Why do most pools have rounded edges and other questions...

[Abmanu5]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I am starting to look at having a permanent dug-in concrete pool and I have numerous questions that I hope the forumers here can help. They are:

1) Why do most private pools have rounded edges rather than the rectangularish design of public pools? What are the advantages of the former over the latter? The latter will always result in a bigger pool in the space available, right?

2) I am thinking of building an indoor pool that has glass and brick walls, sort of like the one in the Cocoon I and II movies. My reasons are to keep the pool more private and to negate the need to clean away leaves. Why are most pools not put indoors? Are there problems with having indoor pools?

3) An Olympic size swimming pool is 50 x 25 metres (1 metre = 3.3 ft). I would like my pool to be long enought to allow proper laps around the pool, but not be too large to be costly and under-used. Is a 25 x 12.5 metre pool a good size?

4) How deep should a typical private pool be? I am worried for little children.

Any help is much appreciated.

[Ickle]

Hi there, to start, where abouts are you in the world, this would make i difference upon how i would answer these questions.
If you were in the uk for example, i would suggest a rectangular shape, without fancy croners or shapes, this is due to the local temperature. In the UK a solar cover would be needed to help conserve the pool temperature.
Strange shapes etc, can become a problem with cleaning and maintance. also can create higher prices.
An indoor pool, would need to have heat reclemation systems etc, these can be costly.
Your local pool installer will be able to help for local regualtions etc.
Hope this brief return helps

[Abmanu5]

[quote="Ickle"]Hi there, to start, where abouts are you in the world, this would make i difference upon how i would answer these questions.
If you were in the uk for example, i would suggest a rectangular shape, without fancy croners or shapes, this is due to the local temperature. In the UK a solar cover would be needed to help conserve the pool temperature.
Strange shapes etc, can become a problem with cleaning and maintance. also can create higher prices.
An indoor pool, would need to have heat reclemation systems etc, these can be costly.
Your local pool installer will be able to help for local regualtions etc.
Hope this brief return helps[/quote]


Thanks Ickle for your reply.

I live in Brunei, in South-East Asia. In a year, our air temperature could be as low as 24 C on a wet early dawn and as much as 36 C on a dry mid afternoon. So, its pretty warm for most of the whole day, but if I were to have a private pool, I would prefer a heater to make it slightly warmer in the early morning. I had previously studied in the UK and although your winters are considered mild, those of us from the warm countries still can't get used to it. Do you know if a higher temperature would encourage bacteria and algae growth?

If pools with strange shapes can be a problem when it comes to cleaning and maintenance, then why are they so prevalent? They are a common sight in many of the American films. What are their advantages?

I guess a heat reclaimation system is not required here, but I am curious as to why would it be required for an indoor pool in the UK, since it is 'indoor'? Would you not require it more if it was outdoor?

What do you think of my idea of having an indoor pool? Is it an unnecessary expense just to avoid falling leaves and their removal?
Will there be condensation on the inside face of the windows due to the higher internal humidity and lower temperatures in the early mornings? Would the chlorine affect any of the building materials? Should the 'pool room' be well ventilated? What are the reasons why they are no more common?

Your replies are very much appreciated

[Ickle]

Another thought about your pool, is that the pool water temperature and surrounding temperature, if the pool temp is higher this will in turn increase the rate of evaporation. A solar cover may help in reducing this, as well as a dehumidification (sorry about spelling) unit.
As for the stange shaped pools, they can be good depending upon what you want, and how much you want to spend. You can get "self cleaning pools", its to do with fittings etc in the pool floor, and will of course raise the price.
The pools can be fun, but if you are looking at them in a view of how much area they use and waste it might help you with your thoughts upon whether or not to have one. I'd prefer a straight forward rectangular pool at about 4'6" depth, so that i can use ot for fitness swimming and children can get more use when playing, (as no one has to tred water for an entire game).

All in all, a pool enclosure will come down to pricing, and of course your thoughts. With the worry of leaves, how leafy is your garden area? The majority of time here in UK the "leafy season" is out of the "swimming season", so most people can deal with the problem.
Hope this has helped a little further.

[Abmanu5]

Thanks for your reply Ickle.

Should I be worried about evaporation if the pool is indoor and away from midday sunlight?

Is the dehumidifation unit meant for removing humidity from the air so as not to encourage mould growth on the swimming pool room finishes (ceiling and wall)? Is it necessary or even effective in my country as the relative humidity is some 90%?

There's no autumn here but trees still shed. I do not think it is a lot of leaves but there could be other flying debris. I think I seen too many households, on TV, employing workers to scoop leaves out of pools and to scrub the pools. It gives me the impression that a outdoor pool needs more maintenance than an indoor pool. Coupled with the privacy you get, I am currently inclined towards an indoor pool...

[Ickle]

Evaporation will increase the chances of mould and mildew.
Im not sure on rules or regs in your country so cant be very specific about what to recommend, but i hope that the few ideas i have given you will help.
From here i would suggest that you get in contact with a couple of good pool installers, get a good quote and then see if anyone else can either match or beat the price.
Sorry i cant be of more help.

[Abmanu5]

Ickle,

Thanks for your suggestions so far. I will continue to lcheck up on this thread intermittently.