argued with. This is what happened a couple of months ago. We were finishing up a riverside job and I was sitting in a customer’s lounge chair admiring the view. My eyes were drawn to a fairly large black bird being chased down by a very aggressive and much smaller bird. This little pain in the tail was nipping at the bigger bird while swooping all around the yard. It was entertaining to witness this dogfight until I saw what appeared to be bird poo being frightened right out of the bigger bird. Fear set in as I realized that ground zero was right in the middle of the shallow end floor! Yikes! Bird poo in fresh cement stains as quick as red wine spilled on white carpet, and as difficult to remove. You do the best you can in these situations, and an understanding customer is gold! Can someone tell me with certainty if this is an “act of God” or just “Mother Nature” in action?

More on High Ph - Sep 12th, 2003
I would like to elaborate on the reaction that occurs between new pool cement-based finishes and fill water. As stated in a previous “pondering” about the dreaded “plaster dust”, we know that the water ph will be high and stay that way for awhile. Initially, only small amounts of muriatic acid should be added because ph will go back up. Even after the dust is gone, the ph may stay high for up to a month or more as the cement finish fully cures. This gets dicey because high ph over time has a tendency to cause calcium to precipitate out of the water and mineralize all over everything! The problem lies in the probability that the pool owner has long ago stopped the daily brushing of the pool surfaces and may have stopped adding acid. This is not good. The tell-tale signs of an initial calcium attack are floating white crystals and a very rough sandy build-up on everything. At this point the calcium is still loose and can be man-handled with a stiff and vigorous brush. Ignored for a longer period and this stuff hardens and bonds to the surfaces. Bad.

Pools vary and it’s unpredictable which ones will be dustier than the next and who will have extended ph problems. I’ll be the first one to tell you that I’m not a chemical or physics genius and opinions vary whether I’m an “expert” on anything. One thing is certain though, ph has to be controlled to some degree and problems will be frustrating. I’ve spoken with many pool “professionals” and we all agree that ph control at this curing stage is baffling. I believe large doses of acid can only be added after the first three or four weeks of small dosages to do any good. Any sooner and acid is wasted. I’d invite any pool expert who has a reliable routine to contact me and share their thoughts.

Surface Failures---"Spot Etching" - Feb 23rd, 2003
Spot etching is a condition of a pool finish that shows coin-sized erosion areas that range in size on the walls and floor. These etch spots are a very common sight in plastered pools, but also can be seen recently in some aggregate finishes. Speculation usually concluded that it was the pool water that caused this and the pool owner or service company was to blame. Naturally, the finish contractors agreed. But, a recent study has concluded that certain application techniques are the cause. The use of calcium chloride is one of them. It is added directly to the water that will be used to mix the bagged finish material on the job site. A small amount of calcium, used as an accelerator, can be a benefit to finishers for a variety of reasons that cannot be considered abusive. The study concluded that the addition of calcium chloride must not exceed a certain amount, and this amount is huge. In all my experience, the only time that amount was ever used was a day about 20 years ago or so when I was working for “The Company” up north. I was an employee and the decision wasn’t mine, so that’s my disclaimer. The total time it took to get out of the truck, plaster the pool, and start the fill water was 1 hour and 50 minutes! Yikes. However damaging calcium chloride may be considered, the most likely cause of spot etching occurs when excessive water is used while finishing the hardening material. At times of high temperature and fast drying conditions, the finisher may splash a small amount of water directly onto the material just before he applies the trowel. Using a little water can make the work easier and the surface smoother. A lot of water can help bring prematurely hardened surfaces back to workable and “acceptable” product again. This addition of excessive water does the most harm as it seriously weakens the integrity of the cement at the surface. Everybody knows that overly wet cement and concrete doesn’t cure as hard as properly mixed material, right? Wrong! Although the average thickness of applied pool finishes is about 1/2 of an inch, the only part the customer sees is the outside. Unfortunately, most pool guys are unaware of certain dynamics of their medium, and you can bet warranty spans don’t keep them awake at night. Ever heard of the “taillight guarantee”?

