Unfortunately, not every family in modern times can afford a seaside vacation abroad. Sometimes the reason for this is the lack of funds and time. However, you can use a great alternative: make a homemade pool that can be installed in the country or on the territory of a private house. This solution will allow you to organize a pastime on hot summer days for the whole family. There is a huge variety of pools on sale today, the consumer just has to decide which option to choose - cheap or durable.
Inflatable pools are popular among those people who often go to the country, as well as among tourists. There are also sectional designs that are common among the owners of mansions. These products are laid out and removed at will, which means that after the end of the swimming season, the pool will not stand idle on the street. If you want to purchase a stationary structure, then carrying out work on its installation will involve the need for calculations and the availability of the master.
Varieties of pools bydesign features
A self-made film pool can be made by you using the technology of digging a pit and installing a waterproof material in the resulting bowl. However, there are also collapsible structures, which are called frame. They are supplied in boxes and can be assembled as needed. The metal sheet acts as the wall of the pool, and the waterproofing is a PVC film bag.
If you are thinking about how to make a frame pool, then you don’t have to disassemble it for the winter, it is best to use frost-resistant materials for this. Such products are additionally equipped with ladders, water return nozzles, hoses and filtration systems. They differ from inflatable ones in strength and elasticity, as well as in the presence of a high-quality filtration system. On sale you can find ready-made baths that are used to equip stationary pools. They can be polypropylene or fiberglass, installed inside or outside the building in a pre-prepared pit.
Choosing a site before building a pool
Before you make a pool yourself, you need to choose the right place. At this stage, it is important to take into account some points. It would be better if there is clay soil on the site for this structure, which is able to stop the leakage of water when the waterproofing layer fails. You can choose a place with a natural slope, this will facilitate diggingexcavation. In addition, the master will be able to decide at what point to install the drain system.
Tall trees should not grow near, as their root system can feel the proximity of moisture and reach for the walls, ruining the waterproofing. The most unfavorable in this regard are willow, chestnut and poplar. If there are trees on the territory, then you should part with them or remove the pool as much as possible, this will cost less than restoring a damaged product.
Before you make your own pool, you should exclude nearby and low-growing trees, as you will have to constantly remove falling leaves, and during the flowering period, the water will turn yellow from pollen. It is important to consider in which direction the wind blows more often, taking into account this, it is necessary to place the pool in such a way that the air moves along the bowl, this will ensure that debris and dirt accumulate against one wall, and in this case it is recommended to install a drain system along the edges. Experts advise making a homemade pool closer to the plumbing system to make it easier to fill.
Marking the territory
If you decide to equip the pool on the territory of the cottage using the factory bowl, then at the first stage it is necessary to mark the area. The structure must be measured, and then marked on the ground, which will allow you to dig a pit in size. At this stage, you should use a rope and pegs, the last of which are driven into the corners of the future bowl. A rope is stretched between them, and whenthe irregular shape of the pool needs to be hammered in with pegs as often as possible.
It is necessary to retreat a meter from the rope around the perimeter, making outlines for cutting the ground. In this area, you need to hammer in new pegs. From this markup, you should start digging a pit, a margin of space is needed to lower the bowl as simply as possible, as well as insulate the walls and create a foundation. As soon as the internal markings are removed, earthworks can begin.
Features of digging a pit
If you decide to make a homemade pool, it is important to deepen the pit below the size of the bowl by half a meter. The next step is to create the base on which the bowl will be installed. The bottom is filled with a 20-cm layer of coarse sand, which is well compacted. A steel mesh is laid out on top for strength, on the surface of which a concrete solution is poured. Its thickness should be 25 cm. In this state, the foundation should be left until completely dry.
Materials for pool insulation
A rectangular pool is the easiest to implement. This shape is conducive to ease of installation of insulation. On the concrete base, it is necessary to lay geotextiles, which are closed with 3-centimeter polystyrene foam slabs. Such a substrate is necessary to isolate the pool from cold soil. A strong thick film should be laid on top of the insulation, and while the bowl is at the top, its walls are insulated. Their outer surface is necessarypack in Styrofoam and insulate with polyethylene.
Installing the bowl
A self-made PVC pool is installed at the next stage, for this the thicket is located at the bottom of the pit, and communications are connected to it. A protective sleeve should be put on the pipes and secured with adhesive tape to prevent displacement during concreting. The remaining voids are concreted, the solution is poured between the walls and the ground. This must be done as follows.
Inside the bowl, spacers are installed so that the material does not bend under the pressure of the concrete mixture. Formwork is installed, reinforcement is laid around the perimeter. The solution should not be poured to the full height immediately, the thickness of each layer should be 40 cm. Water is poured into the pool at the same height. After hardening, you can add water, as well as concrete, using this technology, the layer is brought to the soil surface. A homemade pool is left for a day, only after that you can get rid of the formwork. Whereas voids must be filled with sand, spilling it with water and compacting.
Self-made filter
A homemade sand filter for a pool is not a very complicated design, but it is necessary to carry out work on its manufacture using a certain technology. For the filter mixture, you can use glass quartz sand, which has the appearance of whitish loose grains. They will not stick together and will guarantee good filtration. Their diameter can vary from 0.04 to 1.8 mm. ATsand may contain clay particles, but their size should not be more than 0.12 mm. Quartz sand is resistant to alkalis and acids, but hydrofluoric acid is an exception.
Sand processing
First, you need to remove particles that do not fit. To do this, you can use the sifting method. For a small filter, remove all particles larger than 1.5 mm. Washing can be done with warm water, doing this until it becomes clear. It is important to remove bacterial contamination, which involves boiling the sand for an hour. You can do this on a fire in a 20-liter can.
To simplify the task, it is permissible to use chemistry, but after that you have to wash the sand for several hours. Putting sand into the filter is done under a stream of flowing water, an additional layer of graphite will improve the quality of the water at the outlet. However, it is better not to use more than three fillers.
Conclusion
Regardless of whether your pool is rectangular or round, it needs a filter, to assemble it you will need: a container, sand, a pump, clamps, hoses, and a pressure gauge. These components can be purchased at any hardware store.