Above ground pools and how to avoid spending money on kits

Above ground pools are usually made with kits that come in a big 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 framed 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 goes into the steel structure and not into pool water care. . Simple above ground pools can be built in more or less any shape using 150mm wide cinder blocks from your local builder’s dealer and waterproofed with a PVC liner and have a water treatment system that actually works and ensure that children can use the pool without getting dirty. sick.

Such a pool can be square, round or octagonal. If the walls are about 4 feet or 1.2 meters high, the water depth can be 40 inches or about 1.0 m. Cinder block walls will maintain this water height if externally supported by further concrete buttresses which are constructed at 2 meter intervals around the periphery of the pool. These buttresses only need to 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 the buttresses can be used to support the wooden deck around the perimeter of the pool. The pool walls and buttress walls will need suitable concrete footings and these should be at least 16 inches or 400mm wide and laid through the topsoil into a reasonably hard subsoil. The foundations must be at least 6 inches or 150 mm thick. They can be staggered if the pool is not built on a level site. The pool can also be placed in the ground if required to reduce visual disturbance.

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

A hobby mason 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 quicker to involve a professional. You also need to install a skimmer and three water inlets that can be purchased at your local pool store through the pool walls. The skimmer should be installed to maintain the design water level. Two of the water inlets should be installed around 400mm below the water level and the third inlet (which actually works as a drain) should be installed just above the bottom of the pool. 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 diagonal measurements at the top and bottom of the pool walls) and order the PVC liner and liner block at your local pool store. Calculate the volume of your pool and ask the pool shop to provide you with a pump, a sand filter and a multi-port valve that will circulate the entire volume of pool water in 4 hours and a circuit diagram. Filtration equipment and piping 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 when it’s hot.