Iain Middleton says: Waterproofing and other significant surface preparation is hot on the lips of tile and adhesive manufacturers globally, and the magnitude of the litigation of failures is overwhelming, none more poignant in Australia than the Swimming pool. In a country so well versed in water conservation and salination of the available soil, I find it incredulous that not only is it not recognized by pool builders as important but not even questioned by the end user or client. Not using garden watering systems, bans and restrictions on such and just the natural ‘lack’ of water generally, while the ‘Auto- leveler’ on the pool pumps fresh water in to compensate for the fact it leaks! At this point you might wonder if this is just scare mongering ? Concrete after all IS waterproof, isn’t it ? I will come back to this later. Pools in Australia, and by this I restrict my meaning to ‘concrete’ pools, are more often than not sprayed into a steel reinforced lined ‘shell’. This is either cut out of compacted soil or framed up with any number of materials but wood and corrugated iron are common. It is important for the ‘gunnite’ or ‘shotcrete’ to hit a solid surface as it is sprayed and pumped into position. This a common practice in the USA also. Not surprisingly, Europe prefers ‘poured’ methods. This is by framing precise areas, walls and floor etc, and pumping concrete whilst vibrating it in a number of techniques. This is claimed to make the concrete both denser and therefore better, and leaves a smoother surface. See full article @ http://lev-tec.com.au/june-edition-pool-installations-tiler-month-chris-stenhouse/ FOLLOW ASK THE MASTERS ON FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3ctD4Tl JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://bit.ly/2Vigk2Y

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