Concrete Decking- There are many options on concrete. Stamped, colored, skinned, broomed, acid wash, to name a few. What’s important is that you have a concrete apron around the pool to hold the shell in place. It may be covered by pavers or stone but you must have concrete connecting to the pool and extending to virgin soil for structural reasons. In addition to having concrete you must also bond the concrete to the shell with rebar. There are a few ways to skin this cat depending on what type of decking your doing but you must tie it to the shell and you must properly bond all your steel to the pool equipment and to even the pool water itself. This is called equipotential bonding and is part of your electric permit. The next consideration is the coping. Some of those options include pavers, flag stone, limestone, or the most common: cantilever concrete. A cantilever deck is a deck that is poured over the shell itself and cantilevers (hangs) over the water. It is not the kind of project for a normal concrete crew. If you don’t have experience with cantilever forms, you will mess it up. It took us many pools to master it and frankly is still sometimes challenging. Knowing how to set them, dress them, when and how to pull them, how and when to face the coping, and how to keep and deal with air pockets are a few of the challenges. Even the most modest slab say 3’ deep is the equivalent to pouring 100’ of concrete counter top in a single shot, outside, while swimming. It’s just hard.

Inspections- Most building departments don’t do a lot of pools and probably do even fewer fiberglass pools. This puts them way out of their normal comfort zone and can make the permitting and inspections tough. The tough is a result of misinformation within the department and poor training of inspectors and plans examiners. During the inspection most inspectors are reluctant to approve things. As a homeowner you can find yourself between the inspector and what he doesn’t know. Because we build so many pools, most departments in our area know us and know how we build. The inspections are fast and easy. The departments and inspectors we don’t know we can help put at ease by explaining each piece. We know the code inside and out and can walk an inspector through what they are looking at and why things are the way they are. We typically print excerpts from the National Electric Code for them to read over and keep for their file. Make sure you have made yourself very familiar with what YOUR department wants before you call for an inspection. An inspection is just that. Do NOT make it a Q&A session. You will fail and upset your inspector making life harder on yourself.
All in all installing a pool may not be hard. BUT it’s not hard to screw up either. The people that I have worked with on installing their own pools have survived but most have said they wouldn’t do it again. Typically the pool ends up not level, concrete isn’t the best, and plumbing is hard to work on and not efficient. At the end of the day we are in the business of selling and building pools. If you would like us to set it for you or are planning on tackling it yourself please feel free to reach out to us. We would be happy to help.

Setting the Pool- Once you’ve got your base installed, it’s time to set your shell. This can vary in complexity depending on the size and type of your pool as well as the equipment you’re using. Small and medium pools can be set with excavators, a couple straps and a spreader bar to rig with. Smaller pools are typically stronger and easier than larger pools. The larger the pool the more delicate straight walls can be. When I say delicate I don’t mean that a shell may break or crack. The concern is cracking the gel coat (color layer) of the pool from rough handling or blunt impacts. This is possible on any fiberglass material when the structure is flexed more than the gel coat is able, causing spider cracking. Spider cracking is a series of cracks in the finish that resemble a spider web on the surface. The crack is microscopic but when it collects dirt it turns black and becomes visible and is difficult to clean. When you’re setting a fiberglass pool being smooth, gentle, and avoiding any blunt impacts and stress is critical. Having the right rigging, many hands, and the proper crane or machine is very important and not a place to save money. Once you have the shell going into the hole it must go in straight and flat. ANY movement in the shell while it’s touching your base will affect the bed and cause high and low spots. Sliding the shell on the base is a death sentence. All of your elevations will be affected and changed. Also keep in mind that this is where we find out how well the lay was done. If the top of the shell looks unusually high or low recheck your math NOW don’t move on.

