swimming pools 4ed philip h perkins 2
Swimming Pools Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins Swimming Pools Fourth edition Philip H Perkins London and New York Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins This edition published in 2000 by E & FN Spon 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. E & FN Spon is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group First edition 1971 Second edition 1978 Third edition 1988 (Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Ltd) © 2000 Philip H Perkins All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-47788-X Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-78612-2 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-419-23590-6 (Print Edition) Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins Contents Preface 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 Further reading 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 Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins 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 Further reading 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 Further reading 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 Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins 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 Further reading 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 Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins 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 Further reading 6 External works 6.1 General considerations 6.2 Paving 6.3 Surface water drainage 6.4 Walling Further reading 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 Further reading Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins 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 Further reading 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 Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins 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 Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins 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 Copyright 2000 Philip H Perkins [...]... Courtesy, Buckingham Swimming Pools Ltd Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins Figure 1.9 Indoor, 25 m school pool Courtesy, Buckingham Swimming Pools Ltd Figure 1.10 Indoor hotel pool, Switzerland Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins with water vapour, condensation will occur on the contact surfaces The temperature at which condensation occurs is known as the dew point The design and detailing of the roof requires... 1.6.3 Types, shapes and dimensions When the first edition of this book was published in 1971, the standard shape of public swimming pools in the UK was rectangular or L-shaped Some large pools had two shallow ends In L-shaped pools, the long leg can be used for swimming and the short leg for diving However, with the advent of the leisure centre, the shape, size and use of pools have changed considerably... water and the air in the pool hall to be a few degrees above that in the main part of the building 1.6 Public swimming pools 1.6.1 Introduction In the UK and most countries in the temperate zone, all new large swimming pools which are publicly owned are covered to enable them to be used throughout the year Table 1 .2 Examples of dimensions of teaching pools Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins There are a... temperature of the air in the hall; if the air is saturated Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins Figure 1.5 Pool with Roman end and steps and fully automatic cover Courtesy, Buckingham Swimming Pools Ltd Figure 1.6 Indoor private house pool Courtesy, Buckingham Swimming Pools Ltd Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins Figure 1.7 Indoor hotel deck-level pool with spa pool Courtesy, Buckingham Swimming Pools Ltd Figure 1.8... Figure 1.15 Hydrotherapy pool in school for pupils with severe learning difficulties Courtesy, Buckingham Swimming Pools Ltd Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The floor should have a flat gradient of about 1 in 80 (25 mm in 2. 00 m) which should be adequate for emptying The floor of the pool and all wet areas should be finished with non-slip ceramic tiles or ceramic mosaic If the pool is... with an almost level bottom The water depth generally varies from 0.80 m to 1.00 m A useful size is 12. 00 m by about 7.0 m There are often shallow steps into the pool extending the full length of the short side There are different opinions as to whether the walkway around the pool should be lower than the deck to enable the teacher to carry out his duties without having to bend down, or whether the... competitions, the regulations of the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) should be followed Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins 1.3 Pools for private houses, clubs, hotels and schools 1.3.1 Open-air pools: location With pools in this category, there is generally a limited choice of location as they usually have to be built on the same plot as the main building An exception is school pools as these... complete the project will be very high and the chance of obtaining financial compensation from the original contractor is extremely small This is why it is important for the consultant not to feel obliged to recommend the acceptance of the lowest tender even though the tenders are from a list which he has drawn up There can be many reasons why a contractor will submit an Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins. .. construction, within the roof space The environment in the hall of a heated indoor swimming pool can be considered as particularly hostile to many building materials; the air temperature is relatively high—probably about 28 °C to 30 °C, and the relative humidity is also high, say, 70–75% The surfaces in contact with the air in the pool hall will generally have a lower temperature than the temperature of the air... wrong, such as work unduly delayed, poor workmanship, the use of sub-standard materials, the failure of the pool to pass the leakage test etc., the building owner will find he is faced with the following limited choice: 1 2 He can accept the situation, which he would be most unwilling to do, or He can instruct the contractor to put things right, in accordance with the terms of the contract, and if he fails . Swimming Pools Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins Swimming Pools Fourth edition Philip H Perkins London and New York Copyright 20 00 Philip H. around the walls Copyright 20 00 Philip H Perkins 5 .26 Thermal insulation Other methods of construction 5 .27 General comments 5 .28 Pools constructed with mass