Steel Wall Pool Structures, Factors, and Designs in Southeastern, WI
The Steel Wall Pool
Premier Pools is a professional swimming pool service and installation company that builds steel wall, vinyl liner inground pools and has done so since we founded the company in 2008. Although there are many different styles of inground pools, (gunite, fiberglass, block) the steel wall pool has been the choice of builders and homeowners alike in the mid-west for the past 40 years. A steel wall pool boasts many advantages over other structures, especially in a freeze/thaw climate such as ours, and is typically the least expensive option when compared to other pool structures. However, just because the pool itself is less expensive doesn’t mean you sacrifice the quality, aesthetics, and functionality of the vessel. A vinyl liner pool can be customized like a gunite or concrete pool and offers homeowners versatility in design options.
The Sterling Steel Pool
(Courtesy of Fort Wayne)
The Sterling Steel Wall Panel and Braces utilize galvanized steel along with innovative design to provide superior structural integrity. Each wall panel features a 5” top and bottom flange and a 1” back bend and under turn, creating a “triple bend” panel. These features enhance the strength of the pool for a lifetime of enjoyment.
Steel Walls are available in the standard 42 and 48-inch heights. Please ask your Premier Pools sales consultant which height is ideal for your application.
Factors to Consider When Designing Your Swimming Pool
(Courtesy of Fort Wayne)
There’s a lot to think about when deciding whether a swimming pool is right for your family. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Will it be for recreation, exercise, entertainment, or some combination of all of these? If you have a general idea of your intended use of the pool, it can help you work through the design process.
Different types of pools require different levels of maintenance. Some, like vinyl liner pools, are relatively simple to maintain. It can take just a few minutes a week to check water and chemical levels.
If you live on the side of a cliff with a steep grade and little or no access to construction vehicles, then you may run into some problems! If you have a tiny backyard but want an Olympic-sized pool, it may not be possible. But for the most part, pool builders are very talented and creative when it comes to designing pools to fit in tight or awkward spaces.
Swimming pools can be expensive upfront, but the investment is worth it in the end and the enhanced backyard environment can add to the value of your home. Remember that you can often obtain financing and stretch your payments out over a longer term – often a monthly pool payment can be lower than a monthly car payment! Talk with your builder about what financing options are available. Also, maybe you don’t have the funds to do a huge water feature or lighting system right now. But if you think you may want it in the future, tell your builder. It’s much easier to plan for future plumbing and electrical needs upfront and work them into the design than to try and go backwards later on.
Steps, Benches, and Entry Systems
Premier Pools uses steel, vinyl-covered steps as a standard on all of our custom inground pools. A vinyl-covered stairway or entry system adds elegance and design flexibility to your project and is fully customizable to your needs and desires. With a large selection of textured vinyl material now available, a steel stairway offers a slip-resistant entry without sacrificing aesthetics. Certain swimming pool designs can limit the size, shape, and location of a stairway so please keep this in mind when viewing the images below. Once you have selected a shape for your pool, your Premier Pools sales consultant will work with you on integrating the stairway into your design.
Bar Stools
Bar stools make a great addition to your entertainment area on the shallow end of the pool. Swim-up bars are increasingly becoming more popular in vinyl-lined pools.
Click here to see more images of stairways, benches, and entry systems in our gallery.
Thermoplastic Steps
Premier Pools offers a limited amount of thermoplastic steps for certain applications. If your pool is equipped with an automatic cover, thermoplastic ladder treads are typically added to the deep end of the pool. Please see the images below for color and style selections.
- In-wall ladders are offered in Blue or Grey granite finish
- 8 ft sit and step (Straight and radius models available. Blue or Grey granite)
Pool Liners
Selecting your pool liner is one of the most important, and often time most difficult in the pool design process. Premier Pools works with all of the major liner manufacturers in order to provide you with the widest selection of pool liners available. If your pool design is complex, we will recommend the best company for fit and finish. Our design team has weeded out the liners that deviate from a natural appearance to help take the guesswork out. Remember, it is a big decision as a pool liner typically is only replaced every 7 to 10 years. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you wish until you are certain you have found the right finish for your dream oasis!
