GB2200840A

GB2200840A - Liner pool with spa pool addition

Info

Publication number: GB2200840A
Application number: GB8801712A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William C Dobinson
Original assignee: POLAR POOLS Ltd
Current assignee: POLAR POOLS Ltd
Priority date: 1987-02-03
Filing date: 1988-01-26
Publication date: 1988-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2008-01-26
Also published as: GB2200840B; GB8801712D0; GB8702334D0

Abstract

A liner pool (10) has part of its perimeter wall cut away and replaced by a spa pool unit (12) which then shares water with the liner pool, water retaining integrity of the combination being ensured by cutting the lining of the liner pool and sealing the remainder of said lining to the water-enclosing wall of the spa pool unit. <IMAGE>

Description

Title Improvements relating to Liner Pools Field of the invention This invention relates generally to liner pools and more particularly to a spa pool provided as a supplementary pool unit associated with the liner pool.

The term "liner pool" as used herein means a pool of the kind, commonly installed in gardens for example, having a wall structure of cast concrete or concrete blocks or the like or alternatively of steel or fibreglass sections, the water-containing integrity of which is maintained by a plastics lining, typically a sheet vinyl plastics material.

The term "spa pool" as used herein means a Jacuzzi or like pool having high pressure underwater jets.

The invention According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing a liner pool with a supplementary spa pool according to which the spa pool is produced as an auxiliary unit having a water-containing structure, the wall structure of the liner pool is removed for a distance around the pool substantially equal to the width of the auxiliary pool structure, the original lining of the liner pool is cut away for a distance around the liner pool not more than the width of said auxiliary unit structure, the auxiliary unit structure is located at the napkin the wall structure of the liner pool, and the remainder of the original pool lining is sealed to the auxiliary unit structure, whereby' the said structure recompletes the water-containing integrity of the liner pool.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a supplementary spa pool unit for a liner pool, comprising a water-containing structure adapted to fit in place of part of the wall structure of the liner pool, means for fixing the supplementary pool unit to the wall structure of the liner pool, and means for fixing to the water-containing structure of the supplementary pool unit the remainder of the original lining of the liner pool resulting from cutting away a portion of said lining not more than the width of said water-containing structure of the supplementary pool unit.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liner pool having a supplementary spa pool unit attached thereto, wherein the spa pool unit comprises a water-containing structure fitted in place of part of the wall structure of the liner pool and fixed to said wall structure, and the liner pool has a part of its lining cut away for a distance around the pool not more than the width of the water-containing structure of the spa pool unit, the remainder of the lining of the liner pool being sealed to the said water-containing structure of the spa pool unit so as to complete the watercontaining integrity of the liner pool.

The spa pool unit is preferably adapted to fit primarily outside the area of the liner pool, replacing either the whole or part of an end wall of the liner pool or part of a side wall thereof.

The water-containing structure of the spa pool unit may be provided with laterally projecting flanges, extending vertically for the full height of the liner pool, to which the remainder of the liner pool lining is sealed.

The spa pool unit preferably has a part to be filled coextensively with water in the liner pool and a part for containing water to be activated by the underwater jets.

The water-retaining structure of the latter part preferably has a weir over which water overflows into the liner pool water. This water from the underwater jets is re-circulated via the main body of water in the liner pool.

A preferred spa pool unit has a generally circular waterretaining part for the jet-activated water and on either sidle thereof a stepped part descending towards the liner pool. The circular water-retaining- part for activated water preferably has a single circular step around a central region of maximum depth, thereby to provide a seat. The underwater jets are preferably provided at the periphery of the circular water-retaining part for activated water, at or above the level of. the seat.

Water to be taken from the main liner pool when the supplementary spa pool is in operation is preferably at least partly extracted via a surface skimmer and circulated via a pump to the underwater jets in the spa pool unit.

Brief description of drawings The invention is exemplified with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 respectively show two examples of a liner pool adapted by attachment of a supplementary spa pool thereto; Figure 3 shows a supplementary spa pool unit in front elevation; Figure 4 shows the supplementary spa pool unit in plan view; Figures 5 and 6 show differing methods of fixing and sealing of the supplementary spa pool to the liner pool, respectively when the latter has differing kinds of wall structure; and Figure 7 shows an example of a plumbing system applied to a liner pool/spa pool combination.

Description of embodiment In Figure 1 is shown a conventional liner pool 10 but with a supplementary spa pool 12 attached thereto at one end.

In Figure 2, the spa pool 12 is attached at a side wall adjacent one end of the liner pool.

The spa pool 12 is formed as an integral unit and is shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4. The spa pool 12 is moulded from glass fibre reinforced plastics material. It has a central water-retaining part 14 with a deeper central region 16 reached by a step 18 which can serve as a seat.

Water jets 20 are provided in the wider-diameter region adj-acent the level of the step. The water-containing structure of the spa pool unit is extended on both sides of the central part 14 by stepped portions 22 for descending towards the liner pool and for containing water coextensively with the liner pool. The walls 24 of the extended structure have lateral flanges 26 extending the full height of the liner pool for a purpose later described. As indicated in Figure 3, a weir 28 enables water from the central region 16 of the spa pool to overflow into the main liner pool, from which water is correspondingly extracted for re-circulation to the underwater jets 20.

