AUSTIN, Texas — Alkali-silica reaction, or ASR – becoming known as "concrete cancer" – is a hidden defect in concrete mixtures that can make swimming pools unusable. ASR could be present in thousands of pools built in Central Texas since 2017. Finding out if your pool or jacuzzi is impacted can be stressful and expensive.
The KVUE Defenders continue to dig into the impacts of this pool defect. After our recent story about the devastating impacts of ASR, we received dozens of emails from pool owners saying they have signs of this defect and getting an appointment for testing is difficult because of the high demand.
The KVUE Defenders spoke with a civil engineer about the testing process and the backlog and visited a family finally getting their pool tested.
"I just felt completely shocked, you know, that something could happen to the pool that might ruin it," Elizabeth Ebert said.
The Eberts are going into their third Texas summer with a backyard pool – but it could be their last.
"We did have to make a rule that like, while we're out here chillin', [we're] not allowed to talk about new cracks," Michael Ebert said.
Now there's no ignoring the issue. Every yellow chalk line represents a fracture in the pool that civil engineer Don Spradling, owner of Spradling Engineering, and his team found.
The Eberts said the cracking started six months after the pool was built in 2022, by a popular company called California Pools, for about $130,000.
"The pool builder himself had come out and looked at it," Elizabeth Ebert said. "Then we just never never heard back from them again."
The KVUE Defenders tried reaching California Pools franchise owner Justin McGuire by phone but didn't get an answer. We tried his email, but it bounced back. So we went to the business' last known address. It appears California Pools has closed down.
Records show McGuire filed a certificate of termination with the Secretary of State's Office in October of last year.
It's the same fate as some other Central Texas pool companies after being hit with hundreds of lawsuits because of the impact of concrete cancer – a defect Spradling said is usually mitigated by testing the concrete mix before it's used.
"As it comes to ASR, we see textbook examples of it, but it's few and far between to see it in person and up close and involved in investigations," Spradling said.
That was until a year and a half ago. Spradling said he tests multiple pools a week for ASR and believes thousands could be impacted, especially those built in 2020 and 2021. Some experts say some pools built as early as 2017 could also be impacted because of a shortage of a material called fly ash.
ASR happens when concrete is not mixed properly and lacks fly ash. Water makes the concrete expand and crack and, in most cases, the only way to fix it is to demolish and completely rebuild – at double or even triple the original cost of construction.
Fly ash is a byproduct of burning coal, something society is moving away from, creating a shortage exacerbated by the pandemic.
"I've been to many of these projects where there's no fly ash whatsoever," Spradling said. "This is a huge concern."
Spradling said he has also seen cases where not enough fly ash was used, which can also cause ASR.
With concrete cancer signs showing up in more pools recently, engineers and forensic labs have been backed up.
"They all said they're slammed with calls and people calling for help and wanting testing and all that," Elizabeth Ebert said. "So we emailed and called several people that, yeah, we never heard back from."
Spradling performed a petrographic examination, which he said runs from $7,000 to $10,000, depending on how many samples are needed. He said to do the test, you need a minimum of two samples.
"That's a lot of money," Michael Ebert said.
Spradling said it used to take two to three weeks to get core sample test results back, but right now, it's taking labs two to three months because of the demand. In the Eberts' situation, they will still be able to use their pool after testing, but that isn't always the case.
"Depending on where they are, it can certainly be a problem," Spradling said. "As I said many times, homeowners are reluctant to get the testing performed because, to a large extent, it means that the pool might not be available for a while."
If testing makes your pool unusable, in many cases, temporary repairs can be performed to make the pool usable again.
After using a large core drill and extracting the core sample to send to the lab, Spradling said it wasn't looking good.
"We can see that the fractures do extend all the way into the concrete," Spradling said.
PHOTOS: Core samples with confirmed ASR
The Eberts also had other signs, like a scaly cracking pattern on the back of their pool wall and leaking from their jacuzzi.
"There's enough moisture on the exterior of the pool, coming from some of the features, that it's causing the concrete to stay saturated and to cause that ASR process to occur," Spradling said.
"It's pretty emotionally wracking to think about that entire process all over again," Michael Ebert said.
The KVUE Defenders checked the courts and found eight lawsuits filed in Travis County against Precision Watershapes, doing business as California Pools, and their concrete contractor in the last year. All allege breach of contract, negligence and deceptive trade practices. The defendants deny wrongdoing in each case.
"Our attorney has other clients that have ASR, and so we'll be calling them for the next steps," Michael Ebert said.
The Eberts, like many other families, are wondering who dropped the ball.
"This was missed," Michael Ebert said.
If the Eberts have to rebuild, they hope they aren't paying for someone else's mistake.
"I mean, we took out a home equity loan to pay," Elizabeth Ebert said. "We're still paying for this. We're going to be paying for it until 2030. You know, maintenance for it, increased insurance costs for it."
A month and a half after this story was shot, Spradling said he received a preliminary verbal confirmation from the lab that the Eberts' pool has ASR. He is still waiting for the documents and confirmation.
"We're getting funeral plans ready," Michael Ebert said. "But we're planning on one more summer."
Advice for people planning to build a pool or test for ASR
Spradling said it's important to make sure your contract clearly spells out that the pool builders will use quality material and tests to ensure it doesn't contain ASR elements. Another option is to reference a code within your contract.
"Demand that the project that you're doing be built to some code specification, whether or not that's the 2015 and up, IBC or IRC. Then that has a fairly clearly defined requirement on the part of the contractor," Spradling said.
Spradling said after the contract is done, start documenting every step of construction, especially at different stages.
"You should be taking a photograph or ensuring that you have a photograph, so you can show what the contractor is doing," Spradling said. "That way, hopefully, you can mitigate those types of problems."
If something does happen to the pool, Spradling said those photos are a huge help in the ASR, or any, pool investigation.
If you believe you have ASR, Spradling encourages you to call an engineer to take a look at your pool before attempting to make repairs because, in most cases, ASR pools cannot be repaired. They can only be dug up and replaced.
Signs of ASR
Spradling said ASR can take three to five years to show itself, but in some cases, it can take months, depending on other factors. Spradling said cracks in the pool, scaly patterns and unusual leaking and calcium buildup are signs of ASR. He said it's also important to keep an eye on the water level.
It is important to note that not all cracking in a pool is ASR.
