about to have a pool built... a few questions

[bunsen]

Good day, Im new here so go easy on me if these answers are found elsewhere (if so i didnt find them)

Ive been looking at having an inground pool built, and have had several contractors come and give me quotes and of course explain their construction process. Many different contractors mention different ways of building often saying that the other contractors methods are not good. So hopefully here i can get some unbiased answers.

1. Is sand or clear stone (crushed stone) the better back fill?
2. Is it better to use deck braces attached to the pool wall (x braces im told) to support the concrete deck above or is it better to use sono tubes? I have been told that deck braces have a limited weight capacity and may not support a 3 foot concrete deck, but at the same time im told sono tubes can and will shift and cause damage to the concrete over the years
3. Is rebar enbedded in the concrete necessary or is wire mesh sufficient?

thank you in advance for any answers. BTW, living in Canada of course means we have cold winter, 4 months of pool use in summer.

 

[chem geek]

Welcome to TFP!

I'm sorry no one got around to answering your questions. It's the slower time of year and your thread may have slipped by. Unfortunately, I'm not the expert in the area of pool builds.

 

[OntarioPoolGuy]

I've been building pools in Ontario for 16 years now, and from doing new installs and lots of pool renovations heres what I can tell you:

1. Clearstone is always better than sand as a backfill material. Unless you are digging in sand. If you're digging in sand then you can get away with sand as a backfill material.

2. Braces or sono tubes both work fine as long as placement is done correctly. Back fill material, and proper drainage also play a key roll here.

3. Both mesh and bar work well as long as both are in the concrete. When doing renos and breaking up old decks, a lot of the time they never pulled the mesh up into the concrete so it sits on the bottom not doing a thing. I shouldn't complain though, it makes for easy break-outs!

Hope that answers your questions.

 

[bunsen]

Thanks for the answers. Pool build is currently underway... They will use rebar in the concrete with crushed stone for backfill with sonotubes concreted in at the same time as the pool footing. Hope it lasts!