How to independently install a plastic pool at a summer cottage

About 65% of residents of large cities would like to move out of town; to make their dreams come true, Russians are ready to sell even their own apartments. However, for the majority of citizens, prices for individual cottages remain inaccessible, so they are content with dachas, the improvement of which becomes one of the main tasks for the summer.

A new generation of lovers of country life prefers not to rest in the beds, but under the shade of trees on a garden swing, waiting for a fresh portion of barbecue. In hot weather, they splash in the pool, and during the rains they warm up by the fireplace. And if earlier dachas were bought to save the family budget, today the dacha is a new significant item of expenditure: funds from a bank card fly to the arrangement of alpine slides and gazebos, laying paving slabs, etc..

The latest trend that gripped summer residents in all regions of Russia was plastic pools, the installation of which is due not only to fashion trends, but also to an urgent need: abnormal heat for the second year in a row torments residents of most of the country.

Due to the relatively low cost and ease of installation, polypropylene pools, they are also plastic pools, have become widespread, first abroad, and now in the vastness of our vast Motherland..

There are 2 types of plastic pools – these are monolithic and prefabricated pools, the latter, in turn, are subdivided into frame and composite.

The difference between them lies in the bowl:in the case of monolithic plastic pools, a one-piece bowl is used, frame pools are assembled from several parts by means of mechanical joints, and the parts of the composite pool are welded together.

Since prefabricated plastic pools have the worst aesthetic properties, their popularity gradually decreases, giving the lead to monolithic plastic pools..

Monolithic plastic pools are made of polypropylene sheet, the width of which varies from 6 to 15 mm. By polyfusion thermal welding, plastic pools can be given the desired shape and dimensions.

Polypropylene resistant to high and low temperatures (from -50 ° C to + 80 ° C) allows the pools to be used at any time of the year, even in winter. Only in December, instead of swimming trunks, it is better for outdoor enthusiasts to wear skates..

The main advantages of the material used for the construction of plastic pools also include its environmental friendliness, low thermal conductivity, high impact and mechanical strength, a smooth surface that prevents the emergence and reproduction of various microbes, algae and microorganisms harmful to human health. In addition, the plastic does not corrode.

Installation of plastic pools on the site

In order to install a plastic pool in the country, you do not need to obtain any permits, you just need to determine a place for it on the site. Plastic pools can be placed directly on the ground, but if the pool is large, it is recommended to dig it into the soil. If desired, plastic pools are also installed in the premises..

Experts advise to install plastic pools on flat and horizontal surfaces, on which there is no asphalt, sand, gravel and roofing felts. Do not forget that the roots of trees growing nearby can eventually damage the base of the pool, and the crowns of plants shade the bowl, so the pool area should be located as far from the summer cottage as possible.

The groundwater level, which should be at least 20 cm below the bottom plate of the pool, is also one of the main conditions when choosing a place for the future pet of the whole family.

After choosing a site for the pool, it is necessary to dig a pit, the dimensions of which should be 10-15 cm larger than the pool bowl on each side.

The depth of the pit is calculated from the sum of the depth of the pool depth and the thickness of the preparation.

The latter, depending on the composition of the soil, is equal to 200 mm (sandy and gravel soils) and 250 mm (loamy and sandy loam soils).

If you decide to install the pool on the surface of the ground, then the sum of the depth of penetration will be 0.

It should be noted that loamy and sandy loamy soils have a small bearing capacity, therefore, they must be strengthened by choosing one of the following measures: installation of a soil cushion, soaking or compaction of the soil.

At the bottom of the excavated pit, the so-called “Pillow”, consisting of a mixture of concrete and sand (or sand and gravel). The optimum thickness of the “sand cushion” is 50 mm. A mortar for a cement-sand screed is kneaded in the following proportions: 1/3 / 0.5 (cement, sand, water). The “pillow” should dry up within 3 days, then you can start installing the formwork.

The bottom slab of the pit is reinforced along the contour of the pool, the height of the formwork is approximately 200 mm. For reinforcement, steel knitting wire with a thickness of 10-12 mm is used, which is tied into cells of 20-25 cm.After the formwork is arranged, the base is poured with a solution.

After a few days, a 20 mm layer of cement-sand screed is applied to the surface of the base plate for leveling. Then foam plastic (polystyrene) with a thickness of 30-50 mm is laid on a concrete slab and a pool bowl is already installed on it.

Gradually, the pool is filled with water – 30 cm at a time, while filling the gaps between the side formwork and the bowl with a cement-sand mixture, which is poured with water and rammed.

The last stage in the installation of the pool is backfilling of the formed pits between the formwork and the pit with earth.

 

Often, when self-installing plastic pools in the country, consumers are limited to the formation of a “sand cushion” and foam formwork around the bowl perimeter, however, pool manufacturers advise to follow the above process. After all, an uneven surface and the absence of a cement frame can cause cracks in the pool..

Installation of frame and composite plastic pools is carried out using the same technology as the installation of pools with a monolithic bowl.

Prices for plastic pools

The cost of polypropylene pools depends on the shape and size. So, a standard rectangular bowl 4 × 2.5 × 1.5 in Moscow costs from 70 thousand rubles, the cost of a round pool with a diameter of 4 m exceeds 80 thousand rubles, children’s plastic pools can be purchased in the capital for 10-15 thousand rubles.

In the regions of the Russian Federation, prices for plastic pools differ from those in Moscow. In particular, in Samara, the cost of the cheapest plastic pools (4 × 2, rectangular) varies in the region of 30-50 thousand rubles, the same prices are fixed in Chelyabinsk, but in Voronezh at least 50 thousand rubles will have to be paid for a domestic plastic pool rubles.

You can find out the cost of polypropylene pools in your region using the Yandex.Market service.

Finally, it is worth adding that cracks and cuts formed in the pool are most often welded with the same material from which the pool is made. It is better to leave the water in the pool for the winter in order to avoid pressure from the ground.