Cantilever Decking Causes Problems for Northridge, CA Pool

When a homeowner in Northridge, CA noticed tree roots poking through the cracked tiles of her inground swimming pool, Swimming Pool Inspection Services was called out to the California home to assess the cause of the damage and make a recommendation for repairs. What our inspector found was a significant issue with the cantilever decking that required a long-term solution.

Northridge, CA Pool Inspection and Analysis of Damage

One of our experienced swimming pool inspectors visited the property and made the following observations of the swimming pool:

• The pool had cracks in the bond beam in many areas around the perimeter
• Roots from nearby trees had grown into the cracks
• There were cracks and missing tile on the house-side of the pool, where there were no root
• The one-piece cantilever decking did not have an expansion joint
• Tree roots coming through cracks in the tiles

Our inspector noted that the cracked tile was occurring on both sides of the pool—not just the side with the tree—leading him to conclude that while the tree was a significant issue, it was not the major cause of damage to this pool.

Damage Caused by Lack of Expansion Joint in Decking

Our inspector determined that the cause of damage to this pool was the cantilever deck that did not have an expansion joint. This cracking is common and happens over time on pools with a cantilever deck when no expansion joint is present. The water from the pool had leaked through these cracks and caused the tree roots to grow into the cracks. To fix the damage to this pool, the decking needed to be addressed.

Two Possible Solutions

Our inspector offered two solutions with cost estimates for the current damage. The first option was to inject the cracks with epoxy and replace the tile and grout for the whole pool. This would cost around $2,800. However, the inspector noted that this was not a permanent solution to the decking issue. The cracking would likely continue and worsen over the years without an expansion joint to absorb the natural expansion and contraction of the deck during warmer and colder months, especially given the warm climate in Northridge, CA.

The second option was to completely correct the issue with the decking by removing the tile and a 12-inch section of the deck around the whole pool, and set a new coping with an expansion joint. This would solve the underlying issue of the pool decking, and offer a permanent solution to the cracking that the homeowners were seeing. Our inspector estimated that this would cost around $7,000, but would ultimately mitigate the need for future repairs caused by this type.

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