DIY pool slide help needed

[Household6]

We might have put the cart before the horse, but we happened upon this playground slide and want to use it as a pool slide.

In trying to come up with a plan for a support structure we have determined that it (just the slide) stands just under 8’ tall when sitting on the ground. This footprint is 78” wide x 62”(ish) deep.

How far does the bottom of the slide need to:
1. hang over the water/edge of the deck; and
2. be above the pool deck?

Add’l Info:
From top of deck to water level is 6”.

Water depth at deck is 40”.

Water depth 1’ from deck is 44”

Water depth 2’ from deck is 60”

Pool is 9.5’ deep. (40’ x 20’)

No small children use the pool. Just teens and adults.

We are thinking the platform to enter the slide will be 36” x 36” and we want a top railing height at 42” high (from the top of the platform) and 2 or 3 add’l rails between). Are we on the right path?

As for water, would a drip hose mounted to the interior on opposite sides (12” up?) the length of the slide suffice?

Any feedback or suggestions appreciated!

 

[Household6]

I’ll just sit right here . . .

 

[Arizonarob]

What is that slide made out of? Seeing as that’s a playground slide, I’m thinking you are going to have to install rubber seals where the pieces join together to keep the water on the slide.
Let me ping a few peeps to get some feedback. Hang tight.
@ajw22 @JamesW @setsailsoon

 

[CrystalRiver]

What is the weight limit on that slide?

 

[Household6]

What is the weight limit on that slide?

No idea. But I’d be very surprised if a couple adults couldn’t go down at the same time.

 

[CrystalRiver]

No idea. But I’d be very surprised if a couple adults couldn’t go down at the same time.

If be very surprised if they could. Weight limits are typically close to 150-200 pounds. Water slides, intended for adults, have collapsed with deadly results when people rode down together.

 

[Household6]

What is that slide made out of? Seeing as that’s a playground slide, I’m thinking you are going to have to install rubber seals where the pieces join together to keep the water on the slide.
Let me ping a few peeps to get some feedback. Hang tight.
@ajw22 @JamesW @setsailsoon

Hmmm . . . had not thought of that. (And that’s why I love TFP so much!)

It’s made of an extremely thick plastic. The joints - rather than just being flat edge against flat edge there is a lip all the way around the receiving end of each piece.

Maybe some sort of rubber gasket is in order? Or caulking? or my son’s personal favorite . . . Flex Seal!
Any suggestions?

 

[Household6]

If be very surprised if they could. Weight limits are typically close to 150-200 pounds. Water slides, intended for adults, have collapsed with deadly results when people rode down together.

YIKES! On a standard residential slide??! I’m trying to imagine how . . . maybe if it toppled over while they were at the top and they hit heads on the ground?

Whatever the case, not my intentions for two adults to go down at once, just an example made in my head. Probably should have said “I’d be surprised if the limit was under 400#.”

 

[Household6]

UPDATE -
If anyone else gets the bright idea to try and make a spiral tube slide work, be sure you have some engineering background in your blood.

Photos attached of what we did.
Glad I talked my husband into not pouring cement for the pillars. Turned out the best calculations we had put the slide not far enough over the edge and pointing in the wrong direction - not by much, but enough that it would be dangerous.
So we adjusted by “walking” the posts to turn the structure. That turned out ok, but then we were faced with how to attach the cement blocks to pillars we would need to pour, and how to attach the wood to the blocks. Long story short, we realized we were in over our heads and needed help.

So I found someone to come out and take a look and see what he thought. But before doing that, we did want to ensure the surface of the slide was going to produce the wanted results. So we stood around and “supported” the structure while our 125# teen son went down. We didn’t expect it to be stable, but we didn’t expect it to be THIS UNstable.

Construction of new tower and supports begins on Saturday. Labor will be around $600 and says with new 16’ 4x4 posts he should be able to use much of what we already have already purchased.

I’ll update next week.

 

[Arizonarob]

That looks like something they had at Action Park in Vernon NJ. Dangerous!

 

[Household6]

Dangerous!

Yup! But once it’s “right”, looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun!

 

[Household6]

And all is well!
We were on the right path, but the primary issue was the 4 main poles not being cemented in ground.

Given that we could not precisely predict where the slide would exit without first setting it up, the advice I would give to anyone else who decided to give this a shot would be to Lay sheets of newspaper on top of the slide and then hodgepodge them and let dry. Peel the newspaper off in one piece and use this as your template to attach to the structure.

Spring for the 16’ long 4x4’s as your main posts. We thought 12’ would be plenty long enough. We were wrong and it wound up costing us an add’l $125 just for those 4 pieces with the very high cost of lumber right now. (You can always cut them shorter, but not make them longer.)

When building the structure ensure it is square at EVERY.SINGLE.STEP.

Once you get a semi-steady frame built, “attach” the paper mache slide template to see precisely you need to dig and pour cement. “Walk” the structure about a foot away and dig. Insert structure. Check slide template again. Check that it’s square again. Then pour concrete.

Our builder quoted us $600-$700 in labor. It took 2 people about 6 hours to complete. We are so happy with it that we didn’t even question the total owed and handed over $700.

The results . . .
It’s still a tad bit shaky in this video. Side “x” for support was added (see photos) and the concrete has now set. All is good!