Most of Dallas–Fort Worth sits on expansive clay. It swells when it is wet and shrinks and cracks when it is dry, and it does this every year. A pool is a rigid structure sitting in ground that moves. Much of what goes wrong with pools here traces back to that.
What the Soil Does to a Pool
- Plumbing: pipes and fittings underground are pulled and pushed until a joint lets go. This is the most common cause of leaks.
- The shell: uneven pressure on the walls and floor leads to cracks.
- The deck: slabs lift, sink and tilt, and can press against the pool.
- Coping and tile: movement at the top of the pool breaks them loose.
- Mastic: the joint between deck and pool opens and closes with the seasons until the sealant tears.
Why Leaks Make It Worse
A leak soaks the soil on one side of the pool while the other side stays dry. Uneven moisture means uneven movement, which is exactly what cracks a shell. Finding and fixing a leak early protects much more than your water bill.
What Protects Your Pool
- A pool designed and built for local soil in the first place.
- Keeping the mastic joint sealed so water can't get behind the pool.
- Yard drainage that carries water away from the pool and deck.
- Fixing leaks as soon as they are suspected.
- Never draining the pool yourself. An empty pool in wet clay can be pushed out of the ground.
Worth a Look Each Year
After a long dry summer or a wet spring, walk around the pool. New cracks, a deck edge that has moved, loose coping or open mastic are all easier and cheaper to deal with when they first appear.
Noticed something shifting?
We know this soil, and we bring 30+ years of pool experience to it. Call and we'll check it.