MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF SWIMMING POOLS, PONDS AND

OTHER SIMILAR AREAS OF WATER

The present invention relates to a method for constructing a swimming pool, a pond or another similar body of water. The object of this method is to make it possible to obtain bodies of water having a natural appearance, that is to say, an appearance similar to the one a natural body of water of water may have.

As a matter of fact, a conventional swimming pool frequently has a more or less rectangular shape, and includes a light blue watertight lining, with a smooth surface, which does not satisfy a client desiring to have a natural- looking body of water.

Some masonry swimming pools may have shapes and features coming close to a natural appearance, but have the disadvantage of being complex to build and therefore very expensive. The documents FR 2 028 116 and CH 685 063 are disclosing methods for constructing a swimming pool, a pond or another similar body of water.

The present invention aims to remedy the above-mentioned disadvantage by proposing a method for constructing a swimming pool, a pond or another similar body of water having a more natural appearance than conventional ornamental ponds, which is relatively simple to implement and which therefore has a production cost that remains relatively low.

To that end, the method to which it relates includes the following steps consisting in :

- creating an excavation having a shape corresponding to that of the body of water to be obtained ;

- installing a watertight membrane over the entire excavation and over the area intended to receive the coping, over a width at least equal to that of this coping ;

- installing, if need be, equipment that must be included at the lower portion of the body of water, in particular when the body of water includes an integrated filtration system, the pipes, outlet covers and other elements included in this filtration system) ;

- installing grids along the lateral walls of the excavation, these grids being provided with spacers making it possible to hold them at a specific distance from the watertight membrane ;

- connecting these grids together ;

- pouring concrete into the bottom of the excavation so as to form a slab constituting the bottom of the body of water being constructed and immobilizing the grids with respect to the excavation ; - holding the upper portion of the grids in relation to the ground ;

- when appropriate, positioning equipment on said grids that the body of water must include, such as other elements of the filtration system, in particular water return fittings, and/or floodlights ;

- filling the space between the grids and the watertight membrane with a decorative filling material, in particular pebbles, up to the level of the area intended to receive the coping ; and

- building the coping so as to permanently immobilize the grids.

Thus, the method according to the invention consists substantially in simply installing a watertight membrane in the excavation and in then installing the grids along the lateral walls of the excavation, pouring concrete into the bottom of the excavation in order to form the bottom of the body of water and to immobilize the lower portion of the grids, holding the upper portion of the grids, filling the space situated between the grids and the watertight membrane with a decorative filling material and building the coping so as to immobilize the upper portion of the grids.

This method makes it possible to obtain swimming pools, ponds and other similar bodies of water having a natural appearance because of the decorative filling materials used, and it is relatively simple to implement. The cost of obtaining a body of water using this method is relatively low. After producing the excavation and before installing the watertight membrane, the method preferably includes the step consisting in :

- laying a peripheral trench at the bottom of the excavation, at the base of the lateral walls, and

- inserting the lower portions of said grids into this trench. The lower portions of the grids are thereby more or less wedged inside the trench via this insertion, at the moment the concrete is poured.

In this case, the method can include the step consisting in installing inside said trench equipment that must be included at the lower portion of the body of water, in particular when the body of water includes an integrated

filtration system, the pipes, outlet covers and other elements included in this filtration system.

Thus, it is particularly simple to construct the portion of the filtration system situated at the bottom of the body of water by installing the equipment and by then pouring the concrete over it.

Prior to installing the watertight membrane, the method can also include the step consisting in installing a geotextile felt over the entire surface intended to be covered by this membrane, so as to eliminate any risk of deterioration of the latter, in particular by perforation. Each of the grids used is preferably L-shaped, that is to say that each grid includes both a main flat portion running parallel to the lateral wall of the excavation, and a lateral portion arranged substantially at a right angle in relation to the main portion.

This lateral portion is intended to form the aforesaid spacer ensuring that said main part is held at a specific distance from the lateral wall of the excavation ; moreover, it further makes it possible to form transverse partitions for distributing the forces exerted by the decorative filling material.

The upper hold on the grids is preferably produced by bars anchored to the ground and by double-hook link rods which, on the one hand hook onto the grids and, on the other hand, onto said bars.

These bars constitute reference lines making it possible to facilitate the positioning of the lower portions of the grids in line with one another.

In this case, said bars are advantageously situated in a space intended to be filled with concrete in order to form a layer for receiving the coping, and the construction of the coping includes the step consisting in pouring concrete into this space, over the decorative filling material and over said bars and link rods, so as to form said layer for receiving the coping.

This layer of concrete thus embeds said bars and said link rods, thereby ensuring the interconnectedness of the upper portion of the grids with the ground.

A geotextile felt can be put in place over the watertight membrane before pouring the concrete intended to form said layer for receiving the coping, in order to protect this membrane.

The method according to the invention preferably includes the steps consisting in :

- anchoring the aforesaid bars into the ground using fastening elements inserted into the ground beyond the aforesaid watertight membrane ;

- removing these fastening elements after pouring the concrete- intended to form said layer for the coping, and - making the body of water watertight in relation to the ground by bringing said watertight membrane up and over the coping, with the possible installation of overflow pipe connections.

