Browse Forums Pools & Spas 1 Feb 16, 2015 9:00 am I'm new to owning a pool so hoping someone on here can help. I had our pool put in over a year ago while our house was built. We've only been swimming in it for the last month or so and I've noticed the bottom is bulging upwards. It's in the middle towards the shallower end of the pool. There is a hydrostatic valve at the deep end of the pool but the floor seems fine down that end. What can I do? Thanks Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 2Feb 16, 2015 6:31 pm If the floor is bulging it is more likely from the sides being compressed in . Knowing the following I could better advise cause & remedies Was the pool filled with water to the top during construction ? Was the bond beam done before house construction? How close to the house is the pool? Is it in clay where expansion could compress in sides? Does the pool have a stand pipe at the deep end? Cheers Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 3Feb 16, 2015 9:00 pm wheeliworks If the floor is bulging it is more likely from the sides being compressed in . Knowing the following I could better advise cause & remedies Was the pool filled with water to the top during construction ? Was the bond beam done before house construction? How close to the house is the pool? Is it in clay where expansion could compress in sides? Does the pool have a stand pipe at the deep end? Cheers Thanks for the reply. Yes the pool was filled to top in late 2013 before house construction and covered with timber. By "bond beam" do you mean the concrete edge around the shell? If so, yes this was done at initial pool install The edge of pool is approx 5-6m from back of house.... But only 2-3m off gutter (cos of alfresco) The soil is very clay here but it was backfilled with their sand mix Yes their is a standpipe which our tiler unfortunately tiled over. So I'm in the process of getting a lid cut out where the pipe exists as the pool builder suggested today I need to drain out groundwater with slurrpy hose Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 4Feb 18, 2015 6:46 pm You defiantly need to access stand pipe . Put a broom handle down there & see what depth the water is . The stand pipe Being full is not uncommon & on it own will not cause any problems unless you drain water from the pool. Have you ever drained the water out or down? If so this could cause this . The problem is very serious & without seeing it it is hard to know if it is from hydrostatic pressure or sides compressing . Either way it isn't good for you. . If it is water pressure when it is released the floor will generally crack . If it is from sides compressing as long as it doesn't compress any more it could be structurally sound indefinitely. You should consult your pool builder first . If you don't get the answers you are looking for you get a professional to look at it & assess . You will be hoping to find the cause & remedy, & lay blame if possible . It is often very difficult to work out exact cause & sometimes it is a act of nature . Obviously nobody will be putting up their hand to except responsibility. Some insurance policies will cover damage . Read your policy carefully to see if you can claim . Cheers Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 5Feb 18, 2015 9:34 pm We had a issue where the main drain valve stopped working and we started to get bulging in the floor of a concrete pool and eventually the pebble mix de laminated from the concerte pool floor so as wheelieworks said I would get onto it quickly. Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 6Feb 18, 2015 9:39 pm wheeliworks You defiantly need to access stand pipe . Put a broom handle down there & see what depth the water is . The stand pipe Being full is not uncommon & on it own will not cause any problems unless you drain water from the pool. Have you ever drained the water out or down? If so this could cause this . The problem is very serious & without seeing it it is hard to know if it is from hydrostatic pressure or sides compressing . Either way it isn't good for you. . If it is water pressure when it is released the floor will generally crack . If it is from sides compressing as long as it doesn't compress any more it could be structurally sound indefinitely. You should consult your pool builder first . If you don't get the answers you are looking for you get a professional to look at it & assess . You will be hoping to find the cause & remedy, & lay blame if possible . It is often very difficult to work out exact cause & sometimes it is a act of nature . Obviously nobody will be putting up their hand to except responsibility. Some insurance policies will cover damage . Read your policy carefully to see if you can claim . Cheers Ok. Good to know thanks. I have landscaper coming this weekend to help pull up paver and access standpipe. Just to make it perfectly clear, are you suggesting that even if I was to drain groundwater (if that is the issue), then there's still a strong chance the shell will crack? You're right about no one putting up their hand. I had that all the way through the pool build as well as our house build. Plenty of mistakes but mysteriously not one trade admitted to making said mistakes. Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 7Feb 19, 2015 6:47 pm If the bulge in the floor is more than 25 mm & resulting from hydrostatic pressure what will happen is when drained the floor will usually crack longways down the pool . Defiantly check the standpipe for water ASAP but I would not pump it out until inspected . It would be even harder to determine fault I at this stage & you will have a dead pool sitting there indefinitely . Has the pool company who installed it looked at it yet ? What was the response ? Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 8Feb 19, 2015 8:49 pm wheeliworks If the bulge in the floor is more than 25 mm & resulting from hydrostatic pressure what will happen is when drained the floor will usually crack longways down the pool . Defiantly check the standpipe for water ASAP but I would not pump it out until inspected . It would be even harder to determine fault I at this stage & you will have a dead pool sitting there indefinitely . Has the pool company who installed it looked at it yet ? What was the response ? I did have the pool co out the other day but they couldn't do anything cos the standpipe was covered by paver (someone from the co once told us that the ag pipe was only needed during construction), and subsequently invoiced us for a callout fee. The guy did have a slurrpy pump ready to go though.... Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 9Feb 23, 2015 6:17 pm Eastern_Rosella wheeliworks If the bulge in the floor is more than 25 mm & resulting from hydrostatic pressure what will happen is when drained the floor will usually crack longways down the pool . Defiantly check the standpipe for water ASAP but I would not pump it out until inspected . It would be even harder to determine fault I at this stage & you will have a dead pool sitting there indefinitely . Has the pool company who installed it looked at it yet ? What was the response ? I did have the pool co out the other day but they couldn't do anything cos the standpipe was covered by paver (someone from the co once told us that the ag pipe was only needed during construction), and subsequently invoiced us for a callout fee. The guy did have a slurrpy pump ready to go though.... Had the pool co come out today to drain the standpipe. Very worried about the pool shell now cos the pool co has tried in a very longwinded email, full of ****** and untruths, that absolutley none of this is their problem anymore and that we are liable for everything, which makes me wonder how bad it is Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 10Feb 23, 2015 8:07 pm Eastern_Rosella Had the pool co come out today to drain the standpipe. Very worried about the pool shell now cos the pool co has tried in a very longwinded email, full of ****** and untruths, that absolutley none of this is their problem anymore and that we are liable for everything, which makes me wonder how bad it is My sister in NSW had a similar thing happen some years ago after a heavy rain. The initial response from the pool builder was the same as the one you received. I would have to contact her to find out the road they took but from memory spasa was a waste of time. The end result was the pool builder was forced to pull out the pool and provide adequate drainage. I'll try to get more info and get back to you. edit, They made a claim through there home insurance that was initially denied. They then went back and demanded a reason why it was denied,(something the insurance company is obliged to provide) With this the insurance company engaged someone from the pool industry who it turned out wrote the standards for fiberglass pool installation. The end result was the pool builder was forced to repair it. Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 11Feb 23, 2015 8:58 pm I have seen this many times before and given expert evidence at VCAT. If your pool has bulged it already is too late and the cause will be external hydrostatic pressure compressing the pool. You might think water in the pool =water on outside shell what's the diff? Soil liquefaction is the answer where soil looses its structure and becomes a liquid with almost density of concrete= external pressure =2.5 times internal. That is why it bulges Something has happened to cause external flooding of your pool shell, if you have done any work around the pool, builder will blame you This is likely to get tricky. PM if you need help Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 12Feb 23, 2015 9:41 pm building-expert I have seen this many times before and given expert evidence at VCAT. If your pool has bulged it already is too late and the cause will be external hydrostatic pressure compressing the pool. You might think water in the pool =water on outside shell what's the diff? Soil liquefaction is the answer where soil looses its structure and becomes a liquid with almost density of concrete= external pressure =2.5 times internal. That is why it bulges Something has happened to cause external flooding of your pool shell, if you have done any work around the pool, builder will blame you This is likely to get tricky. PM if you need help Sorry I'm a newbie. How do I PM you?? Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 13Feb 23, 2015 10:34 pm Eastern_Rosella building-expert I have seen this many times before and given expert evidence at VCAT. If your pool has bulged it already is too late and the cause will be external hydrostatic pressure compressing the pool. You might think water in the pool =water on outside shell what's the diff? Soil liquefaction is the answer where soil looses its structure and becomes a liquid with almost density of concrete= external pressure =2.5 times internal. That is why it bulges Something has happened to cause external flooding of your pool shell, if you have done any work around the pool, builder will blame you This is likely to get tricky. PM if you need help Sorry I'm a newbie. How do I PM you?? At bottom of my post there is PM button Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Inground Fibreglass pool bulging 14May 02, 2022 6:50 pm Hi, This is happening to me ( after years of stress getting the house and pool build and then hundreds of 1000s on landscaping and stress getting the pool certified etc etc, now I'm rewarded with this problem.. You probably want to forget , but can I ask where this ended up ? If you are still around ?? BEn I assume yo have unground pool If you have a bulge in the pool sides or floor it is because the hydrostatic pressure on the outside of your pool is higher than inside the… 2 32889 Hi everyone, Looking for some advise. We are about to build an above ground pool in our backyard. 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