Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Tile, mosaic, marbelite, Marcite, Marblesheen,
fiberglass, plaster, shotcrete, paint, epoxy coatings.
Use, care and repair of the various surfaces.
Stephens

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby Stephens » Mon 12 Oct, 2009 16:52

I've had my Pebble Tec Pool for 5 years and it's begining to crack above the water line, around the perimeter. I contacted Pebble Tec and they came out to look at it and take pictures. I was told by the company that installed my pool that the gunite did not stick, so it was an application problem and Peeble Tec shoul repair it. Peeble Tec is saying that my deck moved causing the Pebble Tec to buckle or crack. My deck is on three sides of my pool and only one place is cracking so I don't believe that is the cause. My plans are to take Pebble Tec to court. I'm looking for anyone else that has cracking and whether Pebble Tec is doing anything about it? I have a liketime warranty for Peeble Tec finish.


czechmate
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My Pool: 16 x 32 gunite21000 gal., Diamond Brite Blue, Swimquip XL pump, DE36
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Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby czechmate » Tue 13 Oct, 2009 20:49

Waterline should be in the middle of a tile.
Are you saying here that you do not have a waterline tile installed in your pool?
Cliffster

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby Cliffster » Fri 23 Oct, 2009 07:43

Your an idiot! HAHA! Your going to loose that court case. A crack above the waterline going along the perimeter of the pool means the coping is loose. That crack represents the transition between the gunite pool shell and whatever you have for coping or decking. That transition is cracking and cracking the pebble tec along with it. I'm a pool builder and this stuff is pretty basic. Your reasoning would be like taking the stucco manufacturer to court cuz your house structure is cracking! FYI... this happens, ground expands and contracts which exerts pressure on the coping until it pops loose. It's definately repairable except for the fact that who would perform the work under threat of lawsuit! I dunno, but good luck!
cathyb1955

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby cathyb1955 » Fri 23 Oct, 2009 13:05

hey cliffster I hope you are still online I have a pool that has pebbletec and I am having it repaired right now. Not because of the pebbletec but because there are some leaks in the steps. The steps are flagstone and probably not installed correctly in the first place. Anyway the guy who is repairing the steps drained the pool and showed me several nickel to quarter sized spots in the pebble tec that are missing. Like divots. He said he could repair them but it would be better to resurface the whole pool since he thought it was done badly to begin with and we will probably just keep having these spots show up again and again. He said we could lose a lot of water through the bare spots in the surface. Is that correct? I can't see how we could lose that much water through these little spots but then again I don't know anything about pool surfaces. Help me!!!
Cathy
czechmate
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My Pool: 16 x 32 gunite21000 gal., Diamond Brite Blue, Swimquip XL pump, DE36
Location: Texas

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby czechmate » Fri 23 Oct, 2009 19:56

cathyb1955 wrote:hey cliffster I hope you are still online I have a pool that has pebbletec and I am having it repaired right now. Not because of the pebbletec but because there are some leaks in the steps. The steps are flagstone and probably not installed correctly in the first place. Anyway the guy who is repairing the steps drained the pool and showed me several nickel to quarter sized spots in the pebble tec that are missing. Like divots. He said he could repair them but it would be better to resurface the whole pool since he thought it was done badly to begin with and we will probably just keep having these spots show up again and again. He said we could lose a lot of water through the bare spots in the surface. Is that correct? I can't see how we could lose that much water through these little spots but then again I don't know anything about pool surfaces. Help me!!!
Cathy

Pebble tech is only a veneer layer on the gunite shell. Properly shot gunite should not loose water without any further plaster finish anyway. 6"walls, 12" bottom. Your beef may be with the people who shot the gunite.

BTW, to suggest that in a fact, steps where additional 12' of gunite is usually packed on the already done shell would be in my view a little insane idea...........
On the other hand, after 40 years in commercial construction I have learned, not to underestimate who some contractors are willing to hire to make the extra buck.
Rio Rich

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby Rio Rich » Sun 14 Mar, 2010 13:38

I have had a Pebble sheen pool for 5 years now... today I'm draining it do to nothing more than changing the water after 5 years. It was put in May 2005, so i'm going on 5 years. Like the expert said already, its about caring for your pool. I clean my filters once every 60 days during April,June, Aug and once in Jan, whether they need it or not. At that time I clean my salt generator 10;1 with Muratic acid. The key to pebble tec/sheen pools is to brush them every day for two weeks after initial install. Keeping your Ph level up first than chlorine. Stabilizer is key to keeping the chlorine in the water...don't skimp on that and run the filter for 1 hr longer than recommended for your size pool. My pool is 22x48 and 9.5 ft deep in deep end and I run nit 10 hrs a day from April thru September and 5 hrs a day from October thru March. My biggest problem is keeping PH up. Looking into an Goldline Co2 system for that. My friend has it and he says its perfect.