Plumbing- This is where most people start to relax. DON’T. A mistake here will haunt you forever too. I prefer to plumb and light all of my pools before they leave my shop or yard. This affords me more control over the quality and allows the glues and sealants to fully cure before it goes into the hole and is filled with water. For most do it your selfers this is not an option. The pool shows up and must come off the trailer and into the hole with a single crane rental. Laying out the suctions, lights, returns, and any jets is a little different for every pool and install. The placement of each item must be considered for optimal circulation and lighting. Orientation of the pool in relation to the wind, house, and equipment must be considered. Additional components such as auto covers, splash pads / features, and slides will also have an impact on how the plumbing is constructed. Beyond the placement considerations, installing the proper grade piping, fittings, sealants, and glues is very important. Don’t use the stuff at Home Depot. Pool specific products must be used. Also be sure the sizing of pipes, pump head, flow rates, and water velocity are calculated. Over and under plumbing a pool is equally bad not only from an efficiency standpoint but also a safety standpoint. Building codes concerning pool plumbing exist to help prevent possible entrapment on drains and suctions. (See VGB safety Act 2007) Sticking a 1.5 HP pump on the pool because that’s what your neighbor has doesn’t cut it. After sizing and calculating the system comes the construction. Improperly installing the plumbing could result in tension on lines, underground fittings, and manifolds which could mean big problems in a few years.

Back fill- The material you choose to backfill with is a big decision. Pay now or pay later is the rule. Use dirt and your destiny is certainly a complete pool failure. Sand may be cheap, but if you make a mistake and overdo it you’ll bow a wall and have to dig it out as part of the install AND go ahead and count on bowed walls in just a few years from the weight of the sand on the structure. Using pea gravel is possible but still has some risk of bowing walls. Chipped limestone is the only way to go for me. I have had to dig out and reset my fair share of pools and now I won’t use anything else. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? You bet. In some ways it can be more work particularly when it comes to packing it underneath steps and seats but in the long run BEST for your pool. Most installers use sand because it’s cheap and it flows easy with water pumps (called washing in) if you use sand in a few years I guarantee bowed walls and bulges. (See some pictures here) Backfilling too is an art. The easy part is that you back fill the pool while you fill the pool. The hard part is knowing what order, how much, and where. When the shell is in the hole empty it’s not going to be exactly the right shape. Controlling straight walls, insuring fill material is under each seat and bench for support, and keeping the top of the shell level all while filling the pool can be tricky. This phase can easily get away from you. My team and I having done it many times can even find ourselves in race mode from time to time.

After back fill it’s time for decking…click here for part 3/3

So you want to install your own fiberglass pool. OK. For most people the prospect of installing their own pool means savings. The process of installing a fiberglass pool is not that difficult. Most mechanical people after a glance over some installation pictures have a basic handle on it. Dig, Set, backfill, form and pour the concrete. Lets face it $3000-$5000 in potential savings can get about anyone’s attention.
When I first got into the business, I did so almost by accident and thought it was going to be easy. I owned a construction company (and still do), had all the tools, equipment, trucks, and even staff to do it. I remember thinking how easy this was going to be. What turned out to be simple was an absolute battle. What wasn’t so obvious were the so called tricks of the trade and the ‘what not to do’s’ learned only through experience. It took three 16hr days to install my first pool and I earned every bit of it.

Permits- The first hurdle you will need to overcome is the permit process. In most states there is some type of state code. The problem is that each local municipality (many rural areas don’t even have a department) observes their own building code and sometimes only some of the state. Building departments also must work with whatever zoning code is enforced in the area if a separate zoning department does not exist. Unfortunately it is up to you to wade through the home owners association, zoning department, then the building department (in that order) to make sure they are all OK with what you want to do and making sure you know EXACTLY what inspection each will want and WHEN. Overlooking an inspection could be  your biggest mistake. Be diligent.

