Continue in this manner around the pool, moving backwards as you squirt the pool caulk into the expansion joint. Pool Caulking is easy, when you know how." Limit the search results with the specified tags. An extruded, flexible vinyl, the same material used in vinyl shutters, doors, windows, and siding. Expansion joints give the concrete somewhere to go as it moves. "keywords": "", Vertical expansion joints in Poured in Place and Precast coping are typically filled with Backer Rod foam rope and then covered with flexible mastic like Deck-O-Seal or Sikaflex-1A. Its recommended to have concrete joints along column lines. Its important that you purchase the recommended caulk and not use generic household caulk as not all caulks are waterproof. "wordCount": "1242", The Backer Rod should be pressed into the joint allowing a sealant depth of between 1/8 inch and 1/2 inch. The expansion joint needs to be the entire thickness of the deck. However, concrete expansion joints are susceptible to failure. Although for residential home use, the type of expansion joint youll most likely be using is in the slab. (Understanding Construction). Concrete expansion joints are essential parts of your concrete driveways, sidewalks, pool decks, and so forth. To get started or to learn more, get in touch with us today. Are you saying I should have a expansion material down below the bluestone under the BACKER and Caulk between the pool beam and down the pool wall? So if your driveway is 4 inches thick, it can be 8 to 12 feet long or wide without requiring an expansion joint. Fax: 1.248.848.3701, ACI Middle East Regional Office To prevent cracks, concrete expansion joints should be used to allow for movement. As I do not have an expansion joint now, how wide is best, Keeping the cracks and joints filled with flexible weather proof caulk will help prevent future cracks and existing ones from getting worse. The cut has to be perfect because its always visible. Any larger than that and you risk a crack due to expansion and contraction stress. Although I dont recommend using the maximum spacing unless your a Pro. Belzona application in progress. We all know what happens when water freezes, it expands nearly 10% in size. This will give the caulk support as well and you wont be using lots and lots of caulk to fill the area. I like to use a high quality urethane caulk. NJ Businesses. To ensure the expansion joint is clean, wipe away the water with several cloth towels, working your way around the perimeter of the swimming pool. Some of them are rated up to 50 years while an average priced filler only last 7-10. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://blog.intheswim.com/how-to-caulk-your-pools-expansion-joint/", 3. what do I do on the other 2 sides that have grass and flower bed (soil) up to the coping stones? Second Floor, Office #207 If you install your joints while the concrete is being poured, theres not much to do after the concrete hardens. Vulkem caulk requires minimal troweling or taping and is not as runny as regular self-leveling pool caulking. Rhino Carbon Fiber Concrete Crack Lock stitches are an economical yet highly effective solution suited to strengthen poured foundation walls, pool decks and pool shells. Properly sized and installed, Submerseal makes a lasting swimming pool joint seal. An expansion joint is designed to absorb the expansion and contraction force that naturally occurs in concrete due to change in temperatures. Everyday Weather versus Freezing Ice Storms. Copyright 2023 Gambrick Construction website by On Your Mark Design and Graphics. The three most common types of coping are poured in place, precast and cantilevered decking. Southern California EMSEALs project reference list is HUGE. For grass/flower bed, no joint/no caulk needed. If you want a driveway free of expansion joints, you can strengthen the concrete with reinforcement or by making it thicker. The expansion joint can be created in a variety of ways as long as it's a gap that goes all the way thru the concrete. Joints should be spaced about 8 feet and a maximum of 12 feet apart on a 4 thick slab with 3500 4000 psi concrete. "url": "https://x1.adis.ws/v1/media/graphics/i/lesl/its-logo-wide", . Without an expansion joint, the coping and deck can crack when they come into contact with each other. That gives you a joint every 8 to 12 feet. swimming pool ow n e r s , and it is particularly important to p r ovide joints that will retain water under a head. DECK-O-FOAM expansion joint filler is a flexible, lightweight, non-staining, polyethylene, closed-cell expansion joint filler. Join your peers on the Internet's largest technical engineering professional community.It's easy to join and it's free. You can use sand to fill up the spaces in the joints before sealing it up with an epoxy sealant. Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Often it is necessary to transfer load across the joint. Heres what you need to know about maintaining the expansion joint around the perimeter of your swimming pool. Limit the search results from the specified source. Cut them to be the same height as the thickness of your concrete. Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action. Once the joint is cut, flexible material can be inserted into the groove. Saw-cut joints should be done within 4 to 12 hours after the concrete has been finished. If the swimming pool has nowhere to move as the earth shifts, it will crack. These factory-fabricated single-piece 90-degree units have a 12-inch long leg and a 6-inch vertical piece on each side of the elbow. This is a more in-depth job, as the design and structure of the swimming pool has to be changed, and a portion of the decking around the pool has to be demolished. ACI World Headquarters After concrete is poured and moulded into shape it will harden and set which naturally causes a reduction in volume. Concrete expansion joints are very important when youre doing consecutive concrete pours. The system is locked to the joint faces by means of the 1) backpressure of the foam; 2) the epoxy adhesive, and 3) the field-injected silicone sealant band and corner bead at the joint face to foam-and-silicone bellows interface. This ebook covers tips for creating and managing workflows, security best practices and protection of intellectual property, Cloud vs. on-premise software solutions, CAD file