Pond Liner Swimming Pool.......?

[powerliftingtexas]

Has anyone thought of using their pond building skills to build a swimming pool and do you think it would be possible using a pond liner? Perhaps a really thick mil commercial type liner?

I just finished this little pond project at my house. And it got me to thinking how difficult would it be to build an under-ground pool using something as simple as a pond liner and a large rock border? It seems like it would be easily do-able, but the plumbing part would be tricky. Could you use a standard pool pump sitting on top of the ground, than run pvc pipe, with an a 90 degree elbow and send the pvc into the water for filtering??? Obviously you couldn't run pvc through the liner by drilling through the liner, but what if it was ran like mentioned above????

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Not sure I follow….. Is the picture significant?

 

[GBBUDD]

Um what you are referring to is called a recreation pond. and the plumbing is not the hardest part it's the placing the boulders and excavation is the hard part with a swim pond you have to constantly keep in mind the limited reach of a excavator.

Yes you can poke through the liner with your plumbing but i don't recommend it for someone who is not skilled with there hands. You use bulked fittings.

Or the latest thoughts are to place the plumbing all inside the liner in trenches similar to how the centipede gets tucked in a trench

 

[combatwombat]

It can surely be done. But in terms of a traditional swimming pool, I think it's rarely done because most people have some set expectations of how a pool should look and operate vs. a pond, and a black pond liner is not really in line with what most people who want a pool would want.

You can use all the same principles to build a pool that you have with your pond using a cheap vinyl liner if you really want to.

Swim ponds—like @GBBUDD mentioned—are more what we're about here. Those are really just big ponds with even bigger filters.

I'd never use chlorine/bromine in a swim pond, though. Would kill any wildlife and chemicals are hard on a liner. You're lucky if a vinyl pool liner lasts 10 years. Not a huge undertaking to replace it when it's time. But when you have many dozens or even hundreds of tons of boulders over your liner, putting anything in the water that will degrade that liner would be a hard "no" from me.

 

[j.w]

@powerliftingtexas

 

[Bluerooster]

Has anyone thought of using their pond building skills to build a swimming pool and do you think it would be possible using a pond liner? Perhaps a really thick mil commercial type liner?

I just finished this little pond project at my house. And it got me to thinking how difficult would it be to build an under-ground pool using something as simple as a pond liner and a large rock border? It seems like it would be easily do-able, but the plumbing part would be tricky. Could you use a standard pool pump sitting on top of the ground, than run pvc pipe, with an a 90 degree elbow and send the pvc into the water for filtering??? Obviously you couldn't run pvc through the liner by drilling through the liner, but what if it was ran like mentioned above????

something like this? The one with my granddaughter is very early in the season. Water was still way too cold for me.

 

[powerliftingtexas]

You guys hit it on the head with exactly what I'm wanting to do. Especially with the pictures above. Similar to what combat was saying though, my idea was a little simpler design than the pictures above, was simply dropping a liner in the ground, boulders around the border or some type of heavy landscape rock, and running the filter plumbing through the rock, and dropped into the water. With the only exception is, I'm not so much worried about having to move the boulders when having to replace the liner as I have a bobcat with a bucket and grapple both and also a mini excavator.

So now that were on the same page, could I do the same exact thing with a pool liner?

Also the pictures above, I love the set-up. Is this a set-up using a pond or pool style filter and pump to keep the water clean and no chemicals added?

 

[combatwombat]

That's great to have that equipment. Sure makes the job less daunting.

So now that were on the same page, could I do the same exact thing with a pool liner?

I guess we should just define what a pool is to you first. Do you mind swimming in a dark hole (bare pond liner) vs. the classic white/blue pool? Do you care about algae? Do you need sterile/chlorine environment?

You could toss a stock tank in the back yard and call it a pool. Or you could build a 3 acre gunitte pool with the world's biggest sterilization system. Whatever you build, if you swim in it, it's a pool. So yeah, you can pretty much do whatever you want.

 

[Jhn]

You guys hit it on the head with exactly what I'm wanting to do. Especially with the pictures above. Similar to what combat was saying though, my idea was a little simpler design than the pictures above, was simply dropping a liner in the ground, boulders around the border or some type of heavy landscape rock, and running the filter plumbing through the rock, and dropped into the water. With the only exception is, I'm not so much worried about having to move the boulders when having to replace the liner as I have a bobcat with a bucket and grapple both and also a mini excavator.