I would say the biggest thing i can see from all these questions is from LACK OF MAINTENANCE from the homeowner. I love my pebble Sheen pool and I would not trade it for any traditional plaster pool... I owned plaster pool from 1970 to 1998...they BLOW... You that are complaining are either pebble Tec owners or pebble Sheen owners who don't do preventative Maintenance correct on your pool..

By the way, in case u think i have perfect conditions... I have over 50 trees in my backyard constantly fighting leave battle...dirt blows from every direction in this dessert...

Reccomendations:

use pebble Sheen not Pebble Tec...I know it cost more, there is a reason for it
Use Pop up in ground floor cleaners....Make sure after the guy draws up the plan for your pop ups you 'ADD" 5 more to areas he suggest..(This was my mistake, i went with the plan) and now i have areas that don't get cleaned as good.
Get the multi colored lights, this was one of my good decisions as it does wonders with the Pebble Sheen look at night. Get the biggest filter possible for your pool. I would reccommend going up 1 size from what is spec...I did this and I think thats one reason why I don't have the problems you all have, as I have great circulation.

From your Happy Pebble Sheen owner in las Vegas Nevada
Don't Use Pebble

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby Don't Use Pebble » Sun 24 Oct, 2010 23:59

I had my pool completely redone and my only regret is the pebble sheen finish. I had a plaster finish for 15 years prior to this and never had an issue with brown staining. The bottom of the pool looks like crap. I have had the contractor out and his solution was a 3 inch wire brush for a 25000 gallon pool (my chemicals are perfect). Unfortunately it doesn't get rid of the stains.

Stick with plaster.
Unhappy Pebble Tec Customer

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby Unhappy Pebble Tec Customer » Sun 28 Nov, 2010 13:47

Aqua Pools & Spa (an authorized Pebble Tec installer) installed a brand new black Pebble Fina surface in my pool this summer and within days the entire pool surface was scratched. Pebble Tec initially told me they would take care of this issue. Another pool company assessed the scratches on behalf of Pebble Tec and determined that a no drain acid wash would correct the problem for $600 dollars.
Pebble Tec is now refusing to pay for the fix. I expected Pebble Tec to conduct the proper due diligence when contracting with their licensed installers and certified pool builders. I also expected that if one of these contractors was negligent or incompetent, that Pebble Tec would take responsibility, stand behind their product and correct the problem without an additional fee to the client. They are not doing so. In addition, their 5 year warranty is meaningless since it will not cover the issue.
I wanted to let other customers know of Pebble’s Tec lack of accountability and to think twice before purchasing their product. I wish I had known prior to my purchase. I never would have gone with them.
rwalton

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby rwalton » Sun 28 Nov, 2010 14:45

I have had PebbleTed for 4 years now. Love it. Never shows acorn stains. A little rough on the toes sometimes.
jeredh
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Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby jeredh » Wed 20 Jul, 2011 22:53

I'm about to upgrade my pool to a PebbleTec finish. My gunite pool was built in 1986 and was refinished in 2000. The pool hasn't been kept as well as it should, so it's time to update it :thumbup:
I asked my pool builder to explain the process, and here's what he said is done to install PebbleTec:

1. Drain pool
2. Drill weep holes in pool floors in order to minimize possible hydraulic conditions
3. Acid wash existing surface
4. Scarify existing surface utilizing hatchets in order to enhance bonding of the new finish material
5. Remove existing return directional eyeballs and plug return lines as needed to prevent water dripping. In some cases the inlet plugs may be left in place until after the water level is above the fittings, in these instances owner is responsible for re-installation of directional eyeball fittings)
6. Apply BondKote adhesion promoter to prepared surface. This is an intermediary material applied in order to provide a superior surface for maximum adherence of your new surface (This material needs to cure overnight)
7. Remove existing main drain frame and grate and install new main drain frame and grate
8. Apply new Pebble Tec finish,
9. Hand trowel new plaster (Wet plaster is hand troweled, after filling the pool with water there may be areas that trowel marks are evident, this should not be considered a defect in material or workmanship)
10. MPS to start filling with water, owner is responsible for supplying minimum of 2 water hose that will reach the main drain of the pool (more than 1 hose is preferable) monitoring water level, equipment start up, balancing water chemistry, and following plaster care instructions.

