Not everyone can order a finished pool. That is why many are forced to do it on their own. This process is very laborious and complex. And at the final stage, you need to take care of the most important thing - waterproofing. It affects not only reliability, but also the durability of the structure as a whole. Let's talk about what is pool waterproofing and why it is needed, as well as how to cope with this task without the involvement of specialists.
About the purpose and types of waterproofing
Before moving on to the practical part of the work, I would like to talk a little about what functions waterproofing performs. To do this, you need to understand its types. So, there are two types of pool waterproofing: external and internal.
You can guess that the outer insulation is used to protect the structure from the effects of groundwater. At the same time, internal waterproofing is necessary so that the water collected in the pool does not destroy the concrete structure from the inside. Moreover, if you are going to build a pool inside the building, thenyou do not need to use external waterproofing.
You need to understand that any kind of isolation does not solve all problems. Yes, it will be protection against moisture from any side, but nothing more. If the pool bowl is made with deviations, then waterproofing will not help here.
About laying waterproofing
Many people make mistakes at this stage. The fact is that waterproofing should be equipped even during the construction of the pool. Moreover, if the work is not completed on time, then cracks of 3 mm or more may form. This will cause moisture to enter the concrete base, which will start the process of its gradual destruction.
It is often necessary to use different materials for waterproofing (coating, rolls). For example, coating insulation requires a carefully prepared bowl and its base. At the same time, in some cases I use a one-component mixture, in others - a two-component cement-polymer based mixture. It is this type that is used for internal processing. Roll materials are used for outdoor work. Since they have poor adhesion to some surfaces, it does not make sense to use them for interior work.
Technology in brief
We have already figured out what waterproofing is for. Now I would like to consider the technology of carrying out internal and external works. All work can be done manually, but this will require a little theoretical knowledge.
Inner layerwaterproofing is carried out immediately before the finishing of the pool. For this, reinforced coating materials are used. They are necessary to prevent moisture from seeping through the bowl into the structure, which can lead to its destruction.
External waterproofing is implemented by introducing plasticizers into the concrete mixture. The purpose of the latter is to increase the strength and water resistance of the bowl. Work must be carried out during construction, if this is not possible, then at the stage of repair work. In any case, waterproofing a concrete pool is a mandatory procedure. Many experts emphasize that high-quality waterproofing should not only be strong and elastic, but create a monolithic layer that reliably protects against moisture.
Waterproofing of tiled pools
Now I would like to talk about how to protect the concrete base from moisture from the inside. Such waterproofing is carried out under the tile. Once the bowl has been poured and shaped, it should set and dry completely. After that, you can apply waterproofing. Almost any elastic mix will do. It is better to apply it in several layers, because it is much more reliable. To prevent leakage in any area, waterproofing must be distributed evenly along the bottom and walls of the bowl.
In principle, the waterproofing of pools under the tiles is quite simple and fast. The main thing is to pay attention to the quality of the mixture and apply it as evenly as possible. After it dries, it is necessary to check the pool. To do this, it is filled with water, which is released after a while. After that, some conclusions can be drawn. If leaks are found, they can be covered up.
Waterproofing pools: materials and all about them
The abundance of modern waterproofing materials is simply amazing. It may even seem that sometimes it is simply impossible to choose, because there are a lot of them. But it is extremely important to pay attention to the design features of the bowl. And only after that proceed with the selection of insulating material.
The most popular and at the same time relatively inexpensive material is high-strength film. It has a lot of advantages, but all of them can be crossed out by one minus. The fact is that if even the smallest hole appears in the film, then the entire layer will have to be changed.
It is impossible not to pay attention to membrane materials. These are PVC film, TPO and others. Such waterproofing has a service life of about 50 years, and is also environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to install PVC film on your own, and the material itself is very expensive.
Mastics and bentonite mats
Most of the time, mastics are not used as stand-alone waterproofing for many reasons. The fact is that they do not always give the proper result. But during repairs inside the pool, it is difficult to do without them. Any local damage is best covered with mastic. It is economical and reliable. Recommendedpurchase mastics from the following manufacturers: Psykpes, Penetron, and Kalmatron.
Bentonite mats are suitable as the main waterproofing. But it must be understood that bentonite granules are washed out by the pressure of water. In addition, the limit load requirement must not exceed 200 kg/m2. This material is very resistant to mechanical damage and has the ability to regenerate.
Work order
Often, waterproofing is carried out after construction work is completed. First, it is desirable to perform external manipulations. To do this, the walls of the pool are cleaned of soil and residues of the concrete mixture. Moreover, cleaning must be carried out to a depth of up to the pillow along the perimeter. At the next stage, it is necessary to use a perforator to embroider the seams of the walls to a depth of 5 cm. Mastic is placed in the holes obtained, which must be carefully smoothed out. Exterior walls should be lightly moistened with water, and after about 15 minutes, penetrating insulation should be applied. A second layer is applied after 24 hours. In this case, the thickness of each layer should be about 2 mm. In principle, do-it-yourself pool waterproofing from the outside is practically completed. The walls can be additionally covered with liquid rubber. At the very end, the walls are covered with soil, preferably not moldboard, but clay.
More interior work
We have already figured out a little about how the pool is waterproofed from the inside. The fact is that it is much more difficult to properly perform internal work,than external ones. Firstly, the quality of the waterproofing material and its technical characteristics are more important here, and secondly, the layer must be perfect, without cracks.
Many experts recommend using a cement-polymer mixture (self-levelling). It is poured onto the surface of the floor. But it is desirable to treat the surface of the walls with penetrating insulation. In this case, it is worth paying attention to such areas as wall corners, wall and floor junctions, pipe holes. It is these places that are the most vulnerable and the most problematic. After completion of work, it is advisable to apply colored mastic in several layers, wait for it to dry and test the waterproofing.
Conclusion
So we talked with you about how external and internal waterproofing works are performed. If the material is correctly selected, and the technology is observed, then everything should be in order. For example, liquid waterproofing for swimming pools is often washed off, but is resistant to mechanical damage, but nothing will happen to the film due to the high water pressure, but any damage to it will require repair. In any case, it is necessary to carry out waterproofing of concrete pools. So you can protect the base from premature destruction. Remember that it is better to do the work not during the repair, but during the construction period. This greatly increases the effectiveness of waterproofing.
