Building a "Perimeter" overflow type pool

[Alphaman]

Hi to all at TFP!

I am presently building a pool from the basement upwards(the pool surface is at ground floor, pool structure below an excavated basement) in the
centre of a "Courtyard House" , (also under construction),so that the overflow edge is leveled with the courtyard flooring at Ground floor.

This is an overflow type pool with channels around three sides (see pics attached)
Pool Specs;
The deep end is 1.65m(5'-5") deep and the shallow end 1.0m(3'-4").
The inside dimensions of pool is :6.92m(22'-9") x 3.40m (11'-2")
Volume of water in pool : 38 yds3

Now, from readings in this and other forums, they are talking about an additional "Compensation Tank"???

What is this and where does it need to be situated and what size for this pool volume and the pipework.
We have not made provision for this and we are casting the pool floor slab at the moment so can this "compensation tank' be a PVC tank situated nearby the pool to empty into??

Please, can someone just give me some pointers as to:

- Number of inlets to pool and their positions
- Type and capacity of pump
- Filters
-Water treatment
-Pipes sizing
-Pool drain and size

I am going for a PVC pool liner at the moment. Someone I know is suggesting "fibre Glass Coating" as pool finishing???

Im struggling at the moment as I realized this is more complicated than I imagined.

There are no pool specialist where I live so I am putting together the bits as I go along.

 

[d_red1]

You will need a compensation tank that is large enough to store the water displaced by swimmers if your perimeter trough is not large enough. As this is a perimeter pool and not an infinity pool, I wouldn't think that water would be constantly flowing over the weirs so you may be able to ignore the calculation for raising the water level to flow over as well as the amount of water going over the spillway. However, there are smarter people than me on here than can confirm. Read the following articles for a better understanding of tank size:

A Pocket Guide to Building Vanishing Edge Pools

Advice for avoiding costly errors in vanishing-edge projects.

aquamagazine.com

https://www.lewakins.com/files/containment-with-vanishing-edge-lew-2002.pdf

-I would think a pvc tank would be find, but you would want it to sit lower than the perimeter trough so gravity can flow the water to the tank
-as far as inlets, no less than 4 and evenly spaced around the pool for even mixing
-you can't go wrong with a variable speed pump (any spas or other water features that need to be figured in?)
-based on your volume, i would say a cartridge filter no less than 200sf
-the bigger the pipe the better, drain pipe 3" and returns 2 or 2.5"
-these days it seems that a lot of people forgo the pool drain and just depend on the skimmer, however, I would add a trench style drain to the pool
-speaking of which, I didn't see any mention of skimmers, I wonder, does the perimeter trough act as one large skimmer? will you need a filter basket at the trough drain?

 

[Alphaman]

Thanks for all your valuable comments.I am putting this thing together, bit by bit as I want to buy all the plumbing bits
out here(London) before returning to Ghana.
Do you know what size the "surge tank" need to be?
Ok,four inlets (as this is a small pool). I will be putting them in on the longer (inner) side of pool(the side with the rounded spa in picture),the other longer side has a retaining wall so it will be difficult to access. So all the four inlets going in on one side.
What about the outlets (the returns),how many and where to situate them??
The pool drain will act as one (what type please?)but the others??
What power output for the pump and how many. Some say split pumps to two instead of just one??
Yes there would be no skimmers as the trough will act as them.
Please, what type of coupling "pipe sleeves" to buy for encasing in the concrete formwork during pouring?
The rounded spa at the shallow end is a feature I would like but have no idea yet how to make it function,(Pipes sizes & position and separate pump or not???)
I lot of questions but would be grateful if you or someone else can help here in the forum.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Alphaman]

Thanks for all your valuable comments.I am putting this thing together, bit by bit as I want to buy all the plumbing bits
out here(London) before returning to Ghana.
Do you know what size the "surge tank" need to be?
Ok,four inlets (as this is a small pool). I will be putting them in on the longer (inner) side of pool(the side with the rounded spa in picture),the other longer side has a retaining wall so it will be difficult to access. So all the four inlets going in on one side.
What about the outlets (the returns),how many and where to situate them??
The pool drain will act as one (what type please?)but the others??
What power output for the pump and how many. Some say split pumps to two instead of just one??
Yes there would be no skimmers as the trough will act as them.
Please, what type of coupling "pipe sleeves" to buy for encasing in the concrete formwork during pouring?
The rounded spa at the shallow end is a feature I would like but have no idea yet how to make it function,(Pipes sizes & position and separate pump or not???)
I lot of questions but would be grateful if you or someone else can help here in the forum.
Thanks in advance!

