Shotcrete, reinforcing steel and plumbing clearances

In order to ensure that the reinforcing steel and shotcrete are installed as intended by the structural engineer, proper clearances and procedures must be adhered to.  Incorrect placement of pipes and conduits can result in weak areas within the structure, resulting in cracks, corrosion or structural failures.

Plumbing Clearances

Oftentimes, for the sake of expediency, clearances between the reinforcing steel, piping and electrical conduits are often ignored.
Piping and conduits must maintain a two inch clearance from structural steel, in order to allow for complete encapsulation of the steel.  This concrete encapsulation is the corrosion protection for the reinforcing steel.
 

Plumbing against the steel will prevent encapsulation.

Close-up of pipes directly against reinforcing steel

Pipes resting directly upon the steel will prevent complete encapsulation.  This will also result in a weak point around the entire circumference of this spa.

Pipes under the structure

Let's face it... humans are lazy.  No one wants to trench, so that piping can be placed below the soil.  Yet, in swimming pool construction that is exactly what needs to occur.

Placing piping and conduits within a wall or floor displaces concrete, making the structure thinner in that area.  The pipes add no structural value to the pool shell.  In fact they are creating a void within the concrete.

Plumbing on top of the soil results in a thinner concrete shell.

Everywhere a pipe runs underneath the floor or behind a wall, the pipes should be recessed into a trench.  This will ensure that the structure is maintained at the intended thickness.  It will also prevent damage to the pipes, in the event it is required to drill into the shell at a later date (to install an umbrella sleeve, hydrostatic relief hole, handrail, etc.).


Paolo Benedetti, SWD, Principal Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa © www.AquaticTechnology.com International Aquatic Consultant, Watershape Engineering, Swimming Pool Design, Expert Witness, Hydraulic Designer, Landscape Design, Owner's Rep Office: 408-776-8220 Email: info@aquatictechnology.com Major Markets Serviced: San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Clemente, Pacific Palisades, Escondido, Scottsdale, Seattle, Phoenix, Tempe, Portland, Aspen, Vail, Park City, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Madison, Detroit, East Hamptons, South Hamptons, Cape May, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cherry Hill, Toms River, Salt lake City, Boise, Denver, Santa Barbaara, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Oceanside, Big Sur, Napa, Sonoma, Sausalito, Danville, Belvedere, Montecito, Palm Springs, Midland, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Osaka, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Cairo, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Lisbon, Bonn.