"Plaster Dust"--- What is it? - Nov 16th, 2002
Let me start by saying plaster dust is not a scientific term, nor is it something you should worry about your children smoking. When a new cement pool finish is applied and hardened, there is a very fine film of cement “dust” on the surface that reacts with the pool fill water. These particles become moist and swell up in size. At this point, they are not bonded to the finish surface. But, if left alone after a few days, those once loose and slimy “dust” particles will harden and become bonded to the cement finish. Very bad situation! That’s why as soon as your new or resurfaced pool is filled, the new cement surface needs to be brushed thoroughly to remove that “dust” layer. By methodically brushing, vacuuming, and filtering out the “dust”, your new pool finish will remain smooth and pristine in appearance. (By the way, “plaster dust” is really just calcium carbonate.) So, what will happen if the brushing process is neglected or inadequate? Best case scenario is when only a very thin, opaque film remains. Any color specks in the finish may still be faintly visible and a slight sandy texture can be expected. When a pool is not brushed at all, a layer of whitened and hardened film will sit on top of the finish and any color specks cannot be seen. This will feel rough and can only be feasibly removed by a strong acid washing after complete draining. On a partially brushed pool, sometimes you can visibly see brush strokes where someone attempted to brush, and in other areas you can see such a thick build up of dust, usually in the deep end, it can lift up in chunks giving the appearance that the actual finish is coming apart.

Chemically speaking, the presence of this dust will make it nearly impossible to keep the ph down even if total alkalinity is ok. Small doses of muriatic acid need to be added daily to gradually get it down. Also, high ph will cause chlorine to get used up rapidly, so stock up on extra jugs.

The maintenance of a new pool can seem daunting, but proper instruction and understanding will make it less difficult. Contractors that understate this process to their customers are doing a disservice to them. I’ve seen countless new pools in dire need of acid washing. Most of these customers are completely unaware of the importance of daily brushing and filtering of “plaster dust”. Nasty stuff. Just say NO to plaster dust!

Surface Failures---"Hollow Spots" - Aug 13th, 2002
Among the many causes of surface failure and reasons pool interior finishes require resurfacing is de-lamination, also called “hollow spots” or “pop-offs”. When surfaces do fail, there is a tendency for all parties to finger-point and deflect blame. In this case, the failure of the finish to stick to the substrate is, without a doubt, the applicators fault. There are various conditions that can cause hollow spots and all are within control of the contractors and subcontractors. The reason finishes don’t stick is relatively simple to understand once you realize all cement surfaces are porous to some degree. They absorb moisture at different rates depending on the density of the material. The “softer” the material, such as old pool plaster, the more water it sucks up. When a newly applied wet cement finish is applied over an old cement surface, the old surface absorbs the moist cement content of this material at the place of contact. This cement forms the bond between the two materials. If the old surface draws out too much of the cement at this contact area, the bond is compromised. There will not be enough cement in place to form a tight bond. In areas of de-lamination, usually varying between six inches and a couple of feet wide, the finish will pull away from the old surface about a quarter to a half-inch. Sometimes hollow spots are not detected when the pool is full. If the finish is applied thick and dense, water cannot get behind the spot and lift it further away. Sometimes, simply the weight and pressure of the water will keep a hollow spot from lifting. When hollow spots lift away further, they tend to crack allowing water to fill the void. This water gets saturated with calcium and calcium salts will form along the crack. That’s what I look for when I bid on a resurfacing job. Although it is more common to find hollow spots on previously resurfaced pools, I come across lots of new pools with that problem. (The record number of hollow spots is 40 in a 450 sq.ft.) Did you check out those pictures in the disaster files? Among some of the other reasons for hollow spots in new pools are dirty surfaces and “hot spots” on the concrete shell. These are areas that have a higher sand content at the surface. Gunite pool shells are very porous and spotty. I anticipate lots of work in the future due to bond failures in new gunite pools in this area.

So how do I prevent hollow spots from occurring? First of all, all my pools get a thorough cleaning. This will allow a good surface for an application of an acrylic-based bond-coating surface. This bonding surface has sealing properties that will prevent too much cement to be drawn out of the newly applied finish, thus providing excellent adhesion. Before this bond-coating was used, pools were either acid-washed or sandblasted. Just because a surface is rough doesn’t mean something will stick to it! Bond-coating a sandblasted pool may seem redundant, but I learned the hard way and it cost!

