You are thinking of building a swimming pool and there are just a host of questions to consider. Most importantly, you are trying to decide what type of pool to build for the best design aesthetics, long-term durability, effortless installation and of course, achieving the best value for your money.
From a budget standpoint, pools are most commonly made of fiberglass, poured concrete or gunite. However, in the long-term, there are often many challenges with maintenance and repairs. If you are spending that much money for a feature that is permanently integrated into your environment, you want to make sure you are committed for the long haul.
Stainless Steel For Pool Construction
Stainless steel is possibly the best material you could use to build a swimming pool that will last you a long time without the common maintenance and repair problems associated with conventional pools. It is strong yet flexible, durable, watertight. It does not crack, shrink, peel, spall or become porous. When used in a proper pool environment and installed by professional pool specialists, a steel pool will most likely outlast its owners. In spite of its relatively higher costs, the little maintenance required is likely going to give you bang for buck in the long term.
Most people would be reserved about using a metal as the principal building material for a swimming pool. The general reservation would of course lie with issues of rusting and corrosion. Contrary to that, the correct grade and treatment of stainless steel would be highly advantageous and durable against the damaging effects of the chemicals present in an aquatic environment. To understand its durability, it’s worth examining how this alloy responds in an aquatic environment.
Durability Of Stainless Steel
Its corrosion-resistance stems from a coating, which forms instantaneously in an oxidizing atmosphere, be it air or water or any liquids containing oxygen. This protective film seals the metal and protects it from further oxidation and damage from other tarnishing elements in a mild aqueous environment. In addition, it can be polished to a smooth finish, ranging from a standard grade 3 to a high-shine grade 7. The smooth finish creates greater resistance to halide salts, which are present in pool water. The halide salts are most damaging when splashed on and left to evaporate on the steel. On a rough surface, the halides would be more likely be trapped in the grooves and ridges, thereby left to wreck its havoc.
In addition to the tenacity of the alloy, stainless steel pools are watertight and leakproof as the shell is full welded at all its joints. This frees you from the having to re-plaster concrete pools or re-line vinyl pools and certainly reduces the costs associated with the water wastage. Installation is also less onerous since the pool is pre-fabricated in modular stainless steel parts and then transported on-site for weld installation.
Design Possibilities Of Stainless Steel
In terms of design aesthetics, your imagination could possibly be the limit! Well, almost. Given the flexibility of the metal, the steel sheets can be rolled to form virtually any desired shape or size. It is also very light in comparison to conventional pool building material, hence allowing greater engineering possibilities to accommodate more challenging pool designs. In terms of finishing, stainless steel pools can be lined, tiled and even polished for a metallic finish.
In consideration of all its virtues, steel pools could be a welcome solution in certain scenarios. For instance:
− In certain Asian cities where there are severe land demands, pools can be built on rooftops. The lightweight and watertight benefits of stainless steel pools will curtail problems with loading and waterproofing.
− For designs that push the boundaries of engineering, for example building a pool that straddles a building or on a cantilever, stainless steel could possibly be the only option. Stainless steel pools would solve problems with loading, structural stability, waterproofing, as well as do away with encumbering and heavy supporting structures that would be necessary when building with other materials.