Layout- Establishing the elevation of a pool is the next thing you can seriously mess up. Before you know where to install the base (or foundation) you need to know what kind of deck you’re going to be installing, how it’s going to be installed, and what the thicknesses are. Then you must know how the layout how the fall (or slopes) on the apron will work. There’s nothing more upsetting than water not draining away from the pool or worse into the pool or foundation of the house. I’ve seen pools where the rainwater collected in flower beds and flooded dirt and mulch all over the pool deck every time it rained. There’s no easy one plan fits all when it’s time to lay out your project. It just has to be right.

Excavation- Once we know how the space is going to be laid out and have determined the elevation of the pool shell, it’s time to dig the hole. The physical act of digging the hole is easy. But there are few things we do and don’t want to do. First and foremost DON’T over dig. Bigger may sometimes be better but not here. My first hole was over dug by 20.” I had plenty of space to work and getting the backfill back in was easy, but it also cost me an extra $1400 in stone and $500 in dirt hauling. This doesn’t even factor in the time it took to dig that extra dirt or the labor to put all that extra fill back in. An ideal over dig is about 8” at grade which will translate into 20” at the base of the pool. Next make sure you know exactly what the shape of the pool is and where your stairs and bench seats are. DO leave the dirt for contours and steps. If you dig a square hole and don’t leave the dirt where the features of the pool are it’s easy to toss another $1200 in stone away. Don’t add dirt back into the hole to make up for excessive overdig. If you disturb it, it must come out. It will not compact and will eventually settle. Lastly DON’T dig your hole any deeper than you have to. A thicker base doesn’t make it better. 4” to 6” of the right material is perfect. If you dig extra deep and have an 8” or 12” stone base you will not be able to adequately compact that much material which means you will have to deal with settling of the pool (what I call hypercompaction). A thicker base also costs a lot more money in stone and is lot more work.
Now that the hole’s dug you need to determine what type of soil you have. Sandy soil or peat will settle a lot while clay settles about half. This has to be considered when installing your base. If there is going to be settling (and there usually is to some degree plus settling from thick base as mentioned above) you must raise your base at the heavy points to account for the settle and hypercompaction. Unfortunately this is not a science but very much an art. Each pool model and size will react differently in different soil. This is just something you have to feel out and be able compensate for what hasn’t happened yet. My first pool I set perfectly level and the next day it had settled 3/4”. Now I know most installers talk about being level to 1.5” but that’s pretty sad and not acceptable in most situations. Incredibly some installers accept level to 6” with the intention of hiding it with a cantilever concrete deck. As amazing as that sounds I fix a couple of these every year. This is the result of laziness and inexperience. With proper planning and diligence even the cheapest thinnest fiberglass pool can be set level to 1”.

Setting the pool is next….Click here for part 2/3

By Matthew Ray CR

President
Leisure Pools of Columbus

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In the pool industry this saying most certinly applies to the use of use and installation of sump tubes. Sump tubes are pipes installed at the deep end of a pool that run vertically from the pool deck to the very bottom of the pool floor. Diameters may vary, but it must to be large enough to allow for a sump pump to be placed into the well  – typically 8”.

I order to understand why a sump tube is important you must first understand what forces are at work. Each area of the country have different ground water levels. When an in ground pool is installed typically there will be a time when ground water is at a level higher than the bottom of the pool. In the industry we refer to this as ‘water underneath’ or ‘around’ the pool. As the ground water rises, the pool (or vessel) becomes buoyant. In the case of a boat buoyancy is good. For a pool not so much. By installing a sump tube the installer and owner have a measurement of how much water is under the pool and more importantly have a way of pumping it out.

Sump tube on Moroccan 27

Typically water under the pool is normal and not a problem.  However when your pool is first being installed, there is always a chance that before the concrete is installed and holding the pool in place, a heavy rain could occur and increase the chances of the pool shifting. This is why until the deck is completed, a sump pump should be dropped into the sump well to keep the ground water out of the hole. Once the pool has concrete poured around it the ground water level can safely rise to within 16” of the pool water level.

