By: Nick Harvill, Sales Representative
While Foam-Control® Geofoam is often used to infill existing swimming pools that have outlived their purpose, Geofoam can also be used to shape new pools. Above grade pools are often installed in large metal boxes that are placed in the deck of building at various floor levels. To reduce the amount of concrete used, Geofoam is installed in the floor and walls of the box to rough shape the pool. This can be done in a number of ways.
Pool floors are usually sloped to a drain area. Foam-Control® Geofoam can be tapered to provide a constant thickness of concrete and further reduce weight. The walls may need fill a few inches to 2 feet thick or more. The Geofoam can be supplied to install in one layer or the contractor may choose to install multiple layers to reach the thickness needed.
Steps, sun ledges, and other structures in the pool can be formed with Geofoam and then covered with concrete. This allows every pound of weight to be eliminated that can be. After installing the Geofoam and the structural steel reinforcement, the concrete is shot into place to the needed thickness. Foam-Control® Geofoam fill is sometimes used to form the collection trough around the pool. Put in place to block out the concrete and form the trough and then removed to allow final shaping.
Although lower Geofoam compressive strengths can be used for the trough block out, higher compressive strengths such as EPS29 to EPS46 are usually needed in pool construction to support the weight of the pool and water. The Project Engineer would make the final determination.