Currently my hot tub and pool are controlled by the old fashioned Jandy valves, a stainless filter; and my heater is a new Rheem Bioelectric heater. I'm converting to a salt system, and am looking at getting this equipment :

PLPS8 - Pro Logic Base System Control for PS-8
GVA24 - Aqua Logic Valve Actuator(s)
AQL2BASERF - Aqua Logic Wireless Remote Base
AQL2POD - Aqua Pod - Waterproof, Programmable, Wireless Remote
AQLCHEM - Chemistry Kit 1, pH and ORP Sense, ORP Dispense
AQLCHEM2240 - Chemistry Kit 2, CO2 pH Dispense 240V
PKIT - T-CELL Plumbing Kit (Includes Unions and Flow Switch)
GLXCELL15 - Aquarite Replacement Cell (TCELL15)

I want to bring my pool to the 21st century and hopefully this will do the trick. Do you have any suggestions or anything based on what I'm doing? Fortunately my best friend of 30 years runs a pool company and will be helping me learn to balance water chemistry with this new equipment. From what i hear, this new AquaLogic control system is sweet. What do you guys think of the Jandy control system versus this one?
jeredh
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Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby jeredh » Wed 20 Jul, 2011 22:59

Thanks!

Jered
czechmate
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Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby czechmate » Thu 21 Jul, 2011 11:07

This is how you save on stamps when you write to yourself. Good idea. :wink:
jeredh
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Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby jeredh » Sat 23 Jul, 2011 11:15

Yeah czech the internet eliminates the need for postage =]
Any advice you guys wanted to give i'd be eternally thankful. The work begins this Wednesday...i ordered Midnight Blue PebbleTec yesterday
dacgerht

Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby dacgerht » Sun 31 Jul, 2011 00:01

Wow, I came on here to see if there were or what to do about a few pebbles. Most of my neighborhood has had to redo their older swimming pools, 30+ years or more and all of our pools look great with pebble tech (Orlando area). We have two main pool resurfacing companies that are authorized by Pebble Tech and both are doing a great job. My cousin in Tampa had a new pool and it had pebble tech. So when our pool finish was finished (pun intended) and we needed to decide on what to redo the surface with? I walked around the block and spoke with the neighbors. My immediate neighbor had a wonderful finish about a year or two old and it too was pebble tech/the sheen type. All in all about six of us have had our older pools done with Pebble Tech and in all shades and we are all quite happy. ---Note some of the darker shades my cousin advised should be cautioned. The water looks deeper with the darker blues particularly and her lap pool looks deep and her guests have wanted to dive in but it is only four feet deep! So she is constantly on guard with new swimmers and advises it is a LAP POOL.

My installation was not without problems, but the company stuck with me, drained the pool three times, acid washed, eventually pressure washed off the blue excessive slurry, and stuck around and checked on us until the pool surface was perfect. I guess key is having a company who knows how to work with the material and fix any problems that may arise. We recommended them to four more people all of which needed their older pool resurfaced. I think everyone learned from our install. Many of our older pools are big and deep (old school). Ours is 16' by 38' and almost 10' deep. Yup, and the others about the same or in a kidney shape/think 1970's. So the slurry has to be watched at the end of the process of resurfacing. (Slurry is the colored mud thinned out and washed down....if it remains it leaves a train the same color as the mud, which in my case was light blue).

It's been 5 years since I had mine done. I do use Pinch a Penny here in Longwood, FL. My pool looks like a resort, crystal blue, and the water clear like glass. Since my kids are now grown we lost our pool cleaners. I use a Hayward pro cleaner, check my chlorine tabs twice a week/auto chlorinator 3" tabs, and take my water to Pinch a Penny on the week-end. They give me a print out as to what is needed.

So to those of you with problems, I'd look on line to a pool company close to your home, like Pinch a Penny, talk with your neighbors and get on a once a week schedule. Here in Florida most of us grew up with pools and the key is a routine every day/week. Ask your neighbors and see who is happy and copy them.

As for key problems, I'd take it to Pebble Tech directly---the home office. I hope those of you who are having problems get help and enjoy your pool. Good luck and try to stay positive. Once your pool problems are fixed I think you will find this is the best surface!
Curatolo Pools
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Is Pebble tech a good surface?

Postby Curatolo Pools » Wed 28 Sep, 2011 02:47

I think he is offering you good advice. I won't refinish a pool with a product that contains the word "Pebble" in it. ..I do not install it because it seems like it may be a bit rough on the feet. I have heard this from people who have had it. I have enjoyed great success and no complaints installing the diamond brite surface in pools for many years. Comfort on the feet has never been a problem with this pool finishing material . Good finishers are also an important factor when resurfacing a pool no matter what type of pool finish you choose.. Dennis ,New Port Richey, fl

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