Swimming Pool Technical Design and construction
Al Mustatie team makes it a priority that there is no compromise in effort and quality in executing the project from basic to the most complicated steps are meticulously planned. The most basic requirement for a swimming pool is to provide a container for water. The concrete “shell” must not leak and it must be strong enough to resist cracking and ground movement. It is important to remember that water is very heavy stuff and a typical small pool of 4 metres by 5 meters by 1.6 meters deep will contain 32 metric tons of water. Swimming pools should be designed by civil or structural engineers, people who can work out the enormous stresses and strains and design the pool accordingly.

The ground around the pool will provide support and this will vary according to the type of ground. If the ground is firm (such as clay) the pool will probably have plenty of support from the surrounding ground. If, however, the ground is light and porous or has been eroded by water flow around or under the pool there may be air voids present which can reduce the support for the pool and this may result in stress concentration in particular places in the walls or floor of the pool. If the pool is against firm ground on one side but with no support on the other, or much worse, cantilevered off a hillside the stresses on the pool can become enormous and it is imperative that proper engineering design is carried out.

The walls and bottom of the pool must be rigid enough to hold the water without flexing because flexing will crack the concrete. The reinforcing steel must be correctly designed and have sufficient coverage of dense concrete (6 cms coverage is advisable) to protect it from rusting.The concrete in the walls and bottom of a swimming pool are built in the same way that a concrete floor is constructed. We make a mesh of steel bars and embed it in concrete. Steel bends fairly easily and if we use only one layer of steel mesh in the concrete floor it will sag in the middle. If we use two layers of steel mesh with a gap between them this will stop the floor from sagging. The same applies to the walls and bottom of a swimming pool, we need two layers of mesh with a gap between to resist flexing.

Swimming Pool Construction
It is very important that the concrete shell, both the walls and bottom of the pool, are cast as a single piece of concrete. If we cast the bottom first and then the sides afterwards we will have a joint where the walls meet the bottom which is likely to leak. We also need to use a vibrator when we place the concrete to make sure it is dense with no air bubbles in it. Many builders don’t use vibrators. It is also a good idea to make the concrete is strong and K300 is advisable.

Circulation and drainage pipes
Before we cast the concrete shell we must install the water circulation pipework for the pool and most importantly the drains in the bottom. These MUST be installed properly, Proper care should be taken to glue the joints since it cannot be sealed later.

Electrical Installations
Conduits for pool lighting wiring needs to be well designed and built into the pool shell in such a way that they are electrically safe, can maintained and do not leak. NOTE pool lighting must always use low voltage (12 volts) for lighting or other poolside services. Once cast the pool shell is lined with a water proofing agent (just to make sure) followed by a cement “screed” (a thin layer of cement which may be anything from 2 cms to 8 cms thick) and finished with ceramic tiles or with a pool paint. In the bottom of the pool the “screed” is used to shape the bottom of the pool so that water will flow towards the drains. Tiles may be ceramic or mosaic fixed with special water resistant glue and finished with water resistant grout

Properly planned pump room with filtration, water cooling facilities keeping in mind future maintenance is most important.