Frame structures are one of the most common types of pools installed in the courtyard of a summer cottage or private house. They are easy to install and are suitable for teaching beginners to swim. Installing a homemade frame pool with your own hands will not be difficult if you have experience in the construction of hydraulic structures.
Homemade frame pool options
The hot tub can be assembled from scratch or used as a base with an inflatable product. The bowl for the structure is made of reinforced PVC film or polypropylene sheets. The frame for the pool can be made of wood or plastic blanks, and the most durable option is made of a profile pipe. For the design to be reliable, it is important to pay due attention to the quality of the materials, and not to use the first available raw materials.
It makes sense to make a frame out of an inflatable pool when the material of the previous pool does not have pronounced signs of wear. Otherwise, it may tear. The work will be cheaper than purchasing a new structure, and will allow the structure to serve for several more years. Another plus of this operation is that there is no need to prepare the site for the installation. The inflatable part becomes a bowl and is surrounded by a homemade frame.
Advantages and disadvantages
Making a PVC pool with your own hands attracts many with the opportunity to save. However, it will come out small, since you will have to spend money on materials for the frame and high-quality cladding. The advantages of self-manufacturing include:
- the ability to create a structure of the desired shape, design and dimensions;
- speed of work execution;
- exact adjustment of the dimensions of the structure to the installation site;
- the ability to make a canopy for the pool at the same time as its frame.
To assemble a reliable font, you need to have certain skills in the creation of hydraulic structures. Otherwise, the pool can quickly fail, collapsing under water pressure. The service life of the structure is likely to be less than that of industrial products operated for 12-15 years.
The choice of material for the bowl
For the bowl, you will need to purchase a PVC film. Its density should be 600 g / m³ or more. If the frame is made of wood, you will need bars and edged boards 4-5 cm thick.In this case, a 2.5 m wide film is suitable.
You can do it yourself with a pool of OSB slabs - they are sheathed with a finished frame, and covered with plastic clapboard on top. Another option for outdoor decoration is polycarbonate.
All materials containing wood must be treated with antiseptic and anti-septic impregnations.
You can make a pool from a metal frame. Polymer coated pipes are used. The section can be round or rectangular.
Preparation for work
Before starting work, you need to determine how much film is required for the construction of the structure. This is influenced by the height of the walls, the shape of the base (round, rectangular) and its dimensions. To find out how much material will go to cover the walls, the perimeter of the pool is multiplied by its height. By adding the result and the area of the base, you can find out the minimum amount of film required.It is also important to calculate how much material needs to be purchased for the construction of the pool frame.
Location sketch
It is necessary to prepare a drawing of the pool indicating the main structural elements and their dimensions. DIY making allows you to independently choose the shape and other performance features, but you can also use a ready-made sample. The diagram indicates the location of the drain valve, stairs, pipes of the circulation system.
Instruments
If the frame is planned to be made of wood, you will need beams with a section of 12x16 or 14x16 cm, as well as edged boards. For a metal structure, steel pipes and the corresponding tools are prepared - a welding machine and a grinder. To make the pool you will also need:
- sufficient supply of PVC film;
- duct tape;
- hand saw, suitable for the raw materials used;
- geotextile;
- construction hair dryer;
- electric drill;
- screwdriver;
- well sharpened knife;
- shovel;
- paint suitable for the material and tools for its application (usually brushes).
You also need to prepare fasteners (screws, screws). To control evenness and take measurements, a ruler, level, construction tape, square are used.
How to build yourself
You need to start by removing the top layer of earth on the site. The surface must be perfectly flat so that the water pressure on the walls is evenly distributed. Otherwise, the pool may collapse.
The pit is not made too deep - about half a bayonet. When it is ready, gravel is poured onto the bottom and covered with geotextiles. Sand is poured on top of 0.1-0.15 m in height and tamped, monitoring the evenness of the surface.
The frame is made according to the drawing. Demountable structures are often found, consisting of elements of the same type (for example, pieces of steel pipe), connected to form a one-piece system. But some frames have rigid attachments, which does not provide for easy disassembly.
Fragments of PVC film are cut in accordance with the pattern, so that they can be laid with an overlap of 5 cm.
Welding is carried out using a construction hair dryer equipped with a slotted nozzle. Pockets are made on the tops of the sides, into which the upper harness will be fixed. In the center parts of the sides, loops are created for mounting a sling, which makes the bowl stiffer.
The frame of the staircase can be made of steel pipes, and the steps are made of wood. For the guides, a profile with a diameter of 3 cm is taken. After their preparation, the racks are cut off, and the supporting parts are attached to them in the lower part. Cross bars are welded to them, on which the steps are then mounted. It is better not to rigidly connect the ladder to the pool, but to make it attached. This will reduce the stress on the structure.
The circulation and filtration blocks are connected to special pipes. Holes should be provided for them in the sides of the bowl. The drain valve is connected to a hose leading to the discharge point. The frame can be sheathed with sheet material. The metal structure is often painted with a special compound.
In winter, the film bowl is dismantled and stored indoors. To do this, you need to unscrew the screws. If the frame is made of wood, after dismantling the bowl, it is covered with polyethylene to protect it from moisture.
