Swimming Pool Store

In some respects an inground swimming pool is actually a hole in the ground filled with water, and an aboveground pool is just an big open container of water.  Of course, in reality, there is a lot more going on than just that.  Read on for an introduction into the construction and operation of a home swimming pool.

Step one in constructing an inground pool is digging the hole and creating a supporting structure within the hole.  This structure can be built of wood or metal, and usually has a layer of sand in the bottom to make the surface smooth.  An aboveground pool also begins with a layer of sand and a framework to support the actual pool.  Plumbing is installed as the pool is being built.  

Concrete pools are rarely made by pouring concrete into forms as is done when a homebuilder constructs a basement.  Instead, the more common method of building a pool involves creating the supporting structure and spraying or shooting a mixture of concrete and sand onto the structure.  The mixture, called "gunite," is mixed with water just before spraying.  

Here's an interesting fact.  An inground pool needs to be kept full of water.  If it is allowed to sit empty for too long, the ground water can actually push it up out of the ground.

The second step in how a pool works is the filtration system.  A pool has to be treated and filtered more or less continually or else the water will become polluted and unsafe for swimming.  To be continuously filtered, the water has to be kept moving through the system.  This is accomplished first by providing a drain outlet near the lowest part of the bottom of the pool.  A large pool may have two or more of these drains, which will be covered with grates or special coverings for safety.

A swimming pool has another sort of drain called the skimmer, which is located near the top of the water surface.  The skimmer draws the top water through a mesh basket, cleaning it of floating leaves, suntan oil, and similar floating debris.

After leaving the pool through the drains and the skimmer, the water must go through the filter.  To accomplish this, an electric pump is necessary to pull water out of the pool and through the filter.  The filter alone cannot keep the water clean of all pollutants, however.  To assist the pump and filter, pool owners must add a variety of chemical products to the pool water to keep it from harboring bacteria and algae.