Contenido Swimming Pools. Design and Construction

The fourth edition of this classic book provides a comprehensive treatise on the design and construction of swimming pools, both public and private. Significantly revised, it covers planning, materials, design, construction and finishing, water circulation and treatment, energy conservation, maintenance and repairs. This is a standard book for all civil engineers who need to design and construct swimming pools, and a useful reference on the design of water-retaining structures.
This book, the fourth edition of Perkin's classic work on the subject, has now been significantly revised. The subjects covered are general design principles, materials use, durability, uses of reinforced and prestressed concrete, finishing of the pool and the pool hall, water treatment and circulation, and operation and maintenance of pools, both public and private. This is the standard reference for all civil engineers, architects, consultants and swimming pool operators involved in the design, construction and maintenance of swimming pools.

1 The planning and layout of swimming pools

General considerations

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Basic requirements for all swimming pools
1.3 Pools for private houses, clubs, hotels and schools
1.4 Covered pools for private houses, hotels, clubs and schools
1.5 Teaching/learner pools
1.6 Public swimming pools
1.7 Floor gradients
1.8 The drainage of walkways and wet areas
1.9 Hydrotherapy pools
1.10 Pools used for sub-aqua activities
1.11 Facilities for the disabled
1.12 Swimming pools with movable floors
1.13 Wave-making machines

Recommended procedure for getting a pool built: contracts and dealing with disputes

1.14 Introduction
1.15 Contracts: how to proceed
1.16 Dealing with disputes


2 Basic characteristics of the materials used in the construction of swimming pools

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Portland cements
2.3 Aggregates from natural sources for concrete and mortar
2.4 Admixtures
2.5 Additions
2.6 Water for mixing concrete, mortar and grout
2.7 Steel reinforcement
2.8 Spacers
2.9 Non-ferrous metals
2.10 Bimetallic corrosion
2.11 Curing compounds for concrete and mortar
2.12 Polymers
2.13 Reactive resins
2.14 Joint fillers
2.15 Joint sealants
2.16 Ceramic tiles
2.17 British standards and euro codes
References

3 Factors affecting the durability of reinforced concrete and cement-based materials used in the construction of swimming pools

3.1 Introduction
3.2 Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete
3.3 Carbonation of concrete
3.4 Chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcement
3.5 Deterioration of the concrete
3.6 Chemical attack on cement-based mortar
3.7 Swimming pool water and chemicals used in water treatment
3.8 Moorland water and the Langelier Index
3.9 Alkali-silica reaction

4 Construction of swimming pool shells in insitu reinforced concrete

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Site investigations
4.3 Under-drainage of site
4.4 Flotation (uplift) of the pool shell
4.5 General comments on design and construction
4.6 Concrete construction in cold weather
4.7 Concrete construction in hot weather
4.8 Plastic cracking
4.9 Thermal contraction cracking
4.10 Swimming pools with floor slabs supported on the ground
4.11 Construction of the walls of the pool
4.12 Construction of walkway slabs and floors of wet changing areas
4.13 Curing the concrete floor and walls of the pool
4.14 Construction of suspended pool shells
4.15 Thermal insulation of swimming pool shells
4.16 Under-water lighting and under-water windows

5 Construction of swimming pool shells in reinforced sprayed concrete and other materials

Reinforced sprayed concrete (shotcrete)

5.1 Introduction
5.2 Design and specification
5.3 Methods of application
5.4 Execution of the work
5.5 Thermal insulation
5.6 Pipework
5.7 Testing for watertightness
5.8 Under-water lighting
Swimming pools constructed with reinforced hollow concrete block walls and insitu reinforced concrete floor

5.9 Introduction
5.10 Construction of the floor
5.11 Construction of the walls
5.12 Pipework
5.13 Under-water lighting
5.14 Curing the concrete and protecting the blockwork
5.15 Testing for watertightness
5.16 Back-filling around the walls
5.17 Thermal insulation

Sandwich type construction with insitu reinforced concrete core wall and concrete blocks as permanent form work

5.18 Introduction
5.19 Construction of the floor
5.20 Pipework
5.21 Construction of the walls
5.22 Under-water lighting
5.23 Finishes to floor and walls
5.24 Testing for watertightness
5.25 Back-filling around the walls
5.26 Thermal insulation

