Above ground pools are usually made from kits that come in a big box and cost a lot of money. There is a much cheaper way to install a small above ground pool than buying an expensive steel framed model that will eventually rust, even if it was galvanized to begin with. The other problem with above ground pools that are made from kits is that the water filtration and sanitation systems are almost always substandard because most of the money goes into the steel frame and not into pool water care. . Simple above ground pools can be built in more or less any shape using 150mm wide concrete blocks from your local builder’s dealer and waterproofed with a PVC liner and provided with a water treatment system that actually works and ensure that children can use the pool without getting dirty. sick.

Such a pool can be square, round or octagonal. If the walls are about 4 feet or 1.2 meters high, the depth of the water can be 40 inches or about 1.0 m. Concrete block walls will maintain this height of water if they are externally braced by more concrete buttresses that are built at 2 meter intervals around the periphery of the pool. These buttresses only need to be 40 inches or about 1 meter wide and should always be built at right angles (in plane) to the main walls of the pool.

The beauty of this structural system is that the buttresses can be used to support the wooden deck around the perimeter of the pool. Pool walls and buttress walls will need adequate concrete foundations and these should be at least 16 inches or 400mm wide and set through the topsoil into a reasonably hard subgrade. The foundations must be at least 6 inches or 150 mm thick. They can be staggered if the pool is not built on a level site. The pool can also be placed on the ground if necessary to reduce visual disturbance.

The inner side of the cinder block wall facing the water should be flush so that the sides of the pool are smooth. Above ground pools lose the heat received from solar gain very quickly at night and to counteract this effect polystyrene panels can be glued to the inside of the pool walls.

A hobby mason can build one of these pools quite quickly and easily, but care must be taken to ensure the structural integrity of the walls and it may be easier and quicker to involve a professional. It is also necessary to install a skimmer and three water inlets that can be purchased at the local pool store through the pool walls. The skimmer must be installed to maintain the design water level. Two of the water inlets should be installed about 400mm below the water level and the third inlet (which actually functions as a drain) should be installed just above the bottom of the pool. All three should be on the opposite side of the skimmer.

The pool floor can be leveled and covered with sand. Skilled builders may prefer to lay leveling concrete topped with a sand-cement screed.

When the pool is built, measure it (include diagonal measurements at the top and bottom of the pool walls) and order the PVC liner and liner blocking from your local pool store. Calculate the volume of your pool and ask the pool shop to provide you with a pump, sand filter and multi-port valve that will circulate the entire volume of pool water in 4 hours and a circuit diagram. Filtration equipment and plumbing can be located out of the way under the deck around the pool.

I will write another article about taking care of pool water because it is very important to do it right when it is hot.