[Ramon]

Can those who are having swimming pools at home please share on how to go about getting one built?

* Location will be semi rural area near Trivandrum.
* Water source will be well / bore well.
* Usage will be only on weekends.
* How often will the water be have to be changed?
* I am not looking for anything fancy max 24-25 feet length, 12-15 feet width and depth of 4-5 feet.
* What is the process and equipment for filtration
* What will be ball park figure to get the whole thing built with filtration etc.
* What will be the long term maintenance cost? (Any recurring cost)?

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Can those who are having swimming pools at home please share on how to go about getting one built?

* Location will be semi rural area near Trivandrum.
* Water source will be well / bore well.
* Usage will be only on weekends.
* How often will the water be have to be changed?
* I am not looking for anything fancy max 24-25 feet length, 12-15 feet width and depth of 4-5 feet.
* What is the process and equipment for filtration
* What will be ball park figure to get the whole thing built with filtration etc.
* What will be the long term maintenance cost? (Any recurring cost)?

If you run the filter regularly, then you are good for 2-3 months time period of usage.
Will it be covered or open?

[Ramon]

Planning for open. Any specific advantages in keeping it covered?

What would be the cost to setup one of the size I have mentioned?

[nutmello]

For assumed dimensions of 24 ft x 12 ft x 4 ft , volume of water will be 1152 cubic feet. This converted to liters will be (1 cu ft = 28 l) = 1152 x 28 = approx 32250 liters.

You need 10-15 % of this water in balancing tank. So balancing tank will hold about 5000 liters of water.
Total water will be approx 37000 liters.

Now, coming to over run (that is how many times in 12 hours this water must pass through the filter system): over run of 2 is ideal. That means the entire 37000 liters of water must be pumped twice in 12 hours time.

So pump size can be calculated like wise. For practical purposes, over run time can be taken as 8 hours. This will increase the size of the motor.

Now, coming to filter system: a simple sand filter (typically used in farms in line with bore well pumps) made of fiber glass is just enough. The sand filter size is again easy to calculate as volume of water is known and pool water must flow through this filter twice a day.

2" PVC plumbing line or 1.5" CPVC pipes will do the needful.

Water from balancing tank (bt) is pumped into the filter system, from filter it will flow into the pool. Pool over flows and flows into the balancing tank.

Typically, it is a closed system. bt to filter to pool back to bt. Water loss happens due to spillage and back wash. Back wash is running the water in sand filter from reverse direction to flush out the dirt. This water is discharged to drain.

Fresh water can be filled with a hose directly to pool. This is DIY or best can be done by a plumber.

Pool maintenance is a big issue and needs to be cared to avoid skin issues and to contain fungal and algae growth. Pump must be switched on daily, chlorine must be added daily, suction, scrubbing to be done on daily basis, weather pool is used or otherwise.

Indoor or out door pool: this depends on many factors that includes the land availability, elevation, decor of the house etc. indoor pool is more difficult to manage. typical indoor pools need water heating system as it is found that water temperature barely exceeds 22 deg c and uncomfortable to use. water temperature of 25 -27 deg C is ideal for swim. raising temperature by even 1 deg c is very difficult and expensive.

Outdoor pool with overhead shade net ( 50 % shade) will be practical and cost effective. Pool building cost: thumb rule: 1 liter of water = Rs 14. so for 37000 liters , pool cost will be approx 5.2 lakhs.

One more cheaper option is to build an endless pool of dimension 10 ft x 7 ft x 4 ft. fix up the jet pump and small filter system. This can be used only when needed on weekends. You can google and see.

[jinojohnt]

I have seen a shop that supplies ready-made pools and also helps build one - you may talk to them to get a quote if you wish. This shop is on the side of MC road near the Main Gate of Mar Ivanios College, Nalanchira, Trivandrum. I don't remember the name of the shop, though.

[sandeepmdas]

You should talk to small resort owners in Kovalam etc. and you might get the answer for all your questions.

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

I don't remember the name of the shop, though.

Eternity Pools. That's what their name is.

[fordday]

In our apartment we have a pool of size 35x40 feet with 4 to 6 feet deep. I am in charge of it to oversee the agency maintaining it, for last few years so I think I can give you some inputs.

* Usage will be only on weekends.
Even if it is for weekend use, you will need to clean it on a daily basis.

* How often will the water be have to be changed?
We do it once a year. Even then it is not necessary. As we close down pool maintenance during winter so we drain out the water.


* What is the process and equipment for filtration
Filtration equipment consists of

http://home.howstuffworks.com/swimming-pool2.htm

Skimmer: These are suction points at the water surface level. The filter pump sucks in water through these skimmers. These has metal netting filters to prevent any unwanted objects like stones, leaves etc to reach the filter pump.

Main drain: This is again a suction point at the bottom of the deeper end of the pool. It too has metal netting.

Vacuum suction point: This is again a suction point usually on the side wall. Used for vacuuming the pool.

Valves: Skimmers, main drain and Vacuum points each have its own plumbing line till the pump. These will need to have their own valves so that any of these lines can be turned On/Off as needed.

Pump and Motor: Is readily available, we have Kirloskar make of 5HP rating.

Sand filter: This is no ordinary filter. It has a pressure gauge and valves for filter, backwash, rinse etc. The sand in it can be cleaned using the backwash, rinse valves. Pressure gauge indicates the dirtiness of the filter. If dirty you need to clean the sand. After some time (years/months) even after rinsing the sand the pressure gauge will show its dirty. Its then time to replace the sand.

* What will be ball park figure to get the whole thing built with filtration etc.
I dont have idea of construction costs as it was done by the builder.

* What will be the long term maintenance cost? (Any recurring cost)?
You need to get brush, pole, hose and vacuum cleaning set. These can costs around 10k but can lasts many years.
Chemicals like chlorine granules (Rs 200/kg), Chlorine gel (Rs 200/lit), Copper sulphate crystals (Rs 200/kg). Granules need to be added almost daily in atropical climate like ours. Gel and CSulphate as and when required.

Most important thing is cleaning the pool with the brush and Vaccumming is a back breaking job. Unless you are very healthy and with time in your hands, it can quickly become once a week job from daily one and detiorate the pool water quality.

All prices are indicative, from what I remember. Please correct if these are wrong.

[prabhu789]

Reviving an old thread. I would like to construct an indoor swimming pool [ground floor] in my home of size 16x32 or 12x24.

Could anyone share with me the first hand experience of having an indoor swimming pool at home? I would like to know the pros and cons of it before I plunge in.

I am not comfortable using public swimming pools hence constructing one.