Of course, right before a new finish is applied, everybody knows you’re supposed to hose down the pool walls and floor to cool them down and moisturize. This will allow adequate bonding, right? Let me tell you a secret. The subcontractors that apply pool finishes, whether they are new pools or re-dos, get paid by the job, not hourly. So, if they can get the pool done in less time, do you think they will try? Of course! The first thing the finishers will do is NOT wet down the pool surface. This easily knocks an hour or so off the drying time. Aren’t these guys compromising the bonding? Yup. What do the contractors do about it? They point the finger. What do I do about it? I’m in every pool I do, and I’m the one who guarantees it for five years. So I make quite sure everything is proper and as good as it can get. It is common knowledge that one of the popular subcontracting firms in my area never wets the pool down before they apply the finish. I’m looking at a lot of work in the future thanks to these guys.

Estimates: Why they vary - Jun 30th, 2002
Let me try to shed some light on why resurfacing estimates vary so greatly from company to company. The bigger and more diversified companies with tons of marketing expenses and payroll generally give much higher estimates than smaller companies. The reason is because they already have a large customer base with established pool cleaning service contracts. It goes something like this. The pool boy says it’s getting harder to keep the pool water in balance because the finish is deteriorating, and oh by the way, we can resurface it for you too. The customers ask for a price and the salesman comes out and gives them one. If they are pleased with their present pool service, they may be unlikely to get other estimates. From that revenue, they will be paying the salesman’s salary or commission, which might be a couple hundred dollars. So where is the value for those extra thousand dollars or so the customer is paying? Are they using the most expensive and experienced craftsmen in the area? Are they buying the most expensive and best materials and tile available? Or are they extremely wasteful, inefficient, moronic, etc.. You can bet the customer will never get any added value, for sure.

I lose pools to unlicensed guys and to subcontractors that do the finish work for new pool construction companies, like the company I was just talking about. The magic number seems to be $600. Why that amount you ask? That’s because that is roughly what the cost of the finish material is. What the sub’s do is sometimes take some if not all the leftover bags of cement from previous pools and stockpile them in their warehouse. After a week or two they have enough bagged goods to do a pool with. So, they get a job by being the low bidder and use these free bags. They didn’t pay for them and neither did the customer. That fat cat new pool builder did and he probably even bid on that resurfacing job he lost to his finishing sub!

Depending on which area you live in and what kind of pool companies you get estimates from will vary your prices. Personally, I don’t like certain areas because I’m always the high bidder. I’ll never get these jobs so I won’t even go there. Not that I’m overpriced either. It’s because there’s a lot of free bagged goods stored up there!

Specialists? - Apr 20th, 2002
O.K. people, I gotta tell you something. Why the heck do you work so hard and long for your paychecks, only to plunk it all down on one contractor to do ALL the work? Just because you don’t want to deal with more than one guy on your pool renovation isn’t a good reason to do business this way. Why get lazy now? Don’t you realize that no pool man exists (or walks erect) today that has twenty years or more direct hands-on experience doing each of the specialized trades...interior finishing, deck finishing, tile setting, brick coping, pavers, concrete, etc... If you hire a jack-of-all-trades who does everything himself, chances are very good that at least one of the phases of construction on your pool will become part of his learning curve. If you really get lazy and hire one general contractor who will subcontract some or all of the finish work, you KNOW he’s pocketing some extra coin to cover his butt just in case. OR, you could do the SMART thing and take a little extra time to talk with specialists in their fields ONLY! That means you get the best specialists at a lower cost who actually make sure the job gets done right the FIRST time. If you want a paver deck, hire someone who does pavers for a living. Acrylic decking, same thing. Do yourself a favor and hire guys that do it every day and maybe even in their sleep. However, if you have a money tree in your backyard, roll the dice. Hope for the best and expect the worst.

Question--If a company advertises that they do everything, and say they are “resurfacing specialists”, does that mean they try hard at everything else? Or maybe they just suck. I see lots of pool cleaning companies that now specialize in resurfacing pools. Let’s see, would you let your maid remodel your kitchen? Don’t think so. Cement is an animal that will bite your butt if you don’t know what you’re doing. Once you get it wet, it starts to get hard. And if you don’t get it right before it sets up, what you see is what you get! Period.

