How to repair a PebbleCrete pool?

[JCav]

Hi, I have a repair job for my Pebble Crete in ground concrete pool. Does Bunnings sell any Pebble Crete product for this type of job. I'm planning to cut out the Pebble Crete and concrete substrate in an area of 15cm by 9cm then reinstate the concrete to below the current surface and finish the cut out with a Pebble Crete topping. I've done this before many years ago very successfully but I cant for the life of me remember where I got the Pebble Crete finish.

It will need to be somewhat waterproof ( although I can waterproof the Pebble Crete with glue/sealer additive if needed) and it needs to fill to depth of about 2 or 3cms.

Any ideas or advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers John

[EricL]

Hi @JCav 

Have you thought about adding a feature tile to cover the area you'll be cutting? For example, instead of just digging away at the damage, I propose cutting the repair site to the same size as a 200x200 tile. Once the repair has been accomplished, I suggest putting in a Decor8 200 x 200mm Barcelona Sorrento Ocean Matt Floor Tile as a kind of enhancement to the pebblecrete surround. 

If you find the right tile to compliment your pebblecrete, it should look like that it belongs there and not feel out of place. It should also make a good conversation starter.

Eric

[JCav]

Thanks for the reply Eric.

I think a tile (no matter how well it matched) would look terribly out of place in the middle of a pool wall, But thanks anyway for the suggestion.

John

[ellhawthorn]

Hey there!

I just came across your post and it really resonated with me—it sounds very similar to the issue we’ve had with our pebblecrete pool. Ours is over 30 years old and kidney-shaped, with a wading pool at one end. The area between the main pool and the wading pool, specifically the wall of the wading pool, was where we first noticed rust.

At first, we didn’t think much of it, but eventually realized what it actually was. My mum did a lot of research to find someone who specializes in repairing pebblecrete pools. Most of them said she’d need to redo the entire pool. Thankfully, we found someone willing to come out and repair just the rusted spot.

Unfortunately, not long after the repair, the rust reappeared.

 

[EricL]

Hello @ellhawthorn 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

I suspect that the steel reo reinforcing bar inside the concrete wall is leaching rust out to the surface of your pebblecrete. I'm surprised that the repair person did not pick up on this and treated and sealed the section first before covering it back with pebblecrete. If the repair came with a warranty, I suggest speaking to the installer and asking them about the rust reappearing on the surface. 

Unless the source of the leaking rust is treated, cleaning or patching will only be a temporary fix.  

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @AlanM52 for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with. please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @ellhawthorn 

Do you have any photos of the repairs in progress of the wall? Its an interesting mark and I have been trying to figur out why it only appears in that one spot? Do you know what product they used?

Another question that comes to mind, did the repeairer remove any of the old pebblecrete?

Dave

[ellhawthorn]

Thank you for your reply guys!!

They drained the wading pool, jackhammered the concrete, and cut out the rusted reo. I thought/hoped the remaining reo edges were treated, but it's unclear if that happened. The hole was filled with a plastic emulsion mixed with a pebble blend-it looked great initially, but unfortunately, it's starting to rust again.

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @ellhawthorn 

Well that does sound like the way to do the job properly, Is it rusting in the same spot? I think if they had gone to the hassel of jack hammering the concrete out, surely they would have waterproofed anything that needed doing. If its rusting in the same spot is there anything above that area?

My first step would be to contact the company that did the repair, having the issue show up after they did the repair within a few years is dissapointing at the very least.  You could also ask them what the process was with the repair?

Dave