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Building a Custom Swimming Pool

by Roberto Bell

Making the decision to custom build a swimming pool in your backyard is very exciting! Many people envision their children laughing and splashing in the water, their friends sitting around with cold beverages and neighbourhood BBQ's with the pool being the main centerpiece. But building a pool is major construction and the vision sometimes gets lost with the noise of the yard being dug up and construction workers milling around. This article will help those future pool owners understand what's really happening during the process and keep the vision of the finished product in their heads.

The first step is the fun part and that's designing your swimming pool! A qualified team of contractors and designers will sit down with you to decide what type of pool you would like. They will take into consideration what your needs are and what will be most suitable to your yard. You will choose things such as the pool's shape, the colour, and the different materials that will be used.

Before any excavation is begun, a representative of the company you have chosen will come to layout the new pool in your backyard. This layout will show where your pool area will be, where the deck area will be, and where the location of the pool equipment will be. This will all be based on the custom design you have chosen. After you approve the layout, building will begin!

The next step is the grading and excavation. The excavating equipment will be brought in and the digging will begin. It usually takes about one full day to dig out the pool area and remove the soil from your yard. If there are soil or rock issues to contend with, it may take longer than one day.

To protect the pool from ground forces, steel is brought in next. Steel-reinforcing rods, or rebar, are placed inside the pool area. These will travel along the bottom, up the sides, and around the perimeter. After this is done, the plumbing and electrical can be completed. Plumbing crews will install the proper piping to clean and purify your swimming pool. The electricians will also hook up to your main electricity service and connect the pool equipment and lighting. A concrete mixture called gunite is then applied. This is applied with a lot of pressure so it can bond tightly around the steel reinforcing rods. This reinforces the steel and gives it much more strength.

The swimming pool tile is installed next. This will be installed up to what will be the waterline in the pool. The coping, or the 'lip', of the pool may also be installed around the perimeter of the pool at this time. Tile and coping are available in a wide variety of colours, designs, and textures. You will have chosen these when you were designing your pool. The decking will be installed after the tile. This is an important part of the design as it frames and accents the pool. The materials can be concrete, brick, or stone.

The pool equipment set will then be placed on a concrete pad and be made operational. The pool will then be covered with a strong, waterproof finish that will seal the pool and provide the finishing touches. There will be different colours available that will affect the colour of the pool when reflecting the sun.

After that, your pool is finished! All it needs is some landscaping, some patio furniture, and voila! Your vision has finally arrived!

Building a Custom swimming pool design by Legendary Escapes.

Article Source: 1ArticleWorld.com
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Swimming Pool Maintenance Tips

by

Owning a swimming pool is wonderful, what can be better than diving in cool refreshing water in the middle of a summer day? But there is always a downside, swimming pool maintenance. If you want your pool to be in a good condition for many years it needs your constant attention. Find out how you can maintain your swimming pool properly with a minimum effort.

Pool cleaning

Keeping your pool clean is absolutely essential. Many people think that if it is a private pool used only by the members of the family, it doesn't need much cleaning. Unfortunately, this is very far from the truth. Bacteria get into the water anyway, and if you don't keep it under control on a regular basis, it will breed and eventually can endanger people who use the pool, especially young children.

Cleaning your pool of fallen leaves and other dirt is another important issue. If you leave organic matter in the pool it will decompose and attract bacteria. So leaves have to be fished out regularly. To help you minimize the effort, invest into a pool cover and cover your swimming pool at night. Also if you are only planning to build a backyard pool, select a spot that is not directly under trees.

Maintain the right water chemistry

Having the right water chemistry is the most important factor in your pool maintenance. If the water doesn't have the right pH, it can become corrosive and destroy your pool. You can check the water yourself using special pool test kits or ask a professional in pool maintenance for help.

Another important thing is cleaning your filters. You have to do it on a regular basis, so the filters don't get clogged. The good news is that if you keep the right chemical balance of the water, filters will not need as much cleaning.

Can your pool be self-maintained?

Isn't it just a dream of every pool owner that you don't have to do a thing to your pool and if will miraculously clean and maintain itself? Some innovations can help you to a degree.

You can install build in vacuuming systems or use a robotic vacuuming unit. There are also chemical control units that regularly test the water and fix its chemistry automatically, so you don't have to worry about it. These swimming pool accessories are not cheap of course, but they can make maintaining your pool easier. They will also cost less than hiring a professional pool maintenance service.

Consider a swimming pool heater

Isn't it sad that we can only use a swimming pool during warm summer month? It would be nice to take a relaxing swim in autumn, but the water is already too cold. This can be fixed by installing a pool heater. With a good heater you can continue using your pool until October and even November.

There is a variety of swimming pool heaters, you can find electric, gas and even solar heaters. If you have natural gas in your aria, gas heaters are powerful economical. They can heat up even a large pool quickly. And of course solar heaters are even more economical, because the energy is free all together. Simple models of solar pool heaters are inexpensive and perfect for smaller pools. They can extend your swimming season by two or three month.

Tanya Turner is a publisher of Swimming Pool Supply Guide where you can find information about all types of pools, and price comparisons of swimming pool supply and accessories

Article Source: 1ArticleWorld.com

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