I just had a contract canceled by the pool owner who decided to marcite his pool himself. OMG!! For his sake, I hope he was just too shy to tell me he changed his mind about hiring me. The average apprentice in pool plastering usually has to practice in 50 or more pools before he even begins to figure out the science. Oh well, he’ll just have to wear shoes when he goes swimming!

Gem vs. Marcite - Feb 13th, 2002
As you may have noticed, I’m pushing the use of Florida Gem pool finish. Why? Simply because Gem kicks marcite butt! There are several reasons for this. The larger sand composite is the main reason Gem is not porous like marcite, which has a very fine sand. It will not stain as easily and algae has a harder time eating it. In addition to being a stronger and denser pool finish, it doesn’t have that thin cement veneer on the surface, which means spot etching will not happen. I’m not saying Gem is bulletproof, but it is much more forgiving than what we were used to. So, why only a five-year warranty? The manufacturers that sold marcite didn’t give a warranty at all. It was the contractors that usually gave it a one-year warranty. When you realize these same manufacturers put themselves on paper for FIVE WHOLE YEARS, well, that says something about their confidence in the stuff. The very first time I acid washed a Gem finish, I realized how strong it was. Five years still doesn’t seem like a great warranty when consider it should last at least 15-20 years. Some contractors are giving longer warranties. These guys are trying to create a marketing advantage over other pool companies because it may appear they are better at applying it. I do know they are on their own after five years because the material companies won’t support them. When Gem was first given a warranty, the manufacturers just matched the best warranty at the time given by another pebble finish. Since Gem has been proven for over ten years, maybe one day the company will support a longer term. I believe in it and that’s good enough for me. When it becomes idiotproof, I’ll give it a lifetime warranty, but in the meantime, I’ll give it five years and all customers receive chemistry lessons!

Leak Test: Plumbing or Structural? - Jan 27th, 2002
So, now that you know average water loss due to evaporation is about 1/4 inch a day, what do you do when you are losing more? Take into consideration any windy days because that will take pool water away pretty fast. The first place you check is the filter area. Check the pad and see if any wet spots are present or any visible dripping. Also, check the end of the backwash hose. Sometimes a worn gate valve will leak in the closed position. If there are no equipment leaks, the source of the leaking is either plumbing or structural.

A structural leak could be at the light, the main drain area, or usually where the interior finish meets a fitting and skimmer throat. The skimmer is the most popular area for leaks. Look for any gaps between tiles and the edges of the finish. If your pool leaks until the water levels off at the bottom of the skimmer throat... Bingo! In order to confirm a structural leak, a syringe filled with food coloring can be used. You must hold the tip of the syringe within a 1/2 inch of the suspected hole in order to really see the dye get sucked into it. Also, be sure and add more water to the pool so the wave action on the water surface doesn’t push the dye around erratically. Two part epoxy putty will fix these small structural holes. If you have one of those crappy skim-filters, you probably have a crack developing around a seam or the skim plate threads. Luckily, 9 out of 10 leaks in Florida leaks are structural.

If you have a plumbing leak, it is either on the suction side or the pressure side of the pool pump. The suction side pipes are the ones that run from the pool to the pump, including the main drain, skimmer, and vacuum pipes. The pressure side are the pipes that run from the equipment to the pool. Plumbing leaks can get costly depending on the location of the leak and the crook, I mean leak detection company you hire. You can be charged over $200 just to determine leak location and not the actual fix. These guys have special tools that can hear escaping water and air under the concrete deck. Because structural leaks are more common, these expensive electronic leak detectors are going swimming first. Heck, I can’t remember the last time I made $200 for fifteen minutes of “work”.

You can easily determine whether your leak is structural or plumbing. No, I’m not talking about the bucket test either! First, fill the pool up to the normal operating level. Turn off the pump, wait till the water settles, and mark this level. A pencil mark on tile grout will work. Let the pool sit for 24 hours with the equipment off. You will have to remove the timer on/off settings. After 24 hours, take the pencil and mark the new level of the water. This mark will be below the original mark. Next, fill the pool back up to its original mark. Now, turn on the pump and let it run continuously for 24 hours. Again, mark the level of the water with the pencil. If these two marks are at the same level, it means you are losing the same amount of water whether the water is circulating or not. This is good! It means your structural leak can be easily and inexpensively fixed.If there is a difference between the marks, it means it’s a plumbing leak. If the water loss is greater when the pump is running, the pressure side is leaking. If the water loss is less when the pump is running, it means the suction side is leaking. Shop around for an electronic leak detector when you have a plumbing leak. Prices vary. Also, get one with construction experience so they can expertly repair the leak and the concrete they have to break through.

