How to make concrete Swimming Pool?

Concrete is a composite material that is composed of a mixture of fine and coarse aggregates bonded together with biding material which hardens over time.

The binding material mostly includes fluid cement paste, lime putty, lime, etc.

Concrete is also used in the construction of swimming pools. Here concert needs to bear the water pressure. Let’s know a few that about How To Make Concrete Swimming Pool?

  1. How To Make Concrete Swimming Pool?  

The first thing to do before starting construction of the swimming is to design the plan of the swimming pool. After completing the design, the construction phase is started.

The first step that needs to be carried out to make concrete swimming pool is as follows:

a. Choosing of Location

After Choosing the best design for the available land or selecting a land area to accommodate a design already prepared. The design of the swimming pool normally includes the shape, depth, area of the pool, filtration system, and general size of the swimming pool.

The area fixed for the pool must be perfect for promoting routine maintenance. It is suggested to select a flat terrain, which can assist in large cost deduction for the excavation and filling process. An area distant away from trees allows one to bypass a pool filled with leaves and branches. The direction of the swimming pool is best when made facing the sun.

b. Excavation of Earth

After the design and location to build the swimming pool are selected, the following steps are to dig the site to make it ready for construction. It is performed by the following steps:

Note the perimeter of the swimming pool with the help of wooden stakes. To correctly denote the area of the swimming pool, expand a tread along the perimeter.

Employ a backhoe (or any earth-removing equipment) to clear the soil within the boundary. Continuously ensure the site is enclosed and nearby does not own any drainage, electric line, or water line crossing.

Excavate the region, taking into consideration the area that is captured by the swimming pool floor. The dimension of cutting the soil is accurately followed as per the design plan in hand. It can assist to obtain a pool as per design dimensions.

c. Construction of Swimming Pool Base  

Building the pool base is one of the vital steps that affect the lifespan of the swimming pool. The excavation is performed so that the bottom face evolves flat and uniform. If the area owns loose soil, then it must be loaded and packed with firm soil.

Compaction can be accomplished by natural soil or by employing gravel. Employ aggregates of size between 12 to 40 mm to pack and ready the base.

After good packing of compact materials, the base must be packed with respect to the terrain.

Execute compaction with the help of a roller or similar equipment based on the size of the compaction.

Once the pool base is packed perfectly, pour a small layer of cleaning concrete into the bottom. The thickness of the concrete layer is normally 5 cm.

Continuously deliver the pool base with a pool gradient or slope for effortless emptying of water to the filter system. The slope chosen must be such that it does not impact the balance of the swimmers.

A maximum gradient of 1 in 40 is suggested for a pool that is operated by children and non-swimmers. Efficient emptying needs a grade of 1 in 80 (As per British and Euro Codes).

d. Steel Cage Reinforcement

Once the digging of the pool walls and the preparation of the base is ended, the following phase is to have steel reinforcement for the pool wall and the bottom.

Here, the shotcrete process is obeyed in which a single steel cage reinforcement is supplied throughout the interior surface of the swimming pool.

In Guniting or Shotcrete approach, the concrete structure is composed in one piece without any void between the wall and the floor.

After having steel reinforcement, keep the fundamental plumbing lines, drainage lines, etc. within the cage layout. The requirement for stairs on the sides is also as per the design.

e. Pump and Filter System for Swimming Pool

A filter system and pump, jointly, are set on a large tank, either constructed of concrete, metal, etc. Before concreting, the plumb lines are equipped to carry water from the swimming pool to the filter system and back to the swimming pool.

The filter system and pump are even linked to the municipal water line to carry fresh water to the pool. The management is required to substitute the water lost from the pool due to splash out, evaporation, or due to other causes.

f. Concreting in Swimming Pool Construction

Complete the Shotcreting or Guniting of walls and floors with concrete of standard mix. Employ particular tools to shape the concrete surface as per the design. After finishing the concrete, it should be cured twice a day for 14 days regularly.

Normally, the thickness of the concrete base and walls of the pool specifies the durability of the swimming pool. More the thickness, the less its exposure to cracks and ruptures. Commonly, the thickness of the bottom of the pool is kept more than the walls.

For safety measures, a standard pool shell needs a minimum thickness of 6 inches, excluding the plaster ( As per The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)).

Among the construction methods (Using formwork and shotcrete), the most optimal choice is the construction by shotcreting. This method produces a monolithic structure that carries the force sufficiently.

In the formwork method, walls and floor have a void which has a possibility to get disjoined. Delivering more thickness to the formwork can assist to neglect this issue.

g. Waterproofing the Concrete Pool

The most famous ways to waterproof concrete pools are by employing tiles, glass, ceramic, or use of epoxy-cement systems or any waterproofing membrane.

The selection of the waterproofing method is executed relying on the water table level of the site and the moisture requirements of the soils.

The waterproofing of walls and floors is accomplished to create it watertight.

h. Construction of Coping

Coping is the walking room provided around the pool’s edge. It can be made either by concrete, marble, tile, or stone. Always wait for two to three days after the construction of the coping to fill the pool.

This was for the How To Make Concrete Swimming Pool?

Read Also: Aluminum Composite Panel