# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  Custom built inground very small pool... a smool!

## mrbuilder

Hi guys, 
I am toying with the idea of building an inground, very small pool.  Now I call it a pool because it is not a spa or a wooden hot tub.  It will be salt water and about 2mx2mx1m deep.  I am calling it my smool!  I dont want the hastle of spa jets and blowers so it will just be warm salt water to sit and relax in. 
The plan is to dig the hole, poor a reinforced concrete slab approx 2000 x 2000 x ? as a base.  Build the walls (basic rectangle) out of block,ireinforce them with reo and fill the cavities with concrete.  I will finish it off with a deck around the top. 
Now, how to waterproof?  Silicone and fibreglass the corners using a shower fibreglass kit then tile? or just use pool paint?  I was even considering silicone the inner corners, pool paint then tile using waterproof adhesive. 
Filtration and heating would be through one outlet in the floor and two inlets (opposite each other on the walls).  What is needed to make this a salt water smool? 
Now tell me... am I barking up the wrong tree here?  Am I creating a huge nightmare that will take me weekends with a jackhammer to knock down because I can never get it water tight  :Doh:  ... or will I pend many happy evenings drinking wine and relaxing in my smool?  :2thumbsup:  
Ideas? 
Thanks 
S

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## brissyboy

No it's doable
but you need to pour the base and corefill the block walls at the same time so that it is 1 piece. 
wash out blocks on the bottom, H blocks for the rest, poor the base first and then fill the walls up so the washout block fill. Min 125mm on the base and then 200mm to curve up and cover the washout blocks. continue pouring so that the walls are filled while base is still wet. must set as 1 piece structure. 
Hanson has block pool design and structural guidelines around. not sure of the site just google it. 
BB

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## China

You will need to instal a skimmer box of some type to house your filter, these are now covered by safty standards to prevent kids and adult getting trapped. You will only need one outlet in something that small but the other way around one outlet/skimer box, in wall, one inlet in the base, you will need this in place before you pour concrete, to make it salt walter you will need a salt water clorinator( there may be a manual way to do it. You will also have to fence it with a approved pool fence. it will most likley be designated as a still spa pool, as far as I am aware all states in Australia now treat spa pools and swimming pools the same from a safety aspect, you may only require a lockable cover in Victoria.

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## Yonnee

Going through this at the moment. Anything deeper than 300mm requires a fence. 
A smool??  Sounds like an *ODSWAB* *O*ut*d*oor *S*alt*wa*ter *B*ath.

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## bpj1968

Spa covers don't count as a fence in Vic, main reason go through pool gate to fridge and the gate swings shut, get out of spa with cover, to go to fridge and you have a toddler trap. 
Have you looked at the price of a one piece fibreglass unit, may be easier. 
salt clorinator is needed, there is no way to manually chlorinate salt pools (except throwing in chlorine) as the salt cell needs electricity

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## sparks777

dont get me started about so called  rules about contractors i myself  use tobe hence the word use !!! licensed as a sparky well usally i do  the work then get someone to certify that my installation is safe and  they get too sign off on it  well this last weekend was the pitts got a  guy in to put in a circut for the spa ive just built haveing a 6kwatt  heater of coarse it required a 6 mill current carrying circut  running  out at 32 amps on startup well this bloke spent 20 mins running a 10  meter cable a circut breaker an saftey switch at the pump and after  doing the wirring ceritifying it was safe too commission  he spent the  next 3 and a half hours scratching it head and nutts  trying too work  out why my heater element was engageing  never dawned on him to do a  basic ohms test on the contacter coil for continuity  or too see if it  was shot  from wear an tear since the pump an heater assy is secondhand  but done bugger all work  :Confused:  mean while he throws his hands up giving up then handing me  a bill for 300 dollars for 20 mins work an ten mins testing  :Eek:  the rest of the time was spent by him scratching his nutts  trying to figger out why it didnt work  :Mad:  measnwhile i tell him piss off  ill finnish up the job of  getting it going myself well after locating a suitable contacter to  replace the burnt out one made by fanal   need lesss to say it all works  as itys spose too so it just goes to show you dont have to be a  licensed sparky  to get the job done since it seems these days  most of  them pick an choose what obs they will an wont do  well i say if you  have the know how thern by all means do the work but dont commision it  till you have it inspected by the local engex man himself since they are  able to certify other peoples work when its safe to use   :Biggrin:  maybe if thier were more people like me contracters wouldnt  be so dam picky about what jobs they will or wont do and be gratefull  for the work  instead of winging and griping about every liuttle thing  that dont go there way :Doh:  regards sparks777

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## twinny

ke?  :Tequila:

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## commodorenut

Hey Sparks, I nearly had a heart attack trying to read your post!   :Shock: 
Had to wait 10 minutes to get my breath back before I could type my reply..... :Cry:  
I think I got the gist of it, but a few full stops wouldn't go astray next time!  :Wink:

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