So, why do I share this information with you? Glad you asked. I share this because I don’t want people paying the big bucks to the franchised electronic leak detectors when it’s unnecessary. If you know you have a structural leak, you can either do it yourself (how long can you hold your breath?), or hire someone like myself for under $100. Don’t spend double when these guys know that it’s probably in the skimmer area or the light niche.

Bond Beam Cracks - Jan 5th, 2002
In a pool, a bond beam crack usually develops from a crack in the concrete decking and spreads into the seam between the inner deck edge that sits on top of the pool shell. This seam is usually behind the waterline tile. This crack has a tendency to crack the tile and/or grout. Because this seam is not watertight, pool water will leak out through this crack and start undermining the deck. In addition to adding excessive amounts of water to the pool, this crack will usually start to grow laterally due to the numerous wet/dry/expansion/contraction cycles which means more grout and tile gets cracked causing more water loss and undermining. There are several approaches to repairing bond beam cracks and none of them can assure it won’t re-crack in the future. Regardless of what some contractors will tell you, once you have a crack in a pool, it’s too late to make it go away permanently. It now becomes all about re-crack control.

In a best case scenario, you can catch this early when the pool is first built. Use plenty of expansion or control joints in the deck, and more importantly make sure the soil is properly tamped before the pour. Let's say you bought your house with the pool already built. Second best scenario is when you start to notice missing tile grout. You have to re-grout immediately and seal this area. Too much water loss compounds the situation in a hurry. Any scenario after this is no longer categorized as best case...it becomes worse case!

O.K., now you have a gaping crack that extends halfway around the pool with tiles missing and swallowing an inch or more of water every day. You’re making appointments with pool contractors and listening to what they’re saying. This guy tells you this and that guy tells you that. Who are you going to believe? Well, let me tell you what has been tried and failed. The most laughable repair involves removing the tile and installing u-bolts to tie-in the deck and the shell. Folks, when you hear this one, kick that joker in the pants and escort him out the door. What happens is this. Any moisture that comes in contact with the u-bolt will cause corrosion which will eventually expand and push out the tile, and expose the crack and...well, you get the picture. Not only will you have to pay for another repair but now you have rust spots running into the interior finish. The most popular repair method that I’m seeing a lot of trouble with lately involves using a fabric-like material (I won’t publish the name here, but if you ask nicely I’ll probably tell you). What some contractors are doing is sandwiching this material over the crack and under the tile with the hopes of keeping the tile from re-cracking. Inevitably, water gets behind the fabric and pushes it away from the crack it was intended to control. This also pushes on the tile. Guess what? Now, instead of little pieces of tiles falling off, long sections of tile are delaminating. What a joy! Folks, I’ve seen way too much of this kind of failure to embrace this solution to bond beam cracks. I’ve tried to contact the manufacturer of this fabric and they have not responded to me. If I was to guess what they would say, it would be that it was installed improperly. On their web site, it never specifically mentions it as a solution to swimming pool cracks.

In the meantime, what you have to do is learn and understand cracks. A crack is a way for the structure to relieve stress, kinda like alcohol is for humans. O.K., no more joking. Once a crack develops, movement of any kind, specifically expansion and contraction, or vibration will be transmitted directly to this crack. The easiest way is to understand is to think of it as a fault line. The areas prone to earthquakes are at fault lines. Methods to control bond beam cracking are numerous and I have my own. (You don’t really expect me to tell all the world my secrets, do you?) Nothing fancy, just common materials...and titanium tiles would do the trick, I think.

Liability Insurance - Nov 24th, 2001
As required by law, licensed contractors have certain minimum amounts of commercial general liability insurance. In order to keep overhead down, many contractors have their premiums based on the minimum amounts and hope nothing bad happens. Some don’t even have insurance at all! Does your pool man have business insurance? You better make sure he does.

