Pool Deck Repair

When a pool is constructed, the backfill material placed around is typically not compacted properly to minimize any damage to the newly installed pool. As a result, the backfill soil settles on its own over a period of up to around 10 years. As the backfill material settles, it stops supporting the pool deck, and voids (pockets of air) form under the pool deck. Sometimes there is enough solid soil to keep the pool deck from dropping, or with vinyl pools there are sometimes brackets designed to hold up the concrete despite a lack of soil support.

What Causes Pool Deck Settlement?

After the soil has settled under your pool deck, the deck starts to settle, because it’s not adequately supported. Sometimes the settlement is slow and steady, other times the concrete can crack and drop significantly at once.

Cracks

Sometimes cracks indicate settlement, but cracks are a guarantee in almost all concrete, so just because concrete has cracked doesn’t mean that it has settled. Cracks usually form before settlement, so they can be a good leading indicator of problems below your concrete.

Excessive Slope

Pool decks are typically installed with a small amount of slope. If it feels like you’re walking downhill when you step out of your pool, the pool deck is probably starting to settle.

Trip Hazards

When different slabs next to each other settle different amounts, trip hazards can develop at the joints between the slabs. Concrete pools typically develop trip hazards between the individual pieces of concrete, and also at the coping, where the deck concrete is lower than the top of the coping stones or bricks.