pool demolition

[dirtslinger]

Anyone familiar with pool demolition? Im debating removing my pool, but dont have the slightest clue as to what all is involved in such a task.
My first idea was to just demo it and knock it into the deepend and bury it. But from what Ive been told, that is not the legal way to do it. But of course, that was coming from the contractor who charged me 12 grand to repair the leaks in it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mikef87]

I've demoed one before I used my 320 to rip it and load it out. You'll need prob at least a 312 sized machine. If it's your own property and I would probably just knock the pieces off at about 4 feet and bury it.

 

[580bruce]

I have done two.I used a 416.Broke up the deck,pulled in the sides below grade,and put it all in the deep end.I then backfilled withh sand,and beat the crap out of it with a hoepac.

 

[dirtslinger]

no city permits or inspectors were involved in the process?

 

[Bob Horrell]

I haven't done one for a few years, but it used to be legal to punch holes in the bottom so it would drain and then remove the top 18 inches minimum and fill and compact. This way is neither time consuming nor expensive. The last one I did, the homeowner had a pool guy tell him the same thing the guy is telling you - it was BS. Call the local building department and ask what the approved methods are. If you can still do it the way I described, the inspector will want to see it with the holes punched in the bottom and the top 18 inches minimum removed. If I remember right, I put two 1 foot square holes in the deep end and one in the shallow end and all was well.
I recently worked with a plumbing contractor to convert some homes from septic systems to a new sewer system. We were allowed to leave the old concrete tanks in the ground. They had to be pumped and holes punched in the bottom and then backfilled with sand. Since this is still allowed, I would assume you can still leave the pool in the ground as long as you follow the above proceedure.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I demoed one last summer. I punched holes in the vinyl liner and soft cement liner and balled up what was left of the vinyl in the deep end. I salvaged all of the aluminum skin and supports, ripped up the fiberglass and disposed of that. Next I filled and compacted in one foot lifts so there wouldn't be settling, put about 6" of topsoil over the top and seeded. You wouldn't know there was ever a pool there today.

 

[Stick Pro]

We dig and remove swimming pools all you have to do is punch holes in the bottom for drainage and you are good to go if you are not goin to build anything on top of it if you are i would sugest removeing the pool we have used a 320 excavator that is the quickest way we also use track loaders a 943 and a 935 c that takes a littel longer but gets the job done.

 

[dirtslinger]

thanks for the responses all. I will look into all this.

 

[cleanip]

demo pool

just demoed a pool with a permit ,the inspector told me once i have all concrete out i should call him ,thatts what I did ,and he approved it for backfill,i had 2 20 yd. for the concrete .and 10 tandems for fill 1 truck of top soil ,i got a local demo co. to do the hole job for 5 grand ,ehich i tought it was cheap . and my backyard look great .do it right

 

[wethead]

I know that in states like NY , you will need a permit, at least that is what I am told by many contractors

 

[biggixxerjim]

I haven't done one for a few years, but it used to be legal to punch holes in the bottom so it would drain and then remove the top 18 inches minimum and fill and compact. This way is neither time consuming nor expensive. The last one I did, the homeowner had a pool guy tell him the same thing the guy is telling you - it was BS. Call the local building department and ask what the approved methods are. If you can still do it the way I described, the inspector will want to see it with the holes punched in the bottom and the top 18 inches minimum removed. If I remember right, I put two 1 foot square holes in the deep end and one in the shallow end and all was well.
I recently worked with a plumbing contractor to convert some homes from septic systems to a new sewer system. We were allowed to leave the old concrete tanks in the ground. They had to be pumped and holes punched in the bottom and then backfilled with sand. Since this is still allowed, I would assume you can still leave the pool in the ground as long as you follow the above proceedure.

Thsi is how I demo'd my pool.

Im not sayin its legal tho.....:cool2

 

[Little Jon]

I know that in states like NY , you will need a permit, at least that is what I am told by many contractors

I wouldnt be surprised if NY makes you get a permit to get the permit. :Banghead

 

[GeeVee]

NOT an easy task....

