AUSTIN, Texas — The KVUE Defenders have discovered a hidden defect in possibly thousands of pools built in Central Texas in 2017 and later. It's called "concrete cancer," and it's costing families their backyard dreams and builders their entire businesses.
For AJ Miller and his wife, Debra Miller, their dream backyard has turned into a nightmare.
"We always wanted to put a pool in, you know. We were looking at houses that had pools prior to buying this house," AJ Miller said. "It just wasn't in our budget at the time."
After seven years in their Austin home, the Millers were finally able to create their backyard oasis for their family of four in 2020.
"We had people over all the time," AJ Miller said. "I mean, it was like my heaven, you know? I'm an entertainer at heart, so I built a sick sound system. There are speakers there, there, there, over there, I mean, everywhere. And they'll all have to get dug up."
The speakers have to be dug up and removed because the Millers' heaven has become a hell of a problem.
"It's practically cracks in every single part of it," AJ Miller said, showing KVUE the cracks in his family's pool.
Now the Millers are suing their pool builder, Premier Pools and Spa, and Hot Crete, the concrete subcontractor, for "negligence" and "breach of contract for defective work."
"This was the first crack we saw in the foundation right here," AJ Miller said, pointing to the back wall of the pool.
According to the lawsuit, the pool cost $115,000, and within a month of completion, the Millers noticed "cracking, distress, and leaking in the walls of the pool."
The Millers said they were initially told it was a cosmetic issue, and Premier Pools and Spas attempted to fix it. AJ Miller said the back wall of the pool was repaired – but within six months, it all cracked again.
"We were worried that this whole thing was going to fall and all the pool water was going to go into our neighbors' [yards]," AJ Miller said. "After that kind of took place is when the radio silence happened, and we couldn't get an answer from anyone."
The Millers said calcium built up around the cracks in their pool and parts of the pool began to leak, flood and detach from their patio.
"It's all separating itself from the pool, going through the looter all the way to the house," AJ Miller said. "That's when I started to freak out."
Debra Miller said the pool was losing water so fast that they eventually drained it before it drained them.
"I don't think that we even realized how much water we were losing until the bill," Debra Miller said. "It just didn't make any sense."
The couple said months later, the builder eventually told them their pool has "Alkali Silica Reaction," or ASR, also known as "concrete cancer."
Experts say it was unheard of in Central Texas until recent years.
"I think there was a mix of emotions," Debra Miller said. "There was tons of uncertainty and confusion."
"You know, you're angry, then you're sad, and then you're mad again," AJ Miller said.
The KVUE Defenders reached out to Premier Pools and Spas and Hot Crete for comment. A representative for Premier responded by email, saying it didn't build the Millers' pool, but:
"The ASR (concrete cancer) issue is such an unfortunate situation for homeowners and builders in the Austin area. We feel for all homeowners and business owners that are feeling the effects. Homeowners are having to deal with failing concrete, leaks and water loss. Builders paid for a product that was supposed to be warrantied for a lifetime and be defective-free, and now, when that is called into question, insurance companies are not taking responsibility. Everyone in the industry wants to get to the bottom of what is causing the problem and who is responsible."
Hot Crete did not return the KVUE Defenders' calls, but in its answer to the Millers' lawsuit, it denied any wrongdoing.
Experts say ASR happens when concrete isn't mixed correctly and lacks a material called "fly ash." Water actually makes the concrete expand and crack and, in most cases, the only way to fix it is to demolish an impacted pool and completely rebuild – at double, even triple, the original cost of construction.
"This is not just affecting pool owners," attorney Michael Williams said. "Most of these pool builders do not pour their own concrete. They hire subs to do the concrete."
Williams represents clients on all sides of this issue, both pool customers and contractors.
"It's a really strange thing, and I don't know that we know yet how it came to be," Williams said.
Pool builders like Bo Barnett said the "concrete cancer" has been found in pools built between 2017 and 2023. During that time, Barnett, like many other pool builders, saw a boom in customers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Three years ago, there were 90% of Central Texas builders that had no idea of what this was," Barnett said.
Barnett was among them – until he found out the hard way.
His company, KB Custom Pools, has been around for nearly two decades. It's won almost more top builder awards than his office can hold.
"So, this pool right here won an award," said Barnett, pointing to the awards and pictures on his office walls. "It was affected. This pool has been affected here. We've got three others behind you."
Now those awards are reminders of how prevalent ASR has become.
"We lost the confidence of our clients because we did two or three repairs and all of them failed," Barnett said.
Barnett said it's been expensive trying to make things right. He said KB Custom Pools is facing nearly two dozen lawsuits without help from insurance companies and has had to file for bankruptcy.
"The fear of losing my ability to provide for my family has been the biggest problem," Barnett said. "That, and seeing the heartache that this phenomenon has caused my clients. It's been almost equally devastating."
The KVUE Defenders found hundreds of lawsuits filed against pool construction companies and concrete contractors in Central Texas.
Barnett and Williams believe there are potentially thousands of affected pools.
"I think that what's going on right now is the tip of the iceberg," William said. "I think that it could be 10 times bigger."
That's why both the Millers and Barnett said they are using their experiences to help others.
"This is the most stress I've experienced in my entire life, through anything I've ever been through," Barnett said. "That's why I'm so motivated to be a part of the solution."
Barnett is rolling his pool construction business into his design and consulting business, GB4 Designs, to educate builders, clients and the public.
The Millers have a podcast called "AJ Miller Time" and a Facebook group dedicated to educating and helping impacted pool owners.
"It's just kind of like feels good to help people somehow, even though there's nothing in it for you, you know, other than just you don't want someone to go through the same crap you're going through," AJ Miller said.
He said he's looking for the bright spots and enjoying his backyard the best way he can until he can restore his oasis.
Pool construction experts said the only way to confirm whether a pool has "concrete cancer" is to pay for a core sample to be removed from the pool and analyzed by a lab, which can cost thousands of dollars and take weeks.
Also, if you plan on hiring a pool builder, make sure the concrete contractor can prove they’re using the right concrete mix.
And if you plan on buying a home with a pool and the pool was built in 2017 or later, look for signs of “concrete cancer,” such as cracking, white build-up around the cracks and separation from stairs and pool decking. If no signs exist, find out who built the pool and which concrete contractor the builder used. You can check with those companies and look for lawsuits against them filed in your county.