Oct
6
Inground Swimming Pools – Understanding Your Basic Construction Options
Filed Under In-ground Pools, Construction & Designs
All inground swimming pools are constructed by excavating a hole in the ground and then covering it with some material to hold the water. There are three basic options for this material, concrete, vinyl, and fiberglass, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Concrete Pools
Concrete pools are by far the most durable, but also the most difficult to construct. These pools are constructed by lining the dugout with a series of steel bars called rebar, spraying the inside of the pool with concrete and surfacing it with plaster. The rebar, which can accommodate a pool of any shape, increase the concrete walls’ strength and resistance to cracking. Concrete pools are also relatively easy to re-plaster and therefore have a long life span.
Spray-on concrete has made the construction of concrete pools simpler and considerably less expensive than in the past. Before the introduction of spay-on concrete, swimming pools were built by pouring concrete into wooden frames constructed on the inside of the dugout. The need for a frame made the construction of creatively shaped pools a daunting task. But today, the spay-on technique allows the application of concrete to any desirable shape equally easy.
Vinyl Pools
Vinyl inground swimming pools are not as durable as concrete pools, but they are easier to construct and are considerably less expensive. Consequently, the arrival of vinyl pool lining techniques brought on a boom in swimming pool construction.
Vinyl pools are essentially constructed by surrounding the interior of the dugout with solid supporting walls made of materials such as, plastic, aluminum, brick, wood, etc., and lining those walls with a sheet of flexible vinyl. The bottom portion of the pool is lined with the same sheet of vinyl that rests on the flattened ground. Vinyl pool materials come in kits and are not customizable as concrete pools are, but manufacturers make large assortments of shapes, sizes and colors available for sale.
The vinyl lining does degrade over the years because of exposure to sunlight and pool chemicals. Typical lifetime for vinyl pool lining is about ten to twelve years. Worn vinyl is not difficult to replace and it is an expense that amounts to thousands of dollars. However, if the pool is built in certain types of soil that expand when wet, the pool may need to be re-excavated in the process at a much greater expense.
Fiberglass Pools
Fiberglass pools are not as durable as concrete pools and no less expensive, but ease of construction and cleaning efficiency are their two big advantages. The ease of construction derives from the fact that fiberglass pools come as one large single piece of fiberglass that is then put into a ground excavation using a crane. But because of this, fiberglass swimming pools are also limited to locations where there is delivery access.
Also because of their single piece mold nature, custom shaped fiberglass pools are not available. However, manufacturers do make numerous standard shapes and sizes to choose from. Some even come with features such as a spa, swim jets, children’s area, sun tanning ledge, and steps included.
Fiberglass pools are relatively easy to clean because of the smoothness of their inside surface, which is specially coated. The smooth coating makes it difficult for algae to stick to. However, like vinyl pools, fiberglass pools tend to degrade over about 10 to 15 years, and a worn fiberglass piece will most likely need to be replaced in its entirety.