With the amount of rebar in a Florida Pool it is very hard. Ever see the pics on the weather channel of pools on pilings on the oceanfront being stranded, by erosion, and STILL holding water? Removing one so a new one could be built was my task.

There is a bunch of re-bar coming to a "hub" in every radii. Steel every twelve inches in every direction is code. The radii are "built-up" with the spray gunite. Then there's getting it out of the hole.

My job, I was given because the owner and architect had more confidence in me, than well established demo and site work companies in our area. And it was a removal job, on a narrow lot surrounded by retaining walls. With a nearly complete House on the lot. Floor to ceiling glass faced the pool within five feet of the pool coping. (One of the reasons it was being removed, too close to the house which had been remodeled with more square footage) I used a BobCat 773 to shuttle the demo to two twenty yard roll offs.

I used a rented new Cat 312? Nine feet wide with a hammer on it that was four inches in diameter. It had no problem making holes, but was hard to connect the dots. Prolly was very good at punching holes, but sucked at severing the rebar. so I had a utility man with a consaw cutting every so often. In hindsight, I might have rented an acetylene torch set, but with both come the evil of rebar having some elasticity, if you understand my terminology.

Again, it was my intention to not leave anything larger than a golf ball before backfilling, and using equipment wisely was important.

For you? If you determine you can reasonably expect not to be impacted at a later date by the shell left in the ground, then you have gotten sage advice from above.

However, I will provide a caution not previously mentioned.

IF you had to sell the place, and a title survey turned up a pool once being there, and it isn't now, is it going to ruin the deal for the new owners? I'm unsure what legal ramifications there are, but I'd have to get an answer. (where I live, 60 year old houses go down every other day, to make room for new ones.)

 

[vsara]

Details on Pool Demolition

Check out http://www.poolremoval.net

They have a lot of info to educate yourself and decide if you want to diy or hire a pool removal contractor.

 

[BigDogz]

no city permits or inspectors were involved in the process?

In my area there definitely would have inspectors checking in on ya. I guess this varies from state to state though.

 

[Reel hip]

I have buried more pools than I have dug, and I have dug a bunch! All I do is punch holes with the breaker then start breaking out the top three feet into the pool. Back fill the rest with dirt and compact @ 90 to 95%. Do this if it will only be a landscape area. If you are going to build on it then take the whole pool out!

 

[Colorado Digger]

we have never pulled a pool out but have done some large jacuzzis. there just are not alot of pools out here because of the climate. we did a jacuzzi at a hotel last year. it was a big one shaped like a cloverleaf. it took forever. the whole thing had to come out in order to run water service and a new building. all the damn rebar and the friggin gunite/shotcrete was impossible. we hammered and hammered and finally got it to where we could fit some large pieces in dump trucks.
major pita... now i bid em really high because i know what it takes.

 

[Jlillie2]

I wouldnt be surprised if NY makes you get a permit to get the permit. :Banghead

No, thats MA you are thinking of there.... B-)

 

[Jim15]

One of our top clients is a big pool company that we do grading and excavating for. We also do deck and coping demo and whole pool and deck demo. We've demo'd about 50 pools between them and other clients, from above ground to inground liner/gunite/ and concrete. We could have used the power of a big excavator once when we had a pool with 2ft thick concrete floors, but there was no way to get it in the backyard. Anyway we always use our Bobcat T190 and 334. We can remove a 20x40 4 to 8 foot deep pool and 1500sfr deck in a day, sometimes two. And that includes loading all concrete and gunite out and bringing back fill if necessary. Do it once, do it right.

 

[Fastdirt]

Heres a few shots of a pool demo we did awhile back. This was a county community pool so it was overbuilt with 3/4 re bar on 12''s squared. One thing for certain is you need a re bar cutter and a guy designated on the ground cutting re bar as you demo. We used a wrecking ball dropped from an excavator and a hammer and it took a LONG time to demo/remove this.




This is a before and after shot of a pool wall/beam that was completely over dug and just filled in with shotcrete making it a nightmare to demo even with a hammer and a wrecking ball and two machines at once pushing/pulling on it.