Canopy for the pool of polycarbonate with their own hands

The swimming pool in a modern holiday village is no longer a luxury. Such a design is quite affordable even for the average consumer, and even more so if you can build it yourself. However, this element of landscape design is important to design and build correctly, you need and proper care for it. The landlord sooner or later has an idea that it is necessary to build a canopy for the pool, which can be made of any material. One popular is polycarbonate. The design will keep the water clean, and also transform the territory.

Need to build a canopy

If you still think if a canopy is needed above the pool, then it is necessary to consider the positive characteristics of this design, which consist in the fact that water does not get soiled so quickly, therefore, it will have to be cleared much less often. Among other things, you can use the pool in this case, even during a rain or a strong wind. And other unfavorable weather conditions can not prevent you from enjoying pure water.

Canopy protects against sunlight, so you can swim even with a strong scorching sun. The electricity consumption for heating the water will be reduced, and the water from the pool will not evaporate so quickly. In addition, in the autumn-winter period, the construction will not be affected by negative weather conditions.

Canopy for the pool can be made of different materials. But polycarbonate is a solution that is light and durable, and also capable of transmitting and dispersing ultraviolet radiation. The material is weatherproof, fireproof and resistant to corrosion processes.

You can buy it at an affordable price, it's quite easy to take care of the surface, and it will last for many years.

Preparation of materials and tools

If you decide to build a canopy for the pool, then before starting work, you need to prepare certain tools and materials. Among them:

• Polycarbonate;
• Fasteners;
• Self-tapping screws;
• Bolts;
• welding machine;
• Hacksaw for metal ;
• Electric jig saw;
• roulette;
• level;
• Profile pipe of round or rectangular section;
• Concrete mixture;
• shovel;
• Perforator;
• concrete mixer.

Creating a foundation

The canopy design will be quite light, but the bulk cover still requires a foundation. The structure is installed on a concrete base, which is deepened by 50 cm into the soil. After the mortar has dried, the foundation surface must be tiled, which will further protect the structure from moisture.

Work on the skeleton

The pool canopy will be based on a frame that can be made of metal or wood. It is best to resort to the first option, because the pool will constantly evaporate water. The creation of a frame assumes the bending of the profile in such a way that an arched covering is obtained.

If you have the appropriate skills, you can try to make the supporting structure yourself. Profiles are thrown across the bowl and bolted to the foundation. Further, the arcs are stretched in steps of a meter from each other, and stiffeners are installed between them. The parts are bolted or welded. If the canopy for a pool of polycarbonate will be made on the basis of a metal frame, then the latter must be treated with an anti-corrosion agent before assembly.

Carrying out the skin

On the sheets of covering material it will be necessary to mark the connection points with the frame. Further holes are made for installing self-tapping screws. In order to avoid damage to the skin, the film should not be removed at this stage. Under the influence of heat, the material will expand, so the holes must have a slightly larger diameter than the size of the screws. Polycarbonate should be fixed on the profile with screws, under the hats of which it is necessary to lay rubber washers. The resulting joints between the hats and polycarbonate are treated with a sealant.

It is necessary to recognize that the use of self-tapping screws is not the best solution for carrying out such work. But if you decide to prefer this technology, then it is best to purchase them with sealing washers, which are made of EPDM-material. They will allow to evenly distribute the load on the surface of the blade at the fastener point.

When choosing a screw, you must choose one whose diameter is equal to or greater than 6 mm. For the correct installation, a screwdriver is required, with which the work will be carried out in the shortest possible time. When the awnings for polycarbonate basins are made, photos of which you can consider in the article, the screws must be positioned perpendicular to the flat surface.

Do not make great efforts to not destroy the surface of the panel and septum. If the screw was pinched, and the surface was deformed, the fasteners should be released a little. If the original shape of the bulkheads is maintained, the surface must be restored.

Sliding canopy for swimming pool

Canopies for swimming pools can be made of a profile and a special mechanism, the length of which must be selected while being on the site. Once you have made all the necessary measurements, you can go to the store where you can buy polycarbonate and guides. The latter will move the upper part of the frame, which during the installation phase must be synchronized.

Some home craftsmen try to perform such a mechanism on their own, but experts advise to abandon this idea and purchase a factory model, since in the first case the structure will move with great noise, and in time it may become distorted and the movement will not be as easy as before. The pool under the canopy, which you will make sliding, can be covered with polycarbonate only partially.

If you want to leave the pool for the winter and make it heated, then the canopy can be made completely closed. In this case, bathing will become possible even in late autumn.

Use as a fastening tie straps

A canopy for the pool, the photo of which you can find in the article, can be made using tie straps that allow you to fix the polycarbonate. They are made of polyester or galvanized steel. This method can not be called new, it can be used to tighten the panels as tightly as possible to the arch structure without damaging the canvas.

The tape is thrown through the structure and fixed on both sides by bolt locks. Among the main advantages of using this technology can be identified short installation time, the possibility of opening the canopy, ease of dismantling, as well as tight docking of the material overlap.

Use of thermowells for polycarbonate installation

When a canopy for the pool is made by hand, the polycarbonate can be fixed to the frame by means of thermo-washers. This method is one of the most reliable and reliable. The plastic washer is made in the form of an umbrella, the leg of which is designed to use a 5-mm self-tapping screw. At the bottom of the cap there is a seat for the puck. In the upper part there is a secret recess in which the head of the self-tapping screw opens. At the same time, the fasteners are completely protected against corrosion. When installing the polycarbonate on the rafters of the frame with the help of thermowells in the canvases, it is necessary to make holes with a diameter larger by 2 mm compared to the diameter of the foot. This eliminates the deformation of the web at the points of pinching in the process of increasing or decreasing linear dimensions. Between the thermowells you must leave a distance of 30 cm.