How to properly waterproof a swimming pool. All stages of work

A private pool is undoubtedly one of the most expressive attributes of prosperity and success of its owners. It is convenient, beautiful, and it is always nice to have the opportunity to do water treatments in a private pond. But in order for the pool to serve you for many years, it is necessary to approach the issue of its waterproofing with all scrupulousness. Due to the fact that the concrete basin of the pool will be almost constantly under water pressure, waterproofing must be performed directly according to the prescribed technology and using only the highest quality materials. Monolit Build specialists have developed a proven solution in order to prevent deformation of the structure of the concrete bowl, and as a result, extend the period of its operation.

If you plan to build a swimming pool indoors, then it will be enough to do only internal waterproofing. But if your plans include the construction of an outdoor swimming pool, in this case, waterproofing work will need to be done both inside and outside. After all, when placed externally, the concrete bowl will be pressurized not only by the water inside the pool, but also from the outside. That is why it is necessary to protect the concrete bowl from groundwater and aggressive elements that it contains.

Regardless of the location of your pool, in order to increase the waterproofing properties of concrete, you can add to it in a ratio of 2-3% of the total weight of dry cement g and a drophobic additive Teknomer 120, which will give concrete products protection from positive and negative water pressure.
 


External waterproofing of the pool

So, if you still decide that you want not only to swim in the pool, but also to do it under the rays of the sun, then we suggest that you step by step consider the process of external waterproofing of the pool bowl.

First of all, it is necessary to clean the surface from dirt, dust and fragile particles. The main goal of this stage is a clean and smooth surface of the concrete bowl. But you need to be extremely careful to avoid the appearance of microcracks.

To do this, we recommend using gentle cleaning methods such as:

  • processing with metal brushes, sandpaper, diamond circles and cups
  • dry and wet sandblasting
  • cleaning with pressurized water.

 

After the outer walls of the concrete bowl are cleaned, it is necessary to seal up all defects, sinks and cavities using a one-component non-shrinkable repair mix Teknorep 300 EX. After 24 hours, you can start waterproofing work.

To begin with, it is necessary to apply Izoplast R bitumen primer in 2 layers on the surface of the concrete bowl, using a roofing brush or brush. The consumption of the mixture on the first layer should be approximately 0.3-0.6 kg / m2, and on the second 0.2-0.5 kg / m2. Apply each subsequent layer only after the previous one has completely dried (approximately 8 hours). After all the layers of Izoplast R bitumen primer are completely dry, you can start applying bituminous rubber mastic with high penetrating properties of Izoplast B. The mastic must be applied in 3 layers perpendicular to each other, using a roofing brush or brush. The consumption of mastic for the first layer should be 0.8-1.2 kg / m2, and for the next 0.6-0.8 kg / m2. 8 hours after applying the last layer of bitumen-rubber mastic, the external waterproofing will be ready.
 

 


Internal waterproofing of the pool

Also, as in the case of external waterproofing, first you need to clean the concrete surface. You can use similar methods as for external waterproofing works.
After the cleaning stage, it is necessary to seal all small defects and cracks using the repair compound Teknorep 300 EX (which we used for external waterproofing of the pool). After 24 hours, you can start further work such as stripping the bowl to make it rough (this is necessary for better adhesion of the protective coating to the concrete), after which we again remove dust and debris from the stripping and degrease the surface.
At this stage, it is necessary to seal technical holes such as: water supply / intake, skimmers, etc. To do this, it is enough to make several turns of bentonite cord 15 mm x 25 mm on a pipe segment or mortgage, placing it in such a way that it is inside the walls of the pool bowl. After that, it is necessary to seal the remaining space with the Teknorep 300 or Teknorep 300 EX repair compound. After the repair compound for sealing the holes hardens, you can proceed to waterproofing the surface.

 

For internal waterproofing work, we recommend using a two-component elastic waterproofing protective material Teknomer 200 EX. It is necessary to apply the mixture using a brush or a spatula on a moistened surface in 3 layers perpendicular to each other. The waiting time between applying layers is 5-6 hours. After 3-7 days, the inner side of the pool bowl will be ready for further cladding work.