Other methods of construction

5.27 General comments
5.28 Pools constructed with mass (gravity) type walls
5.29 Curing the concrete
5.30 Testing for watertightness
5.31 Pools constructed in very stable ground such as chalk or rock
5.32 Pools constructed of precast post-tensioned concrete units
5.33 Pool shells of steel

6 External works

6.1 General considerations
6.2 Paving
6.3 Surface water drainage
6.4 Walling

7 Finishing the pool shell and associated structures; problems with pool hall roofs

Finishing the pool shell and associated structures

7.1 Cement-sand rendering to insitu concrete walls
7.2 Cement-sand rendering to sprayed concrete walls
7.3 Cement-sand rendering to concrete block walls
7.4 Cement-sand screeds on insitu concrete floors
7.5 Cement-sand screeds on sprayed concrete floors
7.6 Ceramic tiles and mosaic
7.7 Walkways and wet changing areas
7.8 Testing the completed tiling
7.9 Marbelite
7.10 Coatings and paints
7.11 Sheet linings to swimming pools
7.12 Glass-fibre polyester resin linings
7.13 Finishes to walls of pool halls

The roofs of swimming pool halls

7.14 General considerations
7.15 Pressurised roof voids
7.16 The warm-deck roof


8 Water circulation and water treatment

Water circulation

8.1 Flow-through pools
8.2 Pools where the pool water is in continuous circulation
8.3 Ducts for pipework

Water treatment

8.4 Layout of treatment plant
8.5 Filtration and filters
8.6 Chemical dosing of the pool water
8.7 The disinfection of pool water
8.8 Chlorination
8.9 Ozone
8.10 Bromine
8.11 Chlorine dioxide
8.12 Metallic ions (silver and copper)
8.13 Ultra-violet radiation
8.14 The base-exchange process for softening pool water
8.15 Sulphates in swimming pool water
Further reading

9 Notes on heating swimming pools and energy conservation

9.1 Heating open-air swimming pools
9.2 Heating the water in indoor swimming pools
9.3 Heating and ventilation of pool halls and adjoining areas
9.4 Solar heating of swimming pools



10 Maintenance and repairs to swimming pools

Maintenance of swimming pools

10.1 General considerations
10.2 Routine supervision: smaller pools
10.3 Shut-down periods
10.4 Algal growths: prevention and removal
10.5 Foot infections

Repairs to external works: paving

10.6 Remedial work to insitu concrete paving for pedestrians
10.7 Remedial work to insitu concrete paving for light commercial vehicles
10.8 Remedial work for precast concrete flag paving
10.9 Remedial work to precast concrete block paving
10.10 Remedial work to clay pavers
10.11 Remedial work to slippery paving
10.12 Preventing trips and falls

Repairs to external works: walling

10.13 Remedial work to free-standing walls
10.14 Remedial work to earth-retaining walls

Remedial work to pools under construction

10.15 General comments
10.16 Remedial work to thermal contraction cracks
10.17 Remedial work to drying shrinkage cracks
10.18 Remedial work to honeycombed concrete
10.19 Inadequate concrete cover to the reinforcement

Remedial work to existing pools: tracing leaks and investigations

10.20 Introduction
10.21 Tracing leaks
10.22 General investigations

Remedial work to existing pools: repairs following leak tracing and investigations

10.23 Remedial work to leakage
10.24 Improving support to the pool floor
10.25 Structural lining to the pool shell
10.26 Remedial work to finishes

Further reading

Appendix 1 Conversion factors and coefficients

Appendix 2 Testing swimming pools shells, walkway slabs and other wet areas for watertightness. Commissioning
swimming pools

Introduction
Testing new pools
Testing existing pools
The leakage test procedure
General comments on testing
Watertightness test for walkway slabs and other wet areas
Commissioning swimming pools (filling and emptying)

Appendix 3 Investigations, sampling and testing

General considerations
Sampling and laboratory testing
Cover-meter survey

Appendix 4 The consultant/designer as an expert witness

Introduction
The form of the Expert’s Report
The expert witness and the Construction Act 1996

Appendix 5 Notes on safety in swimming pools

Introduction
Water depths for diving
Signs for water depths in the pool
Other safety signs
Outlets for water in the pool floor
Water slides and play equipment
Slipping and tripping on floors of walkways,
changing rooms etc.
Chemicals in water treatment

Appendix 6 List of organisations relevant to this book