Click here to view more images in our gallery.
Pool Edging and Coping
The pool edge, often times referred to as “coping” is fully customizable and plays a key role in the finish. There are many materials and methods of constructing this edge as showcased below. These images are meant to help our customers visualize the finish, so please take all your options into consideration as this edge is permanent and can only be replaced or upgraded by removing the surrounding decking.
The most common edge for an inground vinyl liner pool is aluminum but this is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today, more homeowners are opting to install brick, stone, or cantilever coping. We will highlight the various options below. Your Premier Pools sales consultant will work with you to decide which option is best for your custom design.
Aluminum Coping
CP2 Aluminum coping is shown in white. ( Also available in grey). The bullnose profile is the most common shape used because it offers an ideal contour for swimmers to hold onto.
CP5 Coping
The clip shown in this image will be used to cover the seams where two pieces conjoin.
Liner Bead
Standard swimming pool aluminum coping includes the track where the liner bead will be installed. This image shows a cutaway so you can see the installation.
Aluminum Coping on Automatic Cover Systems
When your pool is equipped with an in-wall track system, a one-piece aluminum coping is used to encapsulate the track, secure the liner, and provide a finished edge. This is the most economical system when installing a pool with an in-wall track auto cover, but many consumers opt to use a brick, stone, or a formed concrete edge. Premier Pools will assist you in deciding on which edge is suitable.
Shown below is a one-piece, of aluminum coping with bead receptor and track encapsulation.
Pool With One Piece, in Wall Aluminum Encapsulation
PDF (permanent deck form) encapsulation is available in white or grey.
Brick, Natural Stone, and Concrete Coping
These options are becoming increasingly popular in many custom-designed pools. They add a touch of class and elegance to the framing of the swimming pool and require minimal maintenance. When using brick, natural stone or concrete coping an aluminum bead receptor is attached to the top of the pool wall to secure the liner.
Brick Coping
Stone Coping
Concrete Coping
Concrete coping is created by attaching a form to the edge of the pool as seen below. The deck is then poured into this removable form and the coping is finished with a special profile trowel. Please ask your Premier Pools sales representative for more details.
Stand Alone and Spill-Over Spas
Latham Pool Products offers a line of stand-alone and spillover poolside spas. These spas are typically opened and closed at the same time as the pool and often share the same mechanicals.
The stand-alone spa is installed near the pool but is considered an independent body of water. A spillover spa is installed on the edge of the pool and can share the same mechanicals. A stand-alone spa requires its own equipment in order to be able to operate at the same time as the pool. Both the stand-alone and spillover models can be customized with lighting, air injection, a high/low setting, and automation. In addition, UV and Ozone can be added to enhance water quality.
A spillover spa or standalone spa can be set at ground level or can be raised above the deck with a custom surround. Premier Pools offers spas in blue and grey granite in the shapes seen below.
Pool Plumbing, Equipment, and Circulation System
All pools require proper circulation, filtration, and a sanitizing system in order to keep the water clean, clear, and healthy for the bathers. Premier Pools of Waukesha Wisconsin has developed a system unlike any other builder in the area based on many years of research and development. We have engineered our inground pools using the finest products available today to be efficient, user-friendly, and low maintenance.
Click here to see what set us apart from the competition and why a Premier Pools custom inground is a better way to build your backyard Oasis.
Main Drains
All Premier Pools are equipped with dual floor drains to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. Although they can drain the pool, they do not function as a drain like in your sink or bathtub. The dual main drains are connected to the suction side of the swimming pool variable speed pump and draw cold, dirty water to the equipment pad so it can be filtered and heated. The clean, heated water is then returned to the pool.