Hi to all at TFP!

I am still no near to getting this off the ground.
we're 60% out of foundation and will be pouring the base and side walls to the pool.
As you might be aware this is a "Perimeter overflow pool "type with the overflow trough running along 3 sides.
No Skimers - The Troughs act as one big Skimmer.
I will be having 4 returns along the innermost wall(with the Spa)
Pool drain - 2 Floor drains at deeper end + Overflow troughs on 3 sides of pool.
I am thinking of sloping the concrete floor to the troughs (say 1%) from beginning to end so it acts as one long
running gutter that empties into the "compensation/Balancing Tank at its lower end (Siting behind the deep end of pool)
What I need to know now the following please:
1) The type and sizes of PVC "Inlets & Return" head fittings that are inserted into the concrete formwork before pouring
Puddle flange/socket nipple etc..???
2)What power output for the pump and how many. Some say split pumps to two instead of just one??
Volume of water in pool : 38 yds3
3)The rounded spa at the shallow end is a feature I would like but have no idea yet how to make it function,(Pipes sizes & position and separate pump or not???)
4)Projectors - 2 Light projectors from the side (PVC fittings/sleeves for fixing to concrete formwork prior to pouring)
5)Vacuum Robot- (do I need this?) -PVC fittings/sleeves for fixing to concrete formwork prior to pouring
6)Type and capacity of pump
From what I have gleamed from the forums and my calcs, I would be needing:
1 x 10m3 Filtration Pump (ULTRA FLOW??)
1 x 14m3 Circulation pumps (ULTRA FLOW??)
Is this too much for volume of pool?
7)Filters
Sand Filter - 520mm 12 m3/hr ??
8)Water treatment
Chlorinator - 1 or 2 chlorinator units (depending on pump sizing/number)?
9)Water level regulator -5 emitters?
10) Floater for the Balance tank ?
11) anti return Valves after each pump?
12)1 x LED Projector (Multicolours)
13)1 x Switch/Socket for "Robot"+ Suppressers (Do I really need this)??
14)Waterproofing (GELCOAT)or Liner ??
I am going for a PVC pool liner at the moment.
15) PH Regulator
16) PVC piping - will be using 2" piping(type & some T & elbow connectors needed to join piping, all 2"

List looks exhaustive but its all I have been able to put together.
Pls, where I am we don't have pool specialist of the kind you have in US(I will have used one instead of all this)
I am just asking for pointers - at least all the pre fittings I would need before we start concrete pouring!!

Thanks

 

[Alphaman]

Hi to all at TFP!

I am still no near to getting this off the ground.
we're 60% out of foundation and will be pouring the base and side walls to the pool.
As you might be aware this is a "Perimeter overflow pool "type with the overflow trough running along 3 sides.
No Skimers - The Troughs act as one big Skimmer.
I will be having 4 returns along the innermost wall(with the Spa)
Pool drain - 2 Floor drains at deeper end + Overflow troughs on 3 sides of pool.
I am thinking of sloping the concrete floor to the troughs (say 1%) from beginning to end so it acts as one long
running gutter that empties into the "compensation/Balancing Tank at its lower end (Siting behind the deep end of pool)
What I need to know now the following please:
1) The type and sizes of PVC "Inlets & Return" head fittings that are inserted into the concrete formwork before pouring
Puddle flange/socket nipple etc..???
2)What power output for the pump and how many. Some say split pumps to two instead of just one??
Volume of water in pool : 38 yds3
3)The rounded spa at the shallow end is a feature I would like but have no idea yet how to make it function,(Pipes sizes & position and separate pump or not???)
4)Projectors - 2 Light projectors from the side (PVC fittings/sleeves for fixing to concrete formwork prior to pouring)
5)Vacuum Robot- (do I need this?) -PVC fittings/sleeves for fixing to concrete formwork prior to pouring
6)Type and capacity of pump
From what I have gleamed from the forums and my calcs, I would be needing:
1 x 10m3 Filtration Pump (ULTRA FLOW??)
1 x 14m3 Circulation pumps (ULTRA FLOW??)
Is this too much for volume of pool?
7)Filters
Sand Filter - 520mm 12 m3/hr ??
8)Water treatment
Chlorinator - 1 or 2 chlorinator units (depending on pump sizing/number)?
9)Water level regulator -5 emitters?
10) Floater for the Balance tank ?
11) anti return Valves after each pump?
12)1 x LED Projector (Multicolours)
13)1 x Switch/Socket for "Robot"+ Suppressers (Do I really need this)??
14)Waterproofing (GELCOAT)or Liner ??
I am going for a PVC pool liner at the moment.
15) PH Regulator
16) PVC piping - will be using 2" piping(type & some T & elbow connectors needed to join piping, all 2"

