Waterproofing a swimming pool with your own hands

12-03-2018

Useful

For a comfortable and enjoyable holiday vacationers and homeowners arrange pools on their site, which in our time have become a fashionable trend. Especially often these tanks do on their own to reduce costs. At a certain stage of work, to which it is worthwhile to approach responsibly, since both the lifetime of the reservoir and its reliability depend on it. Waterproofing the pool with your own hands must be performed correctly and efficiently. But how to do that? What materials to use and what is the essence of the work? You can find out more about this below.

Waterproofing - why should she?

Agree that not all are experts in this field. It is often said about the importance of waterproofing, and its proper device. But why is she? What will its use give?

As you know, waterproofing is a protective layer for any building structure (in this case, the pool), protecting it from water penetration and negative effects. Since the pool is directly connected to this fluid, it is important that it does not penetrate the material. Why? When moisture seeps into the concrete, it will lead to its destruction, as a result, your pool will not last long, and then it will have to be repaired or completely refitted. This is one of the most important stages of work. It is important to note two types of pool waterproofing:

Internal waterproofing.
External waterproofing.

It is the internal waterproofing is carried out in the pool itself to protect the material from water penetration. There are many different ways to do this, which we will discuss next.

The essence of the external or external waterproofing is to protect the concrete from the penetration of moisture from the soil by adding plasticizing and mineral additives to its composition. This contributes to improving the water permeability and mechanical strength of the structure. Another option is to install special profiles of expanding rubber. It is worth noting penetrating compositions that are applied to the concrete for external waterproofing. These are special mastics that are easy to apply by yourself.

Materials for waterproofing works

The good news is that the range of materials for such works is wide enough, and you will have something to work with. The choice of such materials depends on many factors, including your desire, product price, etc., however it is important to consider the terrain and climate in your area, as well as the type of the finished pool.

The main and most common materials for waterproofing are:

PVC film;
penetrating waterproofing;
liquid glass;
coating waterproofing;
liquid rubber;
various materials on a bitumen basis (the variant was effective earlier, when the above materials were not yet available, but now it is used extremely rarely).

Waterproofing pool technology from the inside

Consider all the work in stages. With this instruction, you can independently perform waterproofing from the inside.

So you should:

Remove all debris and dust from the concrete base.
Embroider all cracks and seams and treat them with special means for sealing the seams. All joints must be glued with sealing tapes.
Level the entire surface by plastering the bowl. In this case, process the walls with special compositions for swimming pools that are resistant to moisture, and at the bottom of the bowl make a coupler from a self-leveling cement mixture.
Prime the dried surface with a primer. It can be applied with a brush or roller. After 3-4 hours, the surface will be ready, and you can apply the following layers.
Now dissolve the dry mixture of penetrating waterproofing with water to get a thin consistency, like that of sour cream. It is better to use the instructions. That ratio, which is indicated by manufacturers, is optimal.
Using a wide brush, apply the solution on a substrate that you have already prepared. Especially carefully handle the places of entry of communications, the seams between the walls and the bottom of the pool, as well as the seams formed during concreting, and the places where there were cracks.
It is worth noting that when treating a pool with waterproofing compounds, you need to apply them in a complex way: first of all, a penetrating solution, after which it is coated. As soon as you apply a penetrating solution, the entire surface should be treated with hydrochloric acid 4–5%, then rinsed with water. After half an hour has passed, process the surface again with a solution of 4–5% soda ash. And only after all the procedures you can apply a coating mastic.
As soon as the entire surface of the pool is treated with waterproofing material, warn everyone not to step on it. You cannot walk on them, moreover, for 3 days the temperature should not fall below 0 ° C. That is why such work should be carried out in the summer.
In order to avoid cracking and peeling of the material, the entire surface needs to be moistened for 3 days. Those places that will be under the pressure of water, you need to moisten at least 10 days. A water sprayer is well suited for moistening, and the concrete surface of the pool itself at this time must be covered with plastic wrap.
Finally, after completing all the work, the pool bowl should be checked for leakage. The pool is filled with water and aged there for 10 days. If the leak is not detected, all the water is drained, the bottom is cleaned of debris and allowed to dry.
At the end facing works are carried out. The pool bowl is tiled or tiled.

Liquid rubber

Liquid rubber называется битумно-полимерная мастика. Она хорошо адгезирует с поверхностью и имеет хорошие гидроизоляционные качества. Ее надо напылять на поверхность в несколько слоев. Для этой работы понадобится специальный компрессор или кисть (используя валик или кисть, работать придется гораздо дольше).

The advantage of liquid rubber is that it combines the advantages of liquid waterproofing and PVC membranes. As a result, you get a solid coating that will adhere well to the surface without any seams. This coating is pleasant to the touch, like a PVC membrane, and has excellent density and durability. The material can act as a basis for the subsequent decorative layer, as well as serve as the final coating. To do this, it is enough to buy colored material and do not spend on decorating.

How to make waterproofing liquid rubber? Immediately before applying the composition, the entire surface of the basin should be leveled and treated with a composition that defats it. After that, a special compressor or a brush (if we are talking about independent work) rubber should be applied to the surface so that the composition evenly covers it.

Using liquid glass

Liquid glass is a solution consisting of potassium or sodium silicates. This option of waterproofing can be performed at the stage of construction of the pool. Liquid glass is added to the concrete itself, in the ratio of 1 liter of glass to 100 liters of finished concrete. Because of this, it becomes more durable, resistant to mechanical damage and will last longer. And most importantly for you, liquid glass will allow concrete to reduce the ability to absorb moisture.

When your pool is already built, liquid glass can be applied directly to the concrete. There are special coating products, using which you can achieve good waterproofing, as well as protect the concrete from mold and fungus. In addition, the coating for 5 years will protect the pool from the effects of temperature, corrosion and UV light. It is worth noting that to perform such waterproofing yourself will be easy. The price of glass is not so high, and the material consumption will be small.

The work is simple, all you need is:

Prepare the surface by removing all dust, dirt and grease stains. If the concrete is smooth, it should be cleaned to roughen, then the glass is better to grasp, penetrating deeper.
Prepare liquid glass, based on the instructions on the package.
Apply the compound evenly to the surface. As the glass dries, proceed with the application of the second layer. Use a wide brush or roller.
After drying, everything is ready for the subsequent decorative layer.

With the use of PVC films

Do not forget about the most popular form of waterproofing - PVC film. This is a reliable and progressive material that is increasingly used in the construction of swimming pools. It is noteworthy that the film performs two roles: waterproofing and decorative layer. This will save you money. There are a lot of different types of films on the market, which are distinguished by their durability, color and pattern (mosaic, marble, etc.). In addition, the film is resistant to mechanical damage and well withstands exposure to ultraviolet rays.

The job of laying PVC film is similar to the other processes. The first thing you need to do is prepare the ground, scavenge, etc. After that fixing tapes or corners are fixed, with which the film will be fixed.

It is desirable to lay the film on a special material - geotextiles, which will extend the life of the film. Thanks to him, the material will not constantly rub against concrete.

Finally, it is necessary to spread the PVC film and weld its individual parts with a special tool. This is a simple, fast, reliable and economical way to waterproof your pool.

All these methods are good in their own way, you just have to choose the one that suits you best, study the technology and bring everything to life. Waterproofing the pool - an important part of the work on his device, which should be approached responsibly.

Video

How to make a waterproofing pool with Litokol materials, you can see in the following video. Here is described what each material is for and how to use it: