Local Conditions
What actually shortens joint life in Seal Beach.
Two things shorten joint life this close to the water. The first is chloride, which arrives on the breeze whether or not anyone swims, and attacks the bond line rather than the sealant itself. The second is the marine layer. Mornings stay damp well past sunrise, so the joint spends hours wet, then bakes in the afternoon. That wet to dry swing, every single day, is harder on a sealant bead than a much hotter inland climate that stays dry. Seal Beach is not unusual in that respect, it is simply typical of Orange County. The pools near Old Town, College Park East, Leisure World and The Hill were mostly built within the same decade, so their joints are hitting the end of their service life at roughly the same time.