List looks exhaustive but its all I have been able to put together.
Pls, where I am we don't have pool specialist of the kind you have in US(I will have used one instead of all this)
I am just asking for pointers - at least all the pre fittings I would need before we start concrete pouring!!

Thanks

I am still no near to getting this off the ground.
we're 60% out of foundation and will be pouring the base and side walls to the pool.
As you might be aware this is a "Perimeter overflow pool "type with the overflow trough running along 3 sides.
No Skimers - The Troughs act as one big Skimmer.
I will be having 4 returns along the innermost wall(with the Spa)
Pool drain - 2 Floor drains at deeper end + Overflow troughs on 3 sides of pool.
I am thinking of sloping the concrete floor to the troughs (say 1%) from beginning to end so it acts as one long
running gutter that empties into the "compensation/Balancing Tank at its lower end (Siting behind the deep end of pool)
What I need to know now the following please:
1) The type and sizes of PVC "Inlets & Return" head fittings that are inserted into the concrete formwork before pouring
Puddle flange/socket nipple etc..???
2)What power output for the pump and how many. Some say split pumps to two instead of just one??
Volume of water in pool : 38 yds3
3)The rounded spa at the shallow end is a feature I would like but have no idea yet how to make it function,(Pipes sizes & position and separate pump or not???)
4)Projectors - 2 Light projectors from the side (PVC fittings/sleeves for fixing to concrete formwork prior to pouring)
5)Vacuum Robot- (do I need this?) -PVC fittings/sleeves for fixing to concrete formwork prior to pouring
6)Type and capacity of pump
From what I have gleamed from the forums and my calcs, I would be needing:
1 x 10m3 Filtration Pump (ULTRA FLOW??)
1 x 14m3 Circulation pumps (ULTRA FLOW??)
Is this too much for volume of pool?
7)Filters
Sand Filter - 520mm 12 m3/hr ??
8)Water treatment
Chlorinator - 1 or 2 chlorinator units (depending on pump sizing/number)?
9)Water level regulator -5 emitters?
10) Floater for the Balance tank ?
11) anti return Valves after each pump?
12)1 x LED Projector (Multicolours)
13)1 x Switch/Socket for "Robot"+ Suppressers (Do I really need this)??
14)Waterproofing (GELCOAT)or Liner ??
I am going for a PVC pool liner at the moment.
15) PH Regulator
16) PVC piping - will be using 2" piping(type & some T & elbow connectors needed to join piping, all 2"

List looks exhaustive but its all I have been able to put together.
Pls, where I am we don't have pool specialist of the kind you have in US(I will have used one instead of all this)
I am just asking for pointers - at least all the pre fittings I would need before we start concrete pouring!!

Thanks
PS:Forgot the attachments

 

[Alphaman]

Hi all,
For the pool I am building above, what type of floor drain would I need, Concrete one or liner one?
I am presuming I will coat the inner concrete shell of pool with a render coat then the liner.
So the eye inlets and pool drain will be the for concrete pools or liner pools since the shell is concrete and finishing is liner!!

 

[Pv2]

I have no idea on technical things, but I have seen pools in other parts of the world that also do not have access to "experts" and often they are painted concrete when the budget is lower, but the nice ones are frequently finished all over with tile. Is there a hard ceramic tile industry in Ghana? I know there are all kinds of ways to set the tile and of course I do not know anything else, only that I have seen a number of beautiful hand built pools that were tiled inside.

pool paint can work too, it looks fine for a while (and it is a swimming pool, after all! that is the point for me) but does not last too long compared to other finishes. on the other hand, it can be redone fairly easily. good luck, I hope others will be able to give you some more advice.