Exam opens in November · Charter Class · First 25 on the Aquatic Side · $197/yr
PSIP Protocol Aquatic Side

WHEN YOUR POOL
FAILS, WHAT DO
YOU HAVE?

PSIP Aquatic is the documentation standard for shotcrete and gunite pool shells. Every certified shell is recorded across eleven stages, from excavation to the final shell, with a photo of every batch ticket and the builder's notes on what went into the shell. When a homeowner asks what was actually put in their shell, you hand them the record.
Get Aquatic Certified See the Standard
11
Recorded Stages
28 Days
Record Period per Shoot
Every
Batch Ticket Photographed
Why a standard exists

WHEN A SHELL FAILS, EVERYONE ASKS WHAT WENT IN IT.

As coal plants closed, Class F fly ash, long used in mixes to reduce the risk of ASR, got scarce, and the cement itself shifted toward Type IL. Same product names on the ticket. Different concrete at the nozzle. ASR, the internal expansive reaction often called concrete cancer, needs reactive silica, alkali and moisture, and a pool shell lives in water. PSIP Aquatic does not choose the mix. It creates the record of what was actually shot.

The chemistry changed quietly
Fly ash was one of the materials used to reduce ASR risk. As supply fell, mixes changed. The concrete looked identical. The batch ticket and the builder's own notes are the record of what was delivered.
Pools are uniquely exposed
A shell lives in near constant water, with wet and dry cycling at the waterline, and moisture is one of the three things ASR needs.
No record, nothing to show
When a shell is questioned, a builder with no batch ticket and no record made at the time is answering with memory instead of evidence. PSIP Aquatic is that record, built stage by stage as the shell goes in.
The Aquatic record

ELEVEN STAGES. ONE RECORD. EVERY CERTIFIED SHELL.

Version 1 of the PSIP Aquatic record sets eleven stages, the minimum every record holds. They are not a construction sequence, and they do not tell a builder how to build. The builder may add photographs and notes at any stage.

01
⚛
Excavation and Subgrade
Stage 1
The dig and the subgrade, captured before any steel goes in.
02
◇
Plumbing, Steel, Bonding and Gas
Stages 2 to 5
The builder documents the work and attaches the inspection report, or records that none was required. The stage closes on the document, not on the result. PSIP does not state that the work passed.
03
☰
Pre Shoot Conditions
Stage 6
The conditions at the shell, recorded before the shoot.
04
☼
Shoot Day Record
Stage 7
The batch tickets for each shoot day, photographed, with the builder's notes on the load, the delivery method, the nozzle operator by name, and how rebound was handled.
05
▰
Thickness, Trowel and Compaction
Stage 8
Shell thickness at each point measured, with a photograph at each point. PSIP sets no thickness value.
06
▣
Curing, Finish Prep and Final Shell
Stages 9 to 11
Curing runs twenty eight days from each shoot day, with any post cure treatment recorded by type. Finish prep may be recorded as done by others. The final shell record closes the job.

These eleven are the minimum a PSIP record holds. A contractor can record more, and the record shows everything he recorded.

The builder experience

FROM ENROLLMENT TO CERTIFIED, START TO FINISH.

One clear path. You take the exam free, you pay only after you pass, and your certification unlocks the field tools, coming in App Version 1, that document every shell.

01
Know the Charter Terms
The first 25 Aquatic Side builders to pay after passing claim Charter seats and the Charter rate. Passing alone does not claim a seat.
02
Study the Free Guide
Download the free PSIP Aquatic training guide. The exam is built directly on it, so you train on exactly what you are tested on.
03
Take the Exam Free
Sit the certification exam at no cost. Three attempts to pass at 76 percent, 38 of 50, with a cooldown between cycles. Train first.
04
Pass, Then Pay
When you pass, you pay the annual certification fee. Your first certification year starts the day PSIP sends you a working app login.
05
Document Every Shell
The PSIP app, coming in App Version 1, captures each stage live, with the coordinate, the timestamp and the pour day conditions written in at capture, a photo of every batch ticket, and notes for what the ticket does not show.
06
Deliver the Certificate
Hand the homeowner the PSIP Pour Record Certificate. It attests that the record exists, was captured at the time, and is complete. It is not a warranty, guarantee, or insurance of the contractor's work, and it is not an inspection.
07
Show the Record
A builder who keeps the record can show any homeowner what went into the shell, stage by stage, instead of asking to be trusted.
08
Claim a Charter Seat
Pay after you pass and be one of the first 25 Charter builders on the Aquatic Side. The exam opens in November.

The certification lives on the website. The app is the field tool for builders who are already certified. Your app login, sent by PSIP, is the bridge between the two.

Without a Record
✗
What was in the mixWhatever the builder remembers.
✗
Steel, bonding and inspectionsScattered across trades and inboxes.
✗
Shell thicknessAssumed from the design.
✗
Curing periodNot recorded.
✗
Closeout documentationNone. A verbal promise on a six-figure pool.
With the PSIP Aquatic Record
✓
What was in the mixThe batch ticket for each shoot day, photographed, plus the builder's notes on what the ticket does not show.
✓
Steel, bonding and inspectionsStages two to five, each with the inspection report or a note that none was required.
✓
Shell thicknessMeasured at each point, with a photograph at each point.
✓
Curing periodTwenty eight days from each shoot day, with any post cure treatment recorded by type.
✓
Closeout documentationThe PSIP Pour Record Certificate, issued against a complete record.
For technical depth

THE FULL AQUATIC STANDARD.

This page is the overview. The Aquatic Standard page carries the technical detail behind it.

Read the Aquatic Standard
Aquatic Side certification

LOCK YOUR CHARTER RATE.

Certification opens in November. When it opens, the first 25 Aquatic Side builders to pay after passing lock $197 per year. Charter Class pricing stays with your account as long as each renewal clears within 30 days of your anniversary. If a renewal is still unpaid after those 30 days, you keep your Charter certificate number but the Charter rate ends for good. A refund ends the seat and the Charter rate for good.

Charter Class · First 25
The credential
Certified
$197
per year

The credential, the protocol, and the PSIP app, coming in App Version 1. A listing in the PSIP directory when the directory opens. A PSIP Aquatic Certificate, issued by PSSG, for every shell you document under the protocol.

  • Full PSIP Aquatic training guide and protocol
  • Certification exam, taken free
  • PSIP app access, coming in App Version 1, and certificate templates
  • Directory listing when the directory opens, with name, city, and cert badge
  • Charter rate
Enroll, Certified

Members 26 to 525 on each side pay $499 a year and keep it while their certification stays unbroken · Each side's Charter seats close at 25

The standard exists. Certification opens in November.

EVERY STAGE. EVERY SHELL. EVERY TIME.

The standard is written. The exam will be free. The Charter rate is $197 per year for the first 25 on each side.

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