When a leisure centre in Kent experienced recurrent problems of debonding tiles the decision was made to call on the expertise of Commercial and Specialised Diving to carry out core testing to get to the root of the problem.
To ensure the long term structural integrity of a tiled swimming pool the tiles must be firmly adhered to the swimming pool tank and be able to withstand the huge pressures exerted on them by the water in the pool. In order for a bond to be formed that is strong enough to keep tiles secure a specific thickness and composition of screed is required to be laid onto the concrete tank. If this is not present then tiles are much more likely to become debonded, which can quickly expand to large areas as water tracks below the tiles themselves breaking down the bond between the adhesive and screed.
After the repeated problems with debonded tiles at the pool it was suspected that the most likely source was the screed originally laid onto the pool tank during construction. Core testing is used by Commercial and Specialised Diving to take samples of screed from locations around the pool tank, which can then be sent off to a laboratory for analysis.
6 random samples were successfully taken from around the pool floor and one from the area of debonding. After the exercise, the pool was made good and tiles replaced, leaving the pool in full working order. The samples were sent off for analysis so that a decision could be made on to the cause and extent of the problem. Another case of CSD helping clients get to the root of a problem!