management, compliance, and more. Lucas 6600 Universal is great for smaller joints, up to 3/8 inch wide. For example, if the slab is 4 inches thick, the joints should be 1 to 2 inches deep. Expansion joints are filled with a flexible material that runs along and inside the gap between slabs and other concrete structures. Plan the exact location of all your joints before doing any work. It is being practiced by thousands of pool owners just like you. Joints prevent damage to the slab which makes them last longer and look better. A swimming pool in the backyard provides hours and hours of fun for the family. The steel crossing stress relief joints allows less movement in them. Belgard pavers come with a lifetime structural warranty. "@type": "ImageObject", Dubai World Trade Center Complex All Rights Reserved. Really? Application of supplied joining silicone to precured silicone facing of Submerseal. Without it, stress and pressure will built up which results in cracks or buckling. Date:9/1/2011, Publication:Special Publication "name": "Rob Cox", Date:11/1/2010, Publication:Special Publication JAE, I'm with you in thinking that crack control joints would be required. As joint movement occurs the bellows simply folds and unfolds virtually free of tensile stress in the silicone material. Using pavers, Swimming pool decks have come a long way from plain ol' concrete. After old caulk is cut out, attach a wire or plastic bristle cleaning wheel to a drill and slowly (and carefully!) Should Slabs Rest On or Be Attached To Foundations? Prior to pouring the deck, the level of the grade should be brought up to become level with the top of the bond beam and be very well compacted. Where Is Area Code 855 And How Can I Tell Whos Calling? A pressure washer can also be used, and is recommended for older joints that have filled with grit, grime and gunk over the years. You can recaulk the expansion joint yourself or hire a company providing pool services in Alpharetta. Date:5/1/2018, Publication:Materials Journal The next thing you need to know about tiles in a swimming pool relates, again, to expansion joints. The white strip on the edge is what holds the liner in a cantilever coping setup. This is another way concrete can crack. This process removes any loose particles or residue ensuring a clean and sound surface perfect for the adhesion of the waterproofing membrane. Swimming pool expansion joints as well as perimter and pool deck joints can benefit from Submerseal as a lasting alternative to liquid sealants. Powerbase - Sider-Proof FF-PR - A cement-based, polymer modified, waterproofing cement plaster system for swimming pools comprised of a flexible base-coat and a Roll-On Cement Pool Plaster, for application over concrete surfaces. The foam provides a resilient backing to the silicone coating, making the system capable of resisting head pressure. Date:9/1/2015, Publication:Structural Journal Here's a BIG TIP: the diameter of the backer rod should be 1/8 inch larger than the width of your concrete expansion joint. Watertight, tensionless, arched silicone bellows, Resistant to chlorinated water (up to 5 ppm), Resistant to certain effluent concentrations (contact EMSEAL), Bellows never under tension during joint movement. For pools that have been previously caulked, remove the old caulking with a long blade razor knife, moving around the pool slowly (and carefully!). Ron, no joints? Date:7/1/1999, Publication:Materials Journal Call Texas Stone Sealers in Houston today for concrete driveway repairs, pool coping and sealing, and other mastic joint issues at 888-275-5354 for a consultation with no obligation. +25% and -25% (Total 50%) of nominal material size. Already a Member? Expansion joints are more common on big commercial projects and often aren't required when pouring residential slabs. In slabs, there are three types of joints: Isolation joints (also sometimes functioning as expansion joints) Construction joints (which can also function as contraction joints) A solvent-free material, this allows for no shrinkage, irrespective of the thickness applied. By including expansion joints, theres a place for the concrete to move without cracking. Understanding the need for expansion joints is necessary in order to install them correctly. This includes embedded pins, anchors, screws, bolts or tracks, trays or rails. After the joint is dry, a round foam rod known as backer rod is pushed into the expansion joint as the preferred method to provide a support base for the caulk, so it doesnt run down, and to create a consistent depth of caulking. Date:3/1/1994, Publication:Structural Journal If you did everything right, your caulking job should last approximately five years. Expansion joints should be installed 2 to 3 times in feet the thickness of the concrete in inches. Any larger than that and you risk a crack due to expansion and contraction stress. Dirt will always settle and you can not compact dirt well against the walls without damaging the walls. Swimming Pool Control Joints JAE (Structural) (OP) 13 May 03 12:59 We've got a pool project where we are detailing the pool floor and walls (each as reinforced cast-in-place concrete). Or water will seep into areas underthe coping, or behind the tile, freeze and expand, loosening mortar, tile and stone. Fourth, consider the location of each joint. If you cut your expansion joints after the pour, make sure the concrete has hardened for around 4-12 hours. Third, think about not only the function of the joint material but also how it looks. Farmington Hills, MI Up to 3/8 inch wide know what happens when water freezes, it can 8... Also how it looks often it is being practiced by thousands of pool owners just like you concrete! Them last longer and look better, freeze and expand, loosening mortar, and... 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To learn more, get in touch with us today easy to join and 's! Hardened for around 4-12 hours doing consecutive concrete pours nearly 10 % in size, think about not the... Up the spaces in the joints before sealing it up with an epoxy sealant let! Swimming pool decks, and siding contraction stress freezes, it expands nearly 10 % in size virtually of! Filler only last 7-10 are susceptible to failure vinyl shutters, doors, windows, and siding concrete! Long leg and a maximum of 12 feet long or wide without requiring an expansion joint around the of!