Outside the initial construction of the pool the sump tube  will continue  to be cheap insurance. It offers the owner and service people the ability to know what the ground water is doing should the pool need to be drained or there be a period of heavy rain in where the ground water might exceed the level of the pool water. All pool types are subject to the laws of physics. If you are considering having an in ground pool installed, demand your builder install a sump tube, and hopefully you’ll never need it.

See Video On YouTube

 

 

 

Spring’s the best time to build a pool right? WRONG. I’m not sure how the idea became so common, but for some reason most people think the spring is the time to build pools, fences, houses, landscapes and other outdoor project. The truth is there is absolutely not a harder time to build a pool, or anything else outside, than spring. The reasons, though simple, may not be so obvious.

Weather- In the Midwest spring comes with much anticipation of summer just around the corner. It also comes with volatile atmospheric conditions and pop up storms. It’s not uncommon for a popup shower to drop a 1/2 ” of rain in an area and completely STOP construction. Depending on the sun exposure it could take as long as 2 days to dry out the site leaving the builders calendar, patience, and sanity in question. This leaves other jobs off schedule before they even start and you and your builder uncertain as to when your project will be completed. It’s no fun to wonder if your project is going to be done for the Memorial Day party you have already planned.

Materials and Equipment- When Spring is finally sprung and pools are ready to be built, so is everything else. Pool installers are not the only folks who need dump trucks, gravel, water trucks, backhoes, excavators and the service and repair personal needed to keep them running. In 2011 most of the Midwest and Northeast experienced 100 year rains that started February 2 and continued though the Thursday before Memorial day. The rain totaled some 20” plus or so here in Columbus Ohio and 28” in Cincinnati. By the time the rain was over home builders, concrete guys, road crews, landscaper, and anyone else who works outside had lost one third of their season and were all fighting for the same resources. On one project I was forced to transport an excavator from Indianapolis- some 400 miles just to work.

Labor- Let’s face it, when it’s hot out and your crews are working 65hr plus weeks working around weather, anxious clients, and the headaches that come with the spring rush….sometimes things get missed. The fall is a much more relaxed and pleasant time to work. There isn’t enough daylight for a 65hr week, the stress level is significantly lessened as there is no rush to get done for the next hot weekend, and materials and equipment are there for the picking.

Transportation and Inventory- The spring may be when inventory levels are at their highest but it is also the time when demand and transportation is at its messiest. When the orange barrels go up on the highways, it’s expected that DOT will require we take MUCH longer routes to avoid construction zones. Remember when you have a 15’ -16’ wide load you can’t just go anywhere. In 2009 all loads that went to northern Indiana from Columbus had to do so via Cincinnati -not exactly quick or cheap.  It is also common for certain pools to be delayed due to stacking compatibility. If the market demands styles and units not compatible with your model your load may wait – pushing your project latter in the spring or even summer. In the fall and winter getting the pool we need is much more predictable.

Permits may be last but not least. No different than equipment and materials, the building department is under their greatest load in the spring which can mean your project will likely take a lot longer to be review. It is also a busy time for homeowners associations and  zoning committees. If you are in a situation that may require a variance…watch out. Proving extenuating circumstances and hardship to a review board is a lot easier in the fall or winter then when they are not clogged and annoyed with the spring rush.

The reasons TO install in the fall and winter are the invert of the spring hassles. The weather is stable, equipment is readily available, material costs are down, fuel costs are down, and if you’re wondering about the cold….remember –Frozen isn’t muddy! If avoiding all the potential headaches that spring can offer isn’t enough for YOU to go fall install, how’s this….? IT’s CHEAPER TO INSTALL IN THE FALL. When demand for materials go down so does our cost. When overtime is off the table we have a 50% decrease in production payroll. When the DOT does not require to go from Columbus to Cincinnati via DAYTON, our transportation costs go down. Add it all up and typically we expect a 10% decrease in the cost to install a pool. For most people it just makes more sense for them to build in the off season…what about you?