CMU pool without liner questions (edited)

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I think my only hang-up now for going with tile would be winterization. The glass tile is impervious, but the grout is what would take on water and expand, right? So I’d want to fully drain each winter (again, I have well water so it’s basically free). Being 32’ long, I am thinking maybe I should install some ground anchors 16’ away on either side. Maybe a 3’x3’x1’ chunk of concrete with rebar tied to the cmu walls and concrete to curb any lateral pressure? Deep end walls are only 6’ so I guess there shouldn’t really be that much pressure. Am thinking if I backfill with ca6 gravel that might help with ground heave vs soil that would keep a lot more moisture out of the ground. I will have a paving brick patio surrounding the pool on 3 sides as well, and am thinking about doing stamped concrete for pool edges about 3’ out
 
Surley Laticrete take into account the expansion and contraction of the materials with temperature, so i would be at ease. Draining and refilling just does not play good in my logic but again -2ºC is the most we see down here and not to often. Tonight temps will drop to around 5ºC with this cold front and the pool right now is 20ºC so that is a big shift. Lets see tomorrow where my water temp will drop to.
Here is a pic, sorry about the messy porcelain floor.


A4FE4AC3-72D3-4993-A218-B81F5358A1EE.jpeg
 
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That’s a beauty!!! I don’t know why it never crossed my mind to ask laticrete directly, duh! 🤪

It’s nice too see tight corner radiuses like that with a robot cleaner because I’m going to assume it works well?

If nothing else, maybe some heat tape around the waterline would work vs a floating heat element? Would be able to go around the whole perimeter and prevent ice buildup on tiles. Or, as I just found out, there is such a thing as non-toxic antifreeze, but that sounds like it’s only for the plumbing?

Heck, maybe I could use a schluter ditra matt under the waterline tile and have the waterline tiles be heated to prevent ice buildup even.. That’s getting a bit over the top IMO but whatever works is the name of the game I guess
 
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RussMaGuss said:
Hi all!

I'm planning a concrete block pool build for this spring. I am a mason contractor by trade so I am doing it this way instead of hiring a pool company to shotcrete/gunnite.

I have looked up a few posts here about CMU pools and it seems like everyone uses a liner. I am planning to pour a concrete bottom and then plaster. Are there any examples floating around of pools like this?


I edited this post to thin it out a little and keep my questions simple:

Does anyone know of any pool finish suppliers that ship to IL? I called SMG and after getting phone number after phone number I got a salesperson's phone number in Indianapolis that sounds like is the person in charge of distribution in my area but got their voicemail only. Looking to use diamond brite.

For the actual application: I do not have access to a $50,000 shotcrete machine :ROFLMAO:. Will a standard hand held stucco sprayer be enough, or would I be wasting my time and better off just applying it by hand in the first place? Application video suggests that wetting the surface and then spraying is the only way, but I figure if I take the mason's approach of scratch coating, it should be fine, right? I figure for the square footage, me and my laborer could do it in about half a day if we had to do it all by trowel (16x32 rectangle, 6' deep end and shallow is split between sun shelf and 40" deep area.)

Plumbing packages: I hear that 2" pvc is a lot better, but maybe overkill for my pool size? Mine will be roughly 16,000 gallons I figure.
For plumbing layout, I have figured 1 skimmer between the deep and shallow end, close to the pump, and then 2 floor drains. I am thinking 2 return lines would be fine also--1 in the deep and 1 in the middle area.

Thanks for any advice!
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I have a thread for our CMU pool that we are in the process of building. Our plan was to use rubberized paint, but am strongly considering using Drylok Pro instead as it has thick mil than rubberize paint. Let me know what you decided. I looked at Insl-X brand as it would go directly over cinder blocks/concrete as well.
 
mjcjives said:
Also... What did you decide on for return jets and skimmer? I have been looking online for return jets and/or skimmers that were designed for CMU, but no luck. Any advice on this would be great.
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Not sure why I only got notified just now on this..

I ended up tiling the whole thing with mosaic sheets. I found some for around $5/sqft.

My process was: Aquadefense over cmu and concrete, then tile using Laticrete 257 platinum and then grouted with Mapei plus FA so I could fill the pool quickly after grouting.

For the skimmers I used the hayward ones that you set in concrete. I left an opening in the wall and formed and poured the skimmer, drilling rebar into the block wall.

For returns, I cut 1.5” pvc flush to the tile and just put in some slip fitting directional returns. My plan is when I winterize, to just pull them out and install the rubber plugs with the wing nuts on them

I attached photos off my phone, although it says some are too large for the server.. I plan to create another post about this in the future, I am always just so busy with other jobs and projects. Maybe when the weather cools down I’ll have more time though..

