Perimeter Overflow Pools

Does anyone have any information / suggestions on perimeter overflow pools? I have a Client with an existing pool, who is interested in a perimeter overflow pool. The Client has requested to modify the shape of the pool into a rectangle and potentially raising the pool beam 6".

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  • This may not be exactly the type of info you are looking for, but I have a customer testimonial from a client with an overflow pool that may help you with the post-modification process. It is not simply a blatant promoting of my product either, but rather it is sharing this customer's experiences with saving energy on an perimeter overflow pool. When your customer finishes the modifications s/he will probably notice in short order that vanishing edge pools use a lot more energy than their existing pool probably does! Anything you can offer by way techniques to save some cash will be welcome, I would guess.

    I hope this helps!
    Monique

    Southern California Infinity Edge Testimonial.pdf

    https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3423768704?profile=original
  • This overflow idea is treated as new by mant people in the industry. It is new in the fact that it is being applied to small pools. The fitst time that I read about it was in the Swimquip Engineering and Desigm Manual, published prior to 1970. If you wish, I can fax the relivant pages to you. This type of thing won't answer all of your questions, however it will get you lined out in the right direction. This project will be quite expensive. Rob Lane
  • Tim,

    We have built a number of perimeter overflow pools and spas. The comments below are all good in that there are several ways to deal with gutters and forming. What is the most important element is the precision of the tile or stone that the water flows over. We just finished a negative edge slot overflow pool with a 190 ft perimeter. The negative edge and coping all stay wet with a VFD Pentair pump running on low. If your tile/coping installers are not dead on with their materials you will need to overcome their mistakes with flow which equals additional operational cost. We have a 5 hp pump to make the edge rip when the clients are on the patio below the pool and want to see water flowing but the last thing we want is to have to run that all the time. Clients will notice if you have more flow in one place than another and sooner or later you will hear about it. Also make sure the pool and gutter is water proofed with a membrane and take care to waterproof the joint under the coping if you lay stone on top of the pool. My recommendation would be to use a granite or marble coping. Granite especially tends to be flat and is much easier to get dead leave than flagstone or shorter pieces of tile

    Both Brian Van Bower or Skip Phillips are good guys that can help you with the hydraulics and make suggestions on the way to retro fit a new gutter. We actually shoot our pools 3 ft past the gutter as solid gunite or concrete and then slope that 3 ft toward the gutter to manage the waves that make it past the gutter during the canon ball competitions. Get a good structural engineer to help you with the details on how to marry the new to the old and make sure the gutter and new gunite or concrete is not on any fill. I hope this is helpful and good luck.
    If you need any help you can contact me directly

  • Nothing beats the look of water at deck level. With an inconspicuous slot allowing water to enter the gutter (or pipe) that leads to the surge tank, the look is like a sheet of glass out on the pool deck. Very cool look.

    Also, now you can have a pool--regardless of the amount of water you need to pull out for overflow, water features, cleaners, etc--with no submerged suction outlets! The surge tank should be easy to access for cleaning, checking auto-fill sensor or float levels, etc etc.

    If your client has a spa, do it the same way--raise it above deck level and make it a perimeter overflow spa. Put nice tile or stone on the exterior and the water flow will be tunable for max aesthetic and/or auditory effect.
  • I found one way to reduce the noise from the trough is to install the suction lines to the surge tank out the side at the bottom of the gutter instead of down the bottom of the gutter, this reduces the gurgling and sucking sound. Mark

    Ben Tipton said:
    I recommend that you hire someone like Brian Vanbower of Aquatic Consultants Inc to do the design and engineering for you.
    Building a perimeter overflow pool must be done right or it want work or will make a lot of noise.
    Brian is part of the Genisis Group and will assist you in the design or will meet with the owner and do the complete design with them and then you do the work.
    The trough and the drainage system must be done the right way or you will be in trouble.
    Rick is correct in that you must have a surge or storage tank and it has to be the right size to handle the overflow and bather surge.
    The overflow goes to the tank and you draw the water from the tank and filter it and return it to the pool.
    We normally have a local styrofoam service cut styrofaom into the size we want the trough and build the structure around it and then remove the styrofoam to reveal the though.
    Then we seal the trough with a good water proofing material such as Zypex.
    The trough has to have numerous outlets with vents to carry the water to the tank.
    Hope this helps.
  • Thanks Mark & Ben!
  • Hello Tim, I have designed and constructed a 360% perimeter overflow pool of gunite with the pool 6" above deck level and with a perimieter overflow spa 12' above deck. We had floor returns, surge tank, and the hardest part is in the forming. We formed the gutter with the pool and black pebble finished both gutter and pool. Mark

    Taylor structure studios_001.jpg

    American pools wow photos 050.jpg

    https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3423759571?profile=original
  • I recommend that you hire someone like Brian Vanbower of Aquatic Consultants Inc to do the design and engineering for you.
    Building a perimeter overflow pool must be done right or it want work or will make a lot of noise.
    Brian is part of the Genisis Group and will assist you in the design or will meet with the owner and do the complete design with them and then you do the work.
    The trough and the drainage system must be done the right way or you will be in trouble.
    Rick is correct in that you must have a surge or storage tank and it has to be the right size to handle the overflow and bather surge.
    The overflow goes to the tank and you draw the water from the tank and filter it and return it to the pool.
    We normally have a local styrofoam service cut styrofaom into the size we want the trough and build the structure around it and then remove the styrofoam to reveal the though.
    Then we seal the trough with a good water proofing material such as Zypex.
    The trough has to have numerous outlets with vents to carry the water to the tank.
    Hope this helps.
  • I believe Natare makes forms as well as pre-fabricated gutters.
  • The Client is looking for 100% perimeter overflow. I thought i had come across a company who made forms for such a system. I'm thinking its probably better to have my gunite crew form the gutter system. That way, it is integral to the pool shell.

    Thanks Rick!
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