steel support

For years, says structural engineer Ron Lacher, pool builders have experienced failures of steps and benches in their concrete watershapes much too frequently. What’s been puzzling is that the majority of these failures have occurred in spa steps and benches – a mystery to which he has responded with a detailed investigation of the problem’s possible causes – and a simple, workmanship-based solution he offers here.

Bad Benchmarks

When you work with any type of concrete, there are right and wrong ways to do things - basic issues of workmanship that really do determine whether a structure will be reliable or not. In the case of swimming pools and spas built using pneumatically applied concrete - either shotcrete or gunite - there's a presumption in structural design that the concrete will cure to the strength specified, which, in the case of pools and spas, is typically 2,000 pounds per square inch. If that's not the case, these structures do not meet their specifications and may be subject to failure as a result. To achieve that desired level of strength, the concrete must be