Skimmer
The pool skimmer, or skimmers (if equipped) draws surface water in using a flap that positions itself according to the level of the water. This action increases the flow rate of the water and pulls in debris which is then trapped in a basket secured within the body. Anything that is smaller than the notches in the basket is carried through the skimmer plumbing line and is either caught in a secondary basket which is housed in the pump or continues into the filter. The skimmer and main drain are balanced using a diverter valve located directly in front of the pump so that 70 percent of the water is pulled through the skimmer and the other 30 through the floor drains. Premier Pools uses a venturi-style skimmer that optimizes the suction ensuring that the maximum amount of surface debris is caught in the basket. This is especially important when your pool is equipped with a variable speed pump where flow rates are significantly reduced to optimize energy efficiency.
Basket Features
The basket for the Venturi Skimmer and the Deep Basket Skimmer is 9” deep, making the Waterway basket the largest in the industry for extra leaf and debris holding capacity.
- By using a Venturi, this skimmer doubles the cleaning power without increasing energy costs
- Massive 9″ deep basket (twice the size of standard skimmer baskets), can hold 289 cubic inches of debris
- Basket and vacuum plate lock into place instead of floating up when the pump is off
- Weir door is spring-loaded for easy removal – no screws
- NSF approved for 75 GPM – highest in the industry
Pool Returns
Once the water has been pulled through the main drains and skimmer(s) it is filtered, sanitized, and returned to the pool through inlets located throughout the structure. A standard pool typically has 2-5 returns in various locations depending on the total water capacity of the vessel. These inlets are typically located between 9 and 12 inches down from the top of the pool. This creates the proper circulation in the pool to help ensure a clean and safe swimming environment. Directional eyeballs are threaded into the return fitting to direct the water downwards and toward the skimmer. Sounds simple and efficient, right? Well unfortunately many existing pools have either too many, not enough, or poorly located return fittings which lead to improper circulation. This causes the majority of the heated and sanitized water on the upper surface of the pool. Since heat rises and chemicals are dissipated by the sun, it often leads to a temperature variation from the surface a pool return system can be maximized to overcome this. Premier Pools uses an in-floor, in-wall combination system on all of our custom inground pools to return the heated, sanitized water to your pool.
In-Floor and In-Wall Returns
Premier Pools has designed a return system unlike any other used by our competitors. Not only will this system optimize the flow from your variable speed pump, but it will distribute heated and sanitized water equally throughout your swimming pool. This will increase efficiency and will result in a warmer, cleaner pool. Let’s take a look at how a typical pool return system is designed compared to a Premier Pools custom inground.
Standard Pool Water Return System
Underground Plumbing Lines
The underground plumbing lines carry the water from the floor drains and skimmer to the pump and then back to the pool where the water is returned. Once these underground lines are buried and covered, they are very expensive to repair or replace so it is vital the highest quality material is used and that all connections are made by a true plumbing professional. All of our pool plumbing is done in-house by one of our master technicians.
Premier Pools uses 2-inch flexible plumbing lines on all suction applications and 1 ½ flexible plumbing on all return applications. Special water features may use larger or smaller diameter lines.
All above ground, mechanical piping is sch 40 and sch 80 rigid PVC plumbing to optimize hydraulic efficiency and minimize heat distortion. Premier Pools Master Technicians are highly trained in piping efficiency to ensure that your pool operates at the lowest costs possible.
In-Floor Cleaning System
In-floor cleaning systems have been available for several decades and were first patented by Paramount in 1967. A Paramount in-floor cleaning system will save you time, and money, and is guaranteed to keep your pool debris free when used properly. Click on the link below to learn more about this and other popular products featured in our custom-designed pools.
Equipment Pad
All inground installations will require a concrete slab which will be a base for the mechanicals required to operate the pool. This slab is typically 4×8 feet, and the location will be shown on the final draft of the plan. Our design team will try to locate this equipment pad out of view from the pool lounging area, and somewhere close to the homes’ gas meter and electrical supply. All mechanicals will be located on the home’s exterior, or within a structure designed to house pool equipment. Premier Pools will not install your pool mechanicals inside the home or garage.