Above-ground pools and how to avoid spending money on kits

Above ground pools are usually made with kits that come in a large box and cost a lot of money. There is a much cheaper way to install a small above ground pool than buying an expensive steel frame model that will eventually rust, even if it is galvanized to begin with. The other problem with above ground pools that are made from kits is that the water filtration and sanitation systems are almost always poor because most of the money is allocated to the steel frame and not to the care of the pool water. . Simple above ground pools can be built in more or less any shape using 150mm wide concrete blocks from your local builder’s dealer and waterproofed with a PVC liner and fitted with a water treatment system that really works and ensures that children can use the pool without problems. ill.

Such a pool can be square, round or octagonal. If the walls are approximately 4 feet or 1.2 meters high, the water depth can be 40 inches or approximately 1.0 m. Concrete block walls will maintain this water height if they are supported externally by more concrete buttresses that are built at 2 meter intervals around the periphery of the pool. These buttresses should only be 40 inches or about 1 meter wide and should always be built at right angles (in plane) to the main pool walls.

The beauty of this structural system is that buttresses can be used to support the wooden deck around the perimeter of the pool. Pool walls and buttress walls will need adequate concrete foundations and these must be at least 16 inches or 400mm wide and must descend through the topsoil to a reasonably hard subfloor. The foundation must be at least 6 inches or 150 mm thick. They can be staggered if the pool is not being built on a level site. The pool can also be placed on the ground if necessary to reduce visual disturbance.

The inner side of the concrete block wall facing the water should face flush so the sides of the pool are smooth. Above-ground pools very quickly lose the heat received from solar gain at night and, to counteract this effect, polystyrene panels can be glued to the inside of the pool walls.

An amateur brick layer can build one of these pools fairly quickly and easily, but care must be taken to ensure the structural integrity of the walls and it may be easier and faster to involve a professional. A skimmer and three water inlets that can be purchased at your local pool store must also be installed through the pool walls. The skimmer must be installed to maintain the design water level. Two of the water inlets should be installed about 400mm below the water level and the third inlet (which actually works as a drain) should be installed just above the pool floor. All three should be on the opposite side of the skimmer.

The pool floor can be leveled and covered with sand. Skilled builders may prefer to place leveling concrete topped with a sand and cement screed.

When the pool is built, measure it (include the diagonal measurements at the top and bottom of the pool walls) and order the PVC liner and liner lock from your local pool store. Calculate the volume of your pool and ask the pool shop to provide you with a pump, sand filter and multi-port valve that will circulate the entire volume of the pool water in 4 hours and a circuit diagram. Filtration equipment and pipes can be located out of the way under the deck around the pool.

I will write another article on pool water care because it is very important to do it right in hot weather.

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