Competition Pools

Building a swimming pool for private use is complicated enough, let alone a commercial pool. The legal requirements when making a competition pool must be followed to avoid being fined or getting the construction halted. When constructing a competition pool, a lot more goes into its development due to its heavy use. For this reason, you need to get a certified contractor in the construction of commercial swimming pools.

Your contractor must also be familiar with the requirements of getting permits from the regulating bodies and all the structural elements. You need your commercial pool to last you for years and not to keep repairing it. For this reason, you need to partner with experienced contractors that will guarantee you professional construction and maintenance of your commercial pool. If you are in Jacksonville, you can get in touch with us at Oaks Wells Aquatics for the construction and maintenance of your pool.

The Process in Constructing Your Competition Pool

Building a competitive pool is a big decision, and the job is equally significant. The process takes time and can be tedious. However, when one is well informed, it becomes easier, and in a few months, you will get your pool done. A right contractor will keep you informed of the progress from the onset to the finishing of the project. When you have decided you need a competition pool done, it is essential to understand the process leading to the completion of your pool. Here, we will discuss the process in detail, enabling you to make an informed decision.

Designing the Project and its Approval

After deciding on building a commercial competition pool, you must first plan to meet with an expert consultant in design. At the meeting, the design consultant will discuss your vision and ideas. This stage is crucial because each person has unique requirements, and it is necessary to get what you want and not what another person wants.

At this initial meeting, a technician is available to survey the area you are proposing for the pool and take dimensions. The technician knows to examine the area and if there are any setbacks to the project. He or she considers the position of the utilities and their accessibility to the area where the pool will be constructed. After the initial meeting, the designer and technician will go back and come up with a proposal and a plan for the construction. The proposal will contain the approximate time it will take to complete the project and the cost for your approval.

Permits before Commencement of Construction

Once you have approved the plans and proposal, the next step is getting the required permits for commercial pool zoning and construction. This must be done according to Florida law. The construction company you decide to use has the responsibility to get the permits for the pool construction and decking. The person or company hired to do the gas hook-ups will also be required to get the necessary licenses according to the law. Current utility lines must be established where they are; inspections for electrical bonding and plumbing also carried out. All these should be done before the commencement of the construction.

The Layout

The process of constructing the pool starts after signing off the plans and acquiring all the necessary permits. The construction team meets with you at the site and reviews the stages in the construction as well as answers any questions you may have.

The next step is outlining, where the pool will be using form boards. Great care should be taken to maintain the exact location of your pool. The layout must also comply with the approved construction plans.

Excavation

This is the actual starting of the construction process. Once the forms are approved, your contractor will start the excavation process. This is a dirty and messy process that cannot be avoided. Your contractor must dig out carefully and trim the pool to keep with the approved specifications and designs. This process does not take long, but it heavily relies on the prevailing weather conditions and the soil type.

The process will see a lot of soil dugout. A competent contractor will know where to dump the soil, and if any remains, it is used in the construction process.

Structural Steel

The reinforcement of the pool form is done at this stage using durable steel bars. These are placed vertically and horizontally to form a robust contoured grid that is the skeleton of your pool. At certain intersections, tie wires are used to tie together the steel. Underneath the steel, block spaces are used to keep it over the soil. This helps keep it where it will permanently rest at the center of the gunite. All this work is hand done. After your pool gets set, there will be a need for inspecting the ground and steel. This gets requested before moving to the next stage.

Plumbing

Rough plumbing gets typically done before the installation of the steel. This includes installing plumbing lines for skimmers and main drains as well as return lines. It also includes all the wires necessary for cleaning systems and waterfalls if needed. An excellent contractor will custom make plumbing for every pool they construct, ensuring excellent filtration and circulation. When this gets done well, it ensures the water is crystal clear at all times and will not require high maintenance. Your contractor will ensure they do hydraulic calculations to provide all the piping and equipment are in the appropriate size. This ensures clarity of the water and conservation of energy.

Gunite

This is a concrete mixture composed of rock, sand, and cement. A trained expert is used to apply the mixture using a high pressurized hose. The mixture is shot through the reinforcement grid of the pool to create a secure and stable floor. At this stage, you begin to see your pool taking shape and the gaping hole begins to resemble a pool. After applying the gunite, it will require time to cure. During this time, you may find some accumulation of water at the base of the pool. This should not alarm you. It will be pumped out before the pool’s interior gets constructed.

Setting Equipment, Electric, And Gas

At this stage, plumbing comes back once again. Plumbing of all the equipment for filtration and feature pumps or other machines gets done. Electrical lines for power requirements such as lights around the pool are laid out. Installation of the breaker box gets done in readiness for the setting of the equipment. The necessary gas lines for heating the pool are also run to where the equipment is located.

