The owner’s personal assistant called to initiate the process. The owners had problems with the spa and pool’s movable floors. They asked me if I would fly to Whitefish, MT and take a look at their problems.
A Failing Movable Pool Floor System
I was greeted with a strange home-brewed moving floor system upon my arrival. The pool builder tried to invent his own moving floors systems, hoping to make it more efficient. Ballast tanks were to be filled with water to lower and air to lift the floor.
Although it might have worked in theory, there are always kinks. It is not the right place to test theories with a wealthy client or work out the kinks in a multi-million-dollar pool project.
A poor choice of materials
The aluminum used in the construction was first used. Anybody who has spent any time in chlorinated swimming pools will know that aluminum quickly decays in salty or chlorinated waters. Because the ballast tanks didn’t have bulkheads, the water flowed from one end to another. This caused the pool wall to become a sandbox, causing the floor to tip over. Imagine a structure of multiple tons tucked within the pool walls. The floors were covered in Ipe which is a hard exotic hardwood. Submersion in water makes the wood gray and slimy.
The builder also failed to recess incandescent lamps and wall fittings. The shifting floor structure would shatter the fittings and glass lenses. The builder installed roller wheels and cut guide tracks into walls to try to align the multi-ton structure. The forces involved here far exceeded the capabilities of the bolt-on wheels.
The Laundry List of Problems
Another disaster was the spa’s moving floor. The hydraulic ram drove the mechanism, which was a scissors lift. His hydraulic ram was purchased from a local tractor supply shop. The ram leaking caused an oil slick to form on top of the spa over a short period. The chlorinated water caused the cast iron ram to corrode.
After evaluating the electrical and hydraulic systems and the moving floors, I realized that the entire project needed substantial renovations to ensure safety, functionality, and compliance with code.
Out with the Old Pool Floor and In with The New
Shawn Hossack, a local contractor from Panorama Builders was my partner. We came up together with a plan to eliminate the hazardous floor system and install a fully engineered and proven system. Although we received bids from many manufacturers, we chose systems from Twinscape Group and Hydrofloors . The client was able to choose the right manufacturer because of their technical support and track record.
The Scope of Work
The spa’s interior was not perfectly level and true. These deviations could be corrected by tiling them and mortar. The Ecofinish must be removed from walls and the walls should be roughened before waterproofing can take place.
The decision was made to shelter the project in a 100-foot x 50-foot tent, and to pump in 2,000,000 BTU of heated water 24 hours a day. The wind chill and exterior temperatures dropped below -18oF over the winter months. The interior temperature was still a comfortable 60 degrees. Average monthly cost of operating the blowers and diesel heat exchanger was $10,000
Panorama tiled the top three feet of the pool to get exact dimensions from which Twinscape could be constructed.
These 3 feet represent the pool’s entire depth since the walls are meant to be vertical. Twinscape was able use this model to start fabrication while work was underway on the pool’s tiling.
The spa was not deep enough for a properly designed scissors-lift. This was corrected by raising the spa walls 18 inches, and re-plugging the jets. After the concrete had dried, we began tiling the spa in parallel to the pool.
Additional observations
The client chose a stunning blue tile from Interstyle. The mechanical and hydraulic systems were adjusted to achieve the best conditions, without having to remove the decking or re-pipe the pool and spa. To reduce the pump line speeds, some pumps were removed and their pipes were reused. Some drains were made to return and unblockable drains and sump installed. The catch basin’s inefficient skimmers were removed, and the suction pipes connected to the floor drains were installed. To prevent corrosion, water chemistry management systems were used to protect the floor.
We discovered numerous electrical and bonding problems during demolition. We converted the incandescent lighting to strip lights made from Hydrolume, and then proper j-boxes were built and conduits installed.
Reynolds Polymers partnered with us to create and install an acrylic railing system. This eliminates the risk of falling from the edge. The panels were installed in a channel on the floor. The pool floor height will not affect the railing height.
In conclusion
The repairs took nearly 20 months. The lawsuit that followed resulted in a jury trial, and a verdict of $4,750,000. This is the largest judgment ever in a case involving a residential pool construction defect.
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