Another thing...Remember my pool popping lesson from a couple days ago? Well, insurance companies are taking bigger hits these days and they are not content with losing those profits. They are getting greedier and are now fully aware of pools coming out of the ground. So, they now have exclusions spelling out (in chinese, of course) losses they will not insure. Guess what they won’t cover? Pool popping, of course. So, the insurance companies that will even touch a pool contractor will offer under Broadened Property Damage Coverage a “pop-up” endorsement. What the ....? Let me repeat, a “pop-up” endorsement! If your pool contractor does NOT have a “pop up” endorsement, and he “pops” your pool, EVERYONE including YOU, gets “popped”! Not a pretty picture, trust me.

I won’t begin to get into how your poor pool man is going to make you happy once your pool gets this way. So, I’ll just tell you how to reduce your risk. First, only deal with state licensed pool contractors. Second, make sure he has enough insurance to make you sleep better and it has to have a “pop up” endorsement.

Guess what happens around here? Some pool companies think they have it, and don’t. Some don’t have it, and tell you they do. Some won’t have it, but if they risk not getting a contract with you, they will get a one-pool deal with their insurance company to cover your pool only. Sure, not all pools are in danger of floating and I don’t want to spread unwanted fear into all the unsuspecting pool owners. I’m just making you aware of what goes on and what can happen. As a businessman, I had to decide my own level of risk and comfort. It was worth it for me to just about double my insurance costs to show my past, present, and future customers that I’m serious about the way I conduct myself and the business. In seeking out a professional to work on your investment, you too have to decide your level of risk and comfort. Do your homework and sleep.

Pool popping - Nov 20th, 2001
O.K., it’s time for Pool Popping 101. Today, I will tell you about a nightmare that can happen to your pool, your pool man, and YOU! When a pool is emptied, believe it or not, the force of the ground water, called hydrostatic pressure, can force the pool out of the ground. This is called pool popping. The pool shell can sometimes crack and usually breaks the pipes around the pool. Folks, this is absolutely the worst thing that can happen. At the last insurance seminar I attended, I was told that in Florida an average of one pool every day “floats”.

There are various dynamics involved. Ground water levels vary in Brevard with Satellite and Indian Harbour Beach having two of the highest. If the level of the ground water, or water table, is three feet beneath the ground surface, and your empty pool is six feet deep, that means about half of the pool is underwater. You know what that means? Your pool is now a boat! The weight of the concrete and steel is just about the only thing that will keep the pool from coming out of the ground. When a pool is filled, the weight of the water is so great that a pool won’t float. But, beware when taking that water out! Smaller pools and higher ground water levels involve greater risk, but no empty pools are immune from some kind of risk.

So, what does a contractor do to keep a pool in the ground when resurfacing? Simply, he has to lower the level of the ground water by pumping it out away from the pool area while draining the pool. When a pool is empty, the ground water level should be below the level of the main drain.

I employ various methods of controlling ground water that I won’t get into now, but risk assessment, experience, and a truckload of common sense will keep a pool from popping. Folks, pick your pool man carefully.

Ever wonder how they get the pool back into the ground?

Contractor Licensing - Nov 19th, 2001
I would like to make a few comments about pool contractor licensing. Before you can drain and resurface a pool in Brevard County, a permit is required. The contractor is able to obtain or “pull” this permit because he is a certified or registered state licensed contractor. If your contractor cannot pull a permit or asks the homeowner to get it, chances are they are NOT state licensed.

Now, I’m not talking about an occupational license or a drivers license. Ask the contractor for a copy of his State of Florida Contractors License. I always carry mine. Does he? If he cannot produce this license, this is a red flag! DO NOT IGNORE RED FLAGS PEOPLE! The next thing you’re probably going to hear is, “ My buddy is a gonna get the permit in HIS name....blah, blah.” RED FLAG! He isn’t state licensed, but his friend is. Now, all the liability is on his buddy. This is very popular around here.

Why should I insist my contractor is state licensed? Immediately, this shows he has committed himself to his business and to you. It indicates he took the time, energy, and resources to be a professional in his field. I’m not saying this guarantees his professional ethics and conduct, but at least he took the test. More than I can say about Mr. Unlicensed.

For the homeowners that choose to roll the dice with a non-state licensed pool man, good luck! You’re going need it.

Pro-Cite, Inc.
P.O. Box 372457
Satellite Beach, FL 32937
Phone: 321-777-5599
Email: info@pro-cite.com