First of all, I'll never understand the reasoning behind pouring concrete walls for a vinyl lined in ground pool when there are pre-fab, galvanized walls in kits in multiple configurations. Makes no sense to me. A concrete wall needs a concrete footer while a galvanized wall just needs a good compacted base. A concrete collar/footer is poured around it's perimeter to stabilize and secure the walls. A LOT less digging and steps.
I have built both vinyl and concrete (gunite) pools. Now, and for the last 20 years, it's all gunite. The rebar is typically set 12" OC, vertically and horizontally. Sometimes my structural engineer calls out tighter spacing depending on the application and perhaps a different size rebar.
A "typical" concrete pool is 12" OC.
At the points where the rebar cross, they must be tied together with a tie wire.This allows the rebar to have a continuous grid, allowing you to tie your 4 points as well as your main bond wire which hits the rebar and any wet niche light fixture, anything metallic within 5', etc... and then runs back to your pool equipment and terminates there.
In your case, I don't know how the rebar was not tied together prior to the pour, as it's needed for maintaining structural integrity and proper spacing.
Did they just "drop" the rebar in during the pour? I guess I'm just trying to fully comprehend their actual process.
If ALL of the rebar in the pour is separate and not making contact with other rebar via tie wire, then in affect you have to to bond EACH piece of rebar.
Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
As far as a code for wall properties, i.e. wall thickness, total concrete cured PSI, and rebar size and placement will be based on a building code. A structural engineer knows this, and will determine all of this for the contractor to follow. A structural plan is also submitted during permitting, so a building official can inspect it during it's phase.