Figure 5 shows the manner in which the supplementary spa pool unit 12 is connected to the liner pool 10 when the latter has a wall structure 30 of concrete or building blocks faced with a plastics lining 32. An appropriate portion of the wall structure of the liner pool 10 is removed, and the spa pool unit is joined across the gap thus created, as indicated by fixing bolt 34 which joins a wall of the spa pool to a wall of the liner pool. The lining 32 of the liner pool is cut away for a distance less than the width of the spa pool unit (leaving a horizontal strip of the lining 32 unbroken to extend along the base of the spa pool 12), and the edges 36 of the lining are sealed to the water-containing structure 24 of the spa pool unit , by fixing means which includes a channel 38 and suitable sealing gaskets.

Figure 3 shows the channel 38 which has vertical portions interconnected by a horizontal portion, the middle of whiceh extends around the curved projecting portion of the central part 14. The channel 38 is clamped at intervals to the structure of the spa pool 12, in order to retain and seal the lining 32 against the spa pool 12 along the complete length of the channel 38.

An analogous method is employed in the case of a liner pool having a wall structure 31 made up of steel or fibreglass sections (Figure 6), except that in this case the relevant section or sections of the wall structure is or are removed and replaced by shorter sections 40 which create a gap in which the spa pool unit is fitted.

Brackets 42 attach the new wall sections of the liner pool in position, and bolts 34 are used to attach the walls of the spa pool to the liner pool. In other respects the method is identical to that described with reference to Figure 5, and like reference numerals to Figure 5 are therefore employed to identify corresponding parts in Figure 6. Again, the full-height lateral flanges 26 of the spa pool unit are used for fixing and sealing.

Figure 7 shows one possible plumbing arrangement for the combination pools. Water from the main liner pool 10 is extracted at least in part through a surface skimmer 44 and re-circulated to the water jets 20 in the spa pool via a pump 46. As previously mentioned, water overflows the weir 28 from the central region 14 of the spa pool 12 into the main body of water in the liner pool 10. Other components referenced in Figure 7 are substantially conventional. Thus, reference 48 denotes a filter and reference 50 a heater. Reference 52 denotes the main drain outlet from the liner pool, whilst reference 54 indicates a waste/backwash line. An optional evacuation line is referenced 56. The prevailing wind direction is indicated by the arrow 58; this primarily determines the site of the skimmer 44. Figure 7 also shows various unreferenced valves.

Various modifications of the above-described and illustrated embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of providing a liner pool with a supplementary spa pool according to which the spa pool is produced as an auxiliary unit having a water-containing structure, the wall structure of the liner pool is removed for a distance around the pool substantially equal to the width of the auxiliary pool structure, the original lining of the liner pool is cut away for a distance around the liner pool not more than the width of said auxiliary unit structure, the auxiliary unit structure is located at the gap in the wall structure of the liner pool and the remainder of the original pool lining is sealed to the auxiliary unit structure, whereby the said structure recompletes the water-containing integrity of the liner pool.

2. A method according to claim 1, according to which, in use, water from underwater jets in the spa pool unit is recirculated via the main body of water in the liner pool.

3. A method according to claim 2, according to which water to be taken from the main liner pool when the supplementary spa pool is in operation is at least partly extracted via a surface skimmer and circulated via a pump to the underwater jets in the spa pool unit.

4. KA supplementary spa pool unit for a liner pool, comprising a water-containing structure adapted to fit in place of part of the wall structure of the liner pool, means for fixing the supplementary pool unit to the wall structure of the liner pool, and means for fixing to the water-containing structure of the supplementary pool unit the remainder of the original lining of the liner pool resulting from cutting away a portion of said lining not more than the width of said water-containing structure of the supplementary pool unit.

5. Aa spa pool unit according to claim 4, wherein the water-containing structure of the spa pool unit is provided with laterally projecting flanges, extending vertically for the full height of the liner pool, to which the remainder of the liner pool lining is sealed.

6. A spa pool unit according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the spa pool unit has a part to be at least partly filled coextensively with water in the liner pool and a part for containing water to be activated by the underwater jets.

7. A spa pool unit according to claim 6, wherein the water-retaining structure of the part associated with the underwater jets has a weir over which water overflows into the liner pool water.

8. A spa pool unit according to clai.m 6 or claim 7, which has a generally circular water-retaining part for the jetactivated water and on either side thereof a stepped part descending towards the liner pool.

9. A spa pool unit according to claim 8, wherein the circular-water-retaining part for activated water has a single circular step around a central region of maximum depth, thereby to provide a seat.

10. A spa pool unit according to claim 9, wherein the underwater jets are provided at the periphery of the circular water-retaining part for activated water, at or above the level of the seat.

11. A spa pool unit according to any of claims 4 to 10, which is adapted to fit primarily outside the area of the liner pool, replacing either the whole or part of an end wall of the liner pool or part of a side wall thereof.

12. A liner pool havng a supplementary spa pool unit attached thereto, wherein the spa pool unit comprises a water-containing structure fitted in place of part of the wall structure of the liner pool and fixed to said wall structure, and the liner pool has a part of its lining cut away for a distance around the pool not more than the width of the water-containing structure of the spa pool unit, the remainder of the lining of the liner pool being sealed to the said water-containing structure of the spa pool unit so as to complete the water-containing integrity of the liner pool.

13. A liner pool according to claim 12, including water circulating means for extracting water from the liner pool to feed underwater jets in the spa pool unit and returning surplus water from the spa pool unit to the liner pool.

14. A method of providing a liner pool with a spa pool unit substantially as hereinbefore described.

15. < A spa pool unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A liner pool adapted by attachment of a spa pool unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.