It has lasted all summer with not a single issue! Water was murky upon filling because it is well water, but thanks to helpful people here, I got it sparkling clear! (Polyfill stuffed into the skimmer baskets, plus a heavy flocculant dose with thorough vacuuming to waste)

(I tiled the floor as well, that is a in progress photo of it)IMG_2903.jpegIMG_2937.jpegIMG_2943.jpeg
 
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Thanks for the pictures. Do you happen to have picture or a link to the skimmer and returns that you used?

So I found this online, is this what you meant by slip fit return?
www.poolweb.com

Pool Eyebal Insider Fitting - 1-1/2" Slip - 1" Opening

This is a 1-1/2 inch Directional Return Knock-in Fitting in white with a 1 inch opening. Our directional eyeball insider fittings with 1-1/2 inch slip are knock-ins and self-aligning. They are designed to fit standard slip inlets or wall fittings. Made of high-quality ABS plastic, our inlet...
www.poolweb.com www.poolweb.com

BTW, you did a great job with this, looks like a lot of work.
 
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mjcjives said:
Thanks for the pictures. Do you happen to have picture or a link to the skimmer and returns that you used?

So I found this online, is this what you meant by slip fit return?
www.poolweb.com

Pool Eyebal Insider Fitting - 1-1/2" Slip - 1" Opening

This is a 1-1/2 inch Directional Return Knock-in Fitting in white with a 1 inch opening. Our directional eyeball insider fittings with 1-1/2 inch slip are knock-ins and self-aligning. They are designed to fit standard slip inlets or wall fittings. Made of high-quality ABS plastic, our inlet...
www.poolweb.com www.poolweb.com

BTW, you did a great job with this, looks like a lot of work.
Click to expand...
I used 2 of the Hayward SP1082 skimmers. When you pour the concrete around it, the ridges along it will help grip it better

And yeah, those are pretty much exactly what I used for returns

And thanks! Aside from the excavation, this was almost entirely a 2 man job (me and my laborer. My dad helped for a couple hrs when we poured the floor slab). Starting on the day it was excavated, and finishing on the day we passed final inspection and filled it, it was exactly 6 weeks, including the fence and the pavers! We worked on it probably 35hrs per week, so a rough man hr estimate would probably be 420 hrs. If I ever build another, I would definitely hire a crew or at least 2-3 other guys to help pour the slab though, that was easily the most labor intensive part by far!
 

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RussMaGuss said:
I used 2 of the Hayward SP1082 skimmers. When you pour the concrete around it, the ridges along it will help grip it better

And yeah, those are pretty much exactly what I used for returns

And thanks! Aside from the excavation, this was almost entirely a 2 man job (me and my laborer. My dad helped for a couple hrs when we poured the floor slab). Starting on the day it was excavated, and finishing on the day we passed final inspection and filled it, it was exactly 6 weeks, including the fence and the pavers! We worked on it probably 35hrs per week, so a rough man hr estimate would probably be 420 hrs. If I ever build another, I would definitely hire a crew or at least 2-3 other guys to help pour the slab though, that was easily the most labor intensive part by far!
Click to expand...
Quick question on skimmer (I purchased the Hayward SP1082 skimmer) and had questions on how you installed it. As you can see from the picture, the CMU blocks are 8 inches thick, and the "neck" on the skimmer is not long enough to extend to the other side of the block wall opening and wanted to get your thoughts on how to finish it? Do they make extensions for it or do I need to send back and find one that has a longer "neck" on it? or do I install and use waterproofing on the exposed CMU block?

Thanks!
 

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mjcjives said:
Quick question on skimmer (I purchased the Hayward SP1082 skimmer) and had questions on how you installed it. As you can see from the picture, the CMU blocks are 8 inches thick, and the "neck" on the skimmer is not long enough to extend to the other side of the block wall opening and wanted to get your thoughts on how to finish it? Do they make extensions for it or do I need to send back and find one that has a longer "neck" on it? or do I install and use waterproofing on the exposed CMU block?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I built the concrete form on an angle flaring outwards so it would be better for water movement
 
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RussMaGuss said:
I used 2 of the Hayward SP1082 skimmers. When you pour the concrete around it, the ridges along it will help grip it better

And yeah, those are pretty much exactly what I used for returns

And thanks! Aside from the excavation, this was almost entirely a 2 man job (me and my laborer. My dad helped for a couple hrs when we poured the floor slab). Starting on the day it was excavated, and finishing on the day we passed final inspection and filled it, it was exactly 6 weeks, including the fence and the pavers! We worked on it probably 35hrs per week, so a rough man hr estimate would probably be 420 hrs. If I ever build another, I would definitely hire a crew or at least 2-3 other guys to help pour the slab though, that was easily the most labor intensive part by far!
Click to expand...
How did you secure the PVC in the wall of the pool? I plan on drilling a hole through cinder block that the 1 1/2" PVC can fit through, but wondering the best way to secure it to keep it from moving aside from having the housing/brackets holding it on the outside of the pool wall. Just wondering if there is anything that can be attached to the PVC inside the block to keep it from moving when I would mortar around it. Thoughts?
 
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