How to make a polypropylene pool

Building a swimming pool is expensive. The price of ready-made bowls is sky-high, and you will have to pay a lot for delivery and installation. If the hands grow from the right place, the polypropylene pool can be assembled by yourself. You just need to buy sheets of elastic material, find soldering equipment and assemble a bowl of the desired size yourself.

Reality or just a dream

Most owners of private houses immediately discard the idea of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbinstalling a pool on their own. If the family budget does not allow, then one can only dream of a font. However, do not limit yourself in comfort. Installing a polypropylene pool with your own hands is no more difficult than building a utility block.

The purchase of polypropylene sheets for the bowl will be much cheaper than the purchase and installation of a finished font. However, there will be a problem with finding equipment for soldering. It is unprofitable to buy because of the high cost, and you will need a soldering iron only once. It is ideal to find equipment for rent. Another problem is the lack of skills in welding polypropylene. You can learn to solder on a piece of sheet. A little material will have to be spoiled, but the costs will be small.

Properties of polypropylene

Polypropylene is easy to use and is in demand by builders in the construction of hydraulic structures. The advantage of the material for the manufacture of a polypropylene pool is as follows:

• The dense structure of polypropylene does not allow moisture, gas, retains heat. Sealed material will not allow groundwater to penetrate into the bowl. Due to the low thermal conductivity, the cost of heating the pool is reduced.
• Polypropylene is flexible. The sheets bend well, which allows you to create complex bowl shapes. A big plus is the attractive but non-slip surface. A person keeps steadily in a polypropylene pool, not being afraid to slip on the steps.
• Sheets do not lose color for the entire time of operation. The bowl remains attractive even after exposure to chemicals.

If the installation technology is observed, the polypropylene pool will last at least 20 years. Construction work will last about a month, but will cost less compared to buying a single bowl.

Location of the font

There are only two main places for a polypropylene pool on the site: in the yard or inside the house. In the second case, you will need a specialized room, protected from moisture. Due to the large amount of water in the pool, a high level of humidity is constantly maintained, which negatively affects the structural elements of the house.

If the polypropylene pool bowl is to be installed without recess, high ceilings and additional space will be required. Around the font, you will have to equip the frame for the sides, install stairs and other structures.

It is more reasonable to deepen the polypropylene bowl so that the pool is at floor level. The problem with high ceilings disappears, but the question arises regarding the integrity of the building. Will excavation under the bowl harm the foundation and the whole house?

The best place for a pool is an open area. The polypropylene bowl is not afraid of frost, heat. If you want to protect a place of rest or use it all year round, a frame is erected over the font, sheathed with polycarbonate or other lightweight material.

Choosing a place for a bowl in the yard

When choosing a location for a polypropylene pool in an open area, a number of factors are taken into account:

• Location of tall trees. A bowl made of polypropylene should not be dug close even to young plantations. The root system of trees grows, reaches for moisture and will eventually break the waterproofing of the font. The second problem will be the clogging of the water in the pool with foliage, falling branches and fruits.
• Soil composition. It is better to dig a polypropylene bowl into clay soil. In the event of a waterproofing failure, the clay will prevent the rapid leakage of water from the pool.
• The relief of the site. A polypropylene pool is not placed in the lowlands, where there is a threat of flooding with rainwater flowing down from a hill along with dirt. If the site is sloping, then it is better to choose its high part.

One important factor is the frequent direction of the wind. In the direction where the air flows are directed, an overflow pipe is placed on the polypropylene bowl. The wind will drive the garbage to one place, and it will be removed from the pool through the pipe along with excess water.

Step-by-step guide to the construction of a polypropylene font

Installing a polypropylene pool begins with the preparation of the pit. At this time, it is necessary to firmly determine the size and shape of the bowl. The instruction for the construction of a polypropylene font consists of the following steps:

• The arrangement of the pit begins with the marking of the site for the font. The contour is marked with stakes with a stretched cord. The pit is shaped into a future bowl made of polypropylene, but the width and length are made 1 m longer. The depth is increased by 50 cm. The stock is needed for pouring concrete and connecting the equipment of a polypropylene pool. Excavation is best done with an excavator. If the site does not allow free entry of equipment, you will have to dig manually.

  

• When the pit is ready, lighthouses are made from wooden stakes. They are driven into the ground, indicating the upper location of the contours of the polypropylene bowl. The bottom of the pit is leveled, rammed. If the soil is sandy, it is advisable to pour a layer of clay and tamp again. The bottom of the pit is covered with geotextiles. A layer of crushed stone 30 cm thick is poured on top.