Tile and Coping

Next, the tiling of the pool follows. You must make a selection from the hundreds available. Coping at the pool edges is done and any water features you may need. Coping is the concrete material or stone used to cap the shell wall of the pool. Tiling and coping take a few days or weeks, depending on the size of your commercial pool. After the tile gets set well, the surface will be durable and non-porous, guaranteeing you years of stability.

Pool Deck

At this stage, you are near the end of your commercial pool construction. Choosing the deck that reflects your theme is essential, just like the color and pattern are. Most contractors have a variety of decking materials you can pick from. The most popular ones are pavers or concrete.

Once concrete decking gets poured, the finish is applied. Typically, in case of brick or stone, it is completed, then concrete poured. Pavers are also commonly used because they are pleasing to look at and last long in addition to their low maintenance cost. The size of the pool also determines the length the process takes, but it does not take very long.

Cleaning Up the Site

After completion of your competition pool, every waste gets removed, and the area made clean. The interior of the pool gets prepared for finishing at this point as well.

Safety Fence Installation and Alarms

Once the commercial pool construction gets completed, the installation of a safety fence around the pool and alarm will be done. The state of Florida has specific requirements for newly constructed pools with regard to safety. Before handing over the pool, your contractor will ensure the requirements are met according to the law.

The Pool Interior

This is usually the last stage in pool construction. This involves coating the interior of the pool with the material you desire. The contractor will discuss with you to settle on the best finishing for your commercial pool.

Orientation and Starting Up the pool

This is the final stage in pool construction. A technician will come to the site to inspect the installation and start the pool to ensure it operates as it should. The technician will discuss with you the maintenance required and how to troubleshoot in case of any challenges.

How to Maintain your Pool

When running a commercial pool, the last thing your clients want to see is a notice announcing the pool has been closed. Unfortunately, failing to maintain the mechanicals, water, and structure of your commercial pool to meet the strict Florida international regulations will see your pool closed.

If your chlorine levels or pH are not well balanced, the pool will be closed. When the pool is not in good condition, it is also a health hazard to those that use it. If the depth markets and signage is not well maintained or doesn’t exist, swimmers can end up having severe accidents. This will expose you to a lawsuit and get the pool closed. This makes it crucial to ensure your commercial pool gets properly maintained at all times.

Most facility workers or managers focus their attention on the clients that come to swim and may not be as focused on maintaining the required regulations for a commercial pool. Caring for a commercial pool takes more work, and it is not the same as a residential pool.

When the pool manager lacks the necessary training in the use of the latest equipment in pool management, it can be a disadvantage. If the chemistry is off, swimmers can get sick. Some of the prevalent recreational water illnesses are cryptosporidium, shigella, E.coli, Giardia, and Norovirus. If a few people who come to use your pool for competition complain of the diseases, you may be found liable, and a lawsuit is likely to follow.

What it Takes to Maintain a Commercial Pool

Most pool contractors not only construct pools, but they are experts in ensuring the pools are well maintained. The technician tasked with managing the pool must also be able to identify where the problem with the pool originates. Additionally, they must be able to determine if there are construction issues that need attending. Fixing these problems is essential to avoid violating the international standards for commercial pools, as followed in Florida. When the construction of the pool was, however, sound, you might not experience construction problems for a long time.

Construction of commercial pools and maintaining them go hand in hand. When the pool gets poorly built, it will present persistent maintenance challenges. The Florida Department of Health and Human Services has set out regulations that must be followed in ensuring that commercial pools are kept up to international standards.

Maintaining a commercial pool takes more than it takes a residential pool. Commercial pools are used by many people, increasing the risk of getting diseases and safety challenges. The chlorine levels for commercial pools are also different from that of residential pools.

The filters of commercial pools must be continuously monitored to ensure they are in proper working conditions, and the water levels are correct, and chemical balance is right. These are aspects that must get daily managed to avoid the risk of diseases for swimmers and lawsuits.

Maintaining commercial pools is a sensitive affair. This requires the hiring of expert pool providers that are certified and are professionals in pool maintenance.

Some facilities to save money chose to have a pool manager who sometimes lacks the knowledge in pool management. The risk of such a decision is that they may not know how to check for a faulty filter, notice the circulation is poor, or the rate the water is flowing is poor. These are all risks you do not need to take when running a competition pool.

Find a Commercial Pool Services Provider Near Me

When you decide that you want a competition pool, it means you are ready for the heavy traffic a commercial pool has. The construction of the pool to how it is maintained requires expertise. You do not want to invest your money with inexperienced pool construction contractors who will not only build your pool poorly but will not maintain it properly. Be mindful of the contractor you partner with to avoid losses and lawsuits in the future. If you are looking for an experienced and reliable commercial pool contractor in Jacksonville, get in touch with Oak Wells Aquatics at 904-619-3281. We are here to ensure your pool is well constructed and maintained.