Removing a swimming pool

[Honorary Bloke]

Looks like the deck wll be the way to go - main problem I see is how you stop it becoming a swamp and breeding ground for Melbourne's mosquito and spider population once it is empty? I guess you will have to pump out the water and go down and clean it every now and then.

If you explore that link a bit more, you will see that they supply an automatic pump with each cover. So when it rains, the pump just empties the pool again.

Groggy, I have begun digging but it looks like hard yakka after the first metre or so.

[crjx]

If you explore that link a bit more, you will see that they supply an automatic pump with each cover. So when it rains, the pump just empties the pool again.

I did see this, but imagine a lot of leaves and dirt and other gunk would still accumulate in the bottom

crjx

I don't think you want to empty the pool and leave it empty.
If you do, next time it rains it's likely to float out of the ground.
Punching a hole in the base to stop it floating would likely bugger it for future use as a pool.

ian

I have heard this can be a problem with a plastic pool in an area with a high water table, but would this really be a concern with a concrete pool in Melbourne (I live in Caulfield)????

[ian]

a sealed concrete pool will float
whether it will ever be a problem depends on where the water table gets to when it rains and rains and rains some more

just remember thet the current drought / very dry spell with depressed ground moisture levels is not a permanent fixture and at some stage it will rain enough to possibly bring the water table close to the surface


ian

[ian]

Hi,

I have a large concrete swimming pool right in the middle of my back yard that I would really like to get rid of. It was the one thing that put me off buying my house and I have put up with it for several years, but now I think the time has finally come for it to go.

The big problem I have is that there is no vehicle access possible to the pool to drive a truck or any sort of machinery in (I would have to demolish part of my house, and there is no rear access). Does this make removal impossible ?

hire a crane and lift the demolition machine over the house

[luckysack]

As already said, there is definately a possibility of a concrete pool floating when ground water rises. I suspect that you would have a hydrostatic valve installed at the bottom of your pool which is designed to relieve the pressure built up underneath the pool shell. BUT this does not guarantee that your pool will stay in the ground when empty. There are many influencing factors but if you think there is a chance of water gathering beneath your pool think long and hard before emptying your pool! If you have good drainage such as nicely sloping block that is well above the water table then you're sure to be safe.
How do I know? I've had my concrete pool empty for a good 12 months and had absolutely no movement at all.

[klinger]

How bout teaching the kids to swim. They start learning from 6 months on. Takes away the danger and everyone gets to enjoy whats already there.
But if your after the extra yard, deckit.

[prozac]

Put a roof over it and turn it into a shed.

[rod1949]

Import a few Maron from here in WA and turn it into a Maron pond and then sit back and watch the $$$$$ roll in.

[frog_hopper]

We recently filled in our pool. Ours had metal sides (old Albatros style pool) and we had to grind them out.

We registered for fill with every pool company in Brisbane (good way to get *clean* fill). After a few weeks, we had a call that someone had the fill in our area, and they organised us a bob cat and got filled the hole in in a mater of hours. It cost about $400 for the bobcat and that was all. It worked out well as we were not sure on the exact amount of dirt that was going to be required, and they just stopped bringing it when the hole was full.

We had 1.6 meters (2 meters including area under the eves) access down the side of the house (quite steep also) and I was surprised that they could get a machine through. They ended up using a 2 meter wide bobcat and excavating down under the eves. Exactly much access to you have???

Anyways - whilst we were in the process of deciding what to do, we were advised by several pool places NOT to empty the pool until we had decided what do do with it. You might want to check what the case is for concrete pools, but you may not be able to fill it up again later if you damage it by removing the water (try phoning up a concrete pool renovation mob).

We also considered the underground tank idea - has a lot of merit. Drainage was going to be the issue if we built a deck over it.

Other thing to think of, is that if you fill in a hole over 1 meter deep (according to Brisbane City Council) you must get council approval, as someone else may want to build over it in the future if they buy your place.

Another things to check are that the dirt you are receiving does not have fire ants in it (do you get these in VIC?).

Hope this helps.

[frog_hopper]

If you live on a sloping block, you could take the dirt from somewhere else in the yard, and re retain where you took the dirst from (this was our backup option).

That would give you the dirt, then you would just need to get the machinery over the house.