The method can include the steps consisting of :

- producing at least one secondary vertical excavation, opening out into the main excavation ;

- installing at least one pipe opening out into the lower portion of this secondary vertical excavation, before pouring the concrete intended to form the bottom of the body of water to be obtained, and

- installing, in this secondary vertical excavation, a concrete pipe including an upper notch the height of which is such that said notch is situated at the surface level of the water after construction of the body of water, this concrete pipe being intended to receive a water suction element connected to said pipe, and said notch being intended to receive a weir, .the assembly constituting a surface cleaner, commonly named a ^' skimmer'. The invention will be fully understood and other characteristics and advantages of it will become apparent with reference to the appended schematic drawing, which, for non-limiting illustrative purposes, shows a body of water constructed by means of the method to which it relates.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the body of water, after construction ;

Figure 2 is a partial view of it during construction ; Figure 3 is a view of the grid used in the construction of this body of water ;

Figure 1 shows a swimming pool 1 , or other similar body of water having a "natural" appearance, that is to say, an appearance similar to the one a natural body of water might have.

To build this swimming pool 1, first a main excavation was produced having a shape corresponding to that of the swimming pool to be obtained, a centre trench 2 at the bottom of the main excavation, a peripheral trench 3 also at the bottom of the main excavation, at the base of the lateral walls

thereof and in line with these lateral walls, and at least one secondary vertical excavation 4 opening out into the main excavation over its entire height. Areas 5 are arranged in the upper portion of the main excavation, which are intended to receive the coping, and which are angled slightly downward away from the main excavation.

The centre trench 2 receives a drain 6 and is filled with drainage gravel 7.

A geotextile felt 10 and then a watertight membrane 11 are next put in place over the entire main excavation, the peripheral trench 3, each secondary lateral excavation 4 and the areas 5 intended to receive the coping, while widely overlapping the latter. In this way, there are peripheral portions of geotextile felt 10 and watertight membrane 11 , which extend beyond the areas 5, and which may be lifted up over the outside of the coping in order to ensure watertightness with respect to the ground, as shown more particularly in figure 2. The membrane 11 can be made out of PVC or EPDM.

Since the body of water 1 includes an integrated filtration system, outlet 15 and suction 16 pipes are installed in the trench 3, together with a bottom drain plug and its pipe 17.

A concrete pipe 20 is installed vertically in the secondary vertical excavation 4, above suction pipe portion 16. This concrete pipe 20 includes an upper notch and a height such that said notch is situated level with the surface of the water after construction of the body of water. This pipe 20 is intended to receive a water suction element connected to the pipe 16, and said notch is intended to receive a weir, the assembly constituting a surface cleaner, commonly named a ^' skimmer'.

Grids 21 are then installed along the lateral walls of the main excavation, one next to another, their lower portions inserted into the peripheral trench 3, as shown in figure 2.

Figure 3 shows that each of the grids 21 is L-shaped, i.e., includes a main flat portion 21a intended to run parallel to the lateral wall of the main excavation, and a lateral portion 21b arranged substantially at a right angle to the main part 21a. The lateral portions 21b of the various grids 21 are intended to form spacers so as to ensure that the main portions 21a of the grids 21 are kept at a specific distance from the lateral walls of the main excavation, and further make it possible to form transverse partitions for dividing the space

delimited by lateral walls of the main excavation and by the main portions 21a of the grids 21.

Each lateral portion 21b includes a notch 21c in its lower area in order to enable it to be fitted onto the pipes 15 and 16 previously installed inside the trench 3.

Returning to figure 2, it appears that the lower ends of the grids 21 are received into protective strips preventing them from being driven into the ground.

The grids 21 are connected to each other over their entire height by fasteners 25, and concrete reinforcing bars 26 (steel rods commonly used as concrete reinforcements) are inserted through the lower portions of the grids'

21 and are connected to them using iron wire in order to correctly align these lower portions, and to make them integral with one another.

Concrete 30 is then poured into the bottom of the main excavation, the peripheral trench 3 and each secondary excavation, so as to form a slab constituting the bottom of the body of water being constructed, and to immobilize the grids 21 in relation to the excavation.

A second layer of geotextile felt 10 is then placed over the membrane 11, in the areas 5, overlapping the upper portion of the lateral walls of the main excavation and covering the aforesaid peripheral portions of the first layer of geotextile felt 10 and watertight membrane 11.

The grids 21 are then adjusted to be vertically level and are connected to bars 31 using double-hook rods 32 hooked onto the grids on the one hand and onto said bars on the other hand. The bars 31 (which may be concrete reinforcing bars) run along the entire periphery of the body of water 1 and are anchored to the ground using posts 35 to which they are connected via connecting wires 36. The posts 35 are driven into the ground beyond the aforesaid peripheral portions of the geotextile felts 10 and watertight membrane 11. Various other equipment that the body of water 1 must include, such as other filtration system elements, in particular return fittings 37 and/or floodlights 38, are installed at the appropriate locations on the girds 21, after the latter have been appropriately cut out.

The space situated between the grids 21 and the membrane 11 is then filled up with decorative filling material, in particular with pebbles 39, up to the

level of area 5. Figure 2 does not show this decorative filling material for the sake of the drawing's clarity.

Concrete 40 is then poured in, to the level of the areas 5, so as to cover the decorative filling material and to embed the bars 31 and the double-hook link rods 32, and then the coping finishing materials, in particular blocks of stone 41 are put into place over this layer of concrete 40.

The wires 36 are cut so that the peripheral portions of the geotextile felts 10 and watertight membrane 11 can be lifted up, and one or more overflow- pipe connections 42 are installed. The ground is then backfilled over this watertight overlap, thus completing the construction of the body of water 1.

The invention thereby provides a method for constructing a swimming pool, a pond or other similar body of water having a more natural appearance than conventional ornamental ponds, which is relatively simple to implement and whose production cost remains relatively low.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above for illustrative purposes, but applies to any embodiment covered by the appended claims.