So now that were on the same page, could I do the same exact thing with a pool liner?

Also the pictures above, I love the set-up. Is this a set-up using a pond or pool style filter and pump to keep the water clean and no chemicals added

The setup pictured by @Bluerooster Is using a bog to filter the pond. Your simple idea for a swim pond will need some type of filter to keep it looking nice, like a bog or regeneration zone otherwise you are going to end up with green water for a chunk of the swim season.

Also keep in mind just sticking a liner in, it will become slick like walking on ice, so you will need and access point where you aren’t stepping directly on the liner or rocks underwater. This is why you see most swim ponds with straight vertical sides. Another option is to go over the liner with some non woven cloth that will help protect the liner and won’t be slick.

 

[powerliftingtexas]

That's great to have that equipment. Sure makes the job less daunting.



I guess we should just define what a pool is to you first. Do you mind swimming in a dark hole (bare pond liner) vs. the classic white/blue pool? Do you care about algae? Do you need sterile/chlorine environment?

You could toss a stock tank in the back yard and call it a pool. Or you could build a 3 acre gunitte pool with the world's biggest sterilization system. Whatever you build, if you swim in it, it's a pool. So yeah, you can pretty much do whatever you want.

I guess that's my fault I wasn't a little more clear. So I'm in the process of a second pond currently and I'm not looking to build another pond with this one, as two is plenty for my small 1 acre property. With this build I'm looking for a legit-in ground swimming pool style set-up to replace my above ground, obviously without spending 30k-40k, I don't have on a pool.

So my idea was to use a similar set-up that we use to build ponds. A hole in the ground, with a pool liner, and a large pump plumbed with pvc dropping into the water which will be hidden on one end my a rock water-fall or something similar. I will be using chemicals on this build to also aid in keeping it clean. I am trying to keep the design rather simple as I understand with the chemical nature, I will have to replace the liner down the road and want a design that allows for a simple removal and re-install.

Above was a great point, I haven't gotten that far in the planning, but I will probably want to drive some kind of steel post in the ground on the outside of the pool / liner than weld some kind of step ladder that goes down into the pool. It will be a flat wall design, as I already understand that the liner will be slippery.

 

[combatwombat]

I guess that's my fault I wasn't a little more clear. So I'm in the process of a second pond currently and I'm not looking to build another pond with this one, as two is plenty for my small 1 acre property. With this build I'm looking for a legit-in ground swimming pool style set-up to replace my above ground, obviously without spending 30k-40k, I don't have on a pool.

So my idea was to use a similar set-up that we use to build ponds. A hole in the ground, with a pool liner, and a large pump plumbed with pvc dropping into the water which will be hidden on one end my a rock water-fall or something similar. I will be using chemicals on this build to also aid in keeping it clean. I am trying to keep the design rather simple as I understand with the chemical nature, I will have to replace the liner down the road and want a design that allows for a simple removal and re-install.

Above was a great point, I haven't gotten that far in the planning, but I will probably want to drive some kind of steel post in the ground on the outside of the pool / liner than weld some kind of step ladder that goes down into the pool. It will be a flat wall design, as I already understand that the liner will be slippery.

Cool. Then yes, that will work. If you don't mind the black look, I imagine an EPDM liner will last longer than any vinyl pool liner, but I don't know for sure. I've seen other EPDM ponds that are 20 years old and have been chlorinated and are still in operation.

Will this be a permitted project? There are are typically a lot more life-safety rules to follow when you build a pool vs. a pond even though the two can often look exactly the same. Must be fenced in. Can't be too close to another structure. Need alarms on doors. Pump must be external and bonded. All metal in and within 5-10 feet of pool must be bonded. Must use very specific lighting systems. Need two bottom drains on same plumbing circuit instead of one. Etc. etc.

 

[GBBUDD]

could I do the same exact thing with a pool liner?

you can but pool liners are pvc the cheapest of the liners. and i would not have any rock with it.
a bald liner pvc or epdm or hdrpe liners will as be slippery very very slippery without rocks.