[ResQme]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

Gunite is essentially shotcrete, but done in a less expensive way ... at the risk of reduced consistency and strength. I've done plenty of shotcrete work, but never gunite, for those reasons.

Your pool installers sound like hackers. Did they have a 3rd party testing firm, to test the installed product? Normally when using concrete of any sort, samples are taken by a 3rd party, to insure the mix meets standards. Some pool people shoot 2500 lb concrete ... 4000 lb is a much better product, especially for Florida (it's not much more expensive, but harder to work with). Do you have any clue what they claim for concrete strength? Did they do a"slump test" on the concrete (see attached)? If they didn't, you're dealing with idiots.

How long it should be "wet", is determined by the mix they used. 4000 lb will set much faster than 2500/3000.

When we test concrete, core samples are broken at 7 days, 14 days & 28 days. Concrete seldom reaches design strength before the 14 day break ... which means it's still "curing".

In other words, it's impossible to answer your question with the information provided, without generalizing. YES, the concrete should be kept wet, but for how long, depends on what the design strength/mix is and how good of a job did the "nozzle guy" did (shotcrete is applied wet, gunite is dry and water is added by the nozzle guy).

It's particularly important to keep concrete wet when it's poured in hot weather.

Before things go any further, I'd bring in a consulting engineer (structural) to review the plans and evaluate the concrete. I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but if your installer is as cavalier as he sounds, that pool shell is likely to crack ... and sooner, rather than later.

(Disclaimer: I don't build pools, but I've poured way more than 100,000 yards of concrete. Concrete is concrete.)

Thank you for this information! Definitely more than I was asking for. The company that did the gunite is Southern Gunite. I will reach out to them to ask some of these questions.