  

• The bottom of the pit covered with crushed stone is leveled. You can check the differences with a long rule or a stretched cord. To equip a reliable bottom, a reinforcing frame is made. The grate should not lie tightly on the rubble. Pieces of brick will help to provide a gap. The halves are laid out along the entire bottom of the pit at a distance of 20 cm from each other. The reinforcing frame is made of reinforcement. Rods 10 mm thick are laid out on bricks in the form of a grid to make square cells. The fittings are not welded together, but connected with a knitting wire. A hook is used to tie the reinforcement with wire. The device speeds up and simplifies the process.

  

• A solid monolithic base of a polypropylene pool can be obtained only by pouring the solution at a time. Prepare large volumes in concrete mixers. The solution is supplied through improvised gutters made of tin or boards. It will be easier and not much more expensive to buy a ready-made solution mixed in a construction mixer.
• The solution is evenly poured over the entire area of ​​the bottom of the pit, where the reinforcing frame is laid. The layer thickness is at least 20 cm. The work is carried out in dry cloudy weather with an air temperature above +5^оC. In the cold season, concreting is not done, as there is a risk of cracking the reinforced concrete slab. If pouring is carried out in hot weather, the concrete base is covered with a film. Polyethylene will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture from the solution. The length and width of the concrete base is made 50 cm larger than the dimensions of the polypropylene bowl.

  

• The hardening time of concrete depends on weather conditions, but further work begins no earlier than two weeks later. The strengthened and dried reinforced concrete slab for the font is covered with sheets of thermal insulation. Usually polystyrene foam is used.
• The next stage is the most responsible. The time has come to start making a polypropylene bowl. Sheet soldering is carried out with a heat gun – an extruder. The quality and tightness of a polypropylene pool depends on neat seams. If you haven’t done welding before, they train on pieces of polypropylene. It’s cheaper to ruin one sheet of polypropylene for skill acquisition than to patch a defective bowl.

  

• The extruder comes with a variety of nozzles. They are designed for soldering seams of varying complexity.

  

• The soldering of polypropylene by an extruder occurs due to the supply of high temperature air. At the same time, a polypropylene soldering rod is introduced into the gun. Hot air heats up the edges of the joining pieces of polypropylene. At the same time, the rod melts. Hot polypropylene solder the fragments of the sheets, forming a sealed smooth seam.

  

• Soldering a polypropylene bowl begins with the manufacture of the bottom. The sheets are cut into fragments of the desired shape, laid out on a flat area and the outer joints of the font bottom are soldered. On the reverse side, the joints are also soldered so that the polypropylene sheets do not break. To get a strong and thin seam, the edges of the polypropylene fragments to be welded are cleaned at an angle of 45^о.
• The finished soldered bottom of the polypropylene font is placed on a concrete slab, where polystyrene foam has already been laid out. Further work is to install the sides of the font. Polypropylene sheets are soldered to the bottom of the bowl, welding joints from the inside and outside.

  

• The sides of the polypropylene font are soft. During the welding of the sheets, temporary supports are installed to help maintain the shape of the bowl. Simultaneously with the sides, polypropylene steps and other provided elements of the pool are welded.
• When the polypropylene font is ready, stiffeners are arranged around the perimeter of the sides. The elements are made of polypropylene strips. The ribs are welded vertically to the sides of the font, keeping a distance of 50–70 cm.

  

• After soldering a bowl of polypropylene sheets, the next important point comes – connecting communications and equipment. Holes are drilled in the font, where drain and fill pipes are connected through nozzles. Communications lead to the pumping equipment of the pool, connect the filter. An electric cable is laid to the font made of polypropylene. If lighting is provided, then it is also equipped at this stage.
• Some water is drawn into the polypropylene pool to test the equipment. With a positive result, the bowl is prepared for strengthening. The procedure provides for layer-by-layer concrete filling of the gap between the sides of the font and the walls of the pit. The thickness of the concrete structure is at least 40 cm. If the gap remains about 1 m, then formwork is installed along the perimeter of the sides of the polypropylene bowl.

  

• For strength, the concrete structure is reinforced. The frame is made of rods, according to the principle of reinforcing the bottom of the pit. Only the grate is installed vertically along the perimeter of the sides of the font. The filling of the solution is carried out simultaneously with the filling of the bowl with water. This will equalize the pressure and avoid deflections of the polypropylene walls. Each subsequent layer is poured after two days. The procedure is repeated to the very top of the sides of the font.
• When the concrete structure hardens, the formwork is removed. The gap between the walls is covered with earth with careful tamping. The aesthetics of a polypropylene font is given by a butyl rubber or PVC film. The material adheres well and is resistant to temperature extremes. The film is spread overlapping on the bottom and sides of the font. Bonding to polypropylene is carried out by cold welding.

The final work is the cultivation of the area around the polypropylene pool. The ground is covered with paving slabs, I install wooden platforms, erect sheds.

The video shows the process of building a polypropylene pool:

The finished polypropylene bowl is a huge design. To avoid problems with moving the font, polypropylene sheets are soldered directly at the pool installation site.