Pool on the roof....

[Fordguy1964]

I have a room of my house that is more like a cistern. It is approximately 22'X38'. It is constructed with cinder block walls walk out level at one narrow end sloping to 60% below grade on the other end. It has a roof that is more like a patio. The ceiling has no support in the room underneath it.I would guess the thickness of the roof to be about 6" thick. I was considering putting a small blow up pool on the patio for the kids (Approximately 14' in diameter by 3.5' deep). Considering the weight of the water do you think it would be safe load wise to put this much weight up there? From what I remember of the construction there was quite a bit of re-bar in the concrete if that matters. I find the lack of support inside somewhat troubling though. The wife wants it up there so the steps to the patio can be closed off and easily keep the kids out. I am more of the mind to build a regular above ground pool with a fence if we are to go with a pool anyplace on the property. Opinions?

 

[jimgood]

Pictures please! This I gotta see.

 

[uncletater]

Me too!!!

Wouldn't that be about 3500 gallons of water?

That would be about 30,000 lbs.

 

[Cyberbear]

Unless the base that the pool rests upon is adequately reinforced and supported for that water weight, I'd be very careful about endangering the health and safety of those who use the pool. It could rapidly become a death trap.

 

[8man]

That seems a "little" heavy for a roof load.

 

[wssix99]

1 cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 lbs. If you have 3.5 of those stacked on top of each other, you would have a load on that roof, from the water alone, of 218.4 pounds per square foot (psf).

If your property has always been residential, was not built as a bomb shelter, etc., there is no way your ceiling can support that.

To give you a frame of reference, my new house has a flat roof designed for a heavy green roof, and big time snow loads and we are only at 100 psf.

 

[schor]

14'x3.5' is 16000 gallons at approx 8 lb/gallon that would be 128,000lbs. At an area of approx 615 square feet your looking at 208lb/sqft.

I doubt the roof would hold up, probably collapse before the pool got 1/2 full.

 

[fnieto]

Has to be a hoax!

 

[Speedfreak11]

14'x3.5' is 16000 gallons at approx 8 lb/gallon that would be 128,000lbs. At an area of approx 615 square feet your looking at 208lb/sqft.

I doubt the roof would hold up, probably collapse before the pool got 1/2 full.

14' x 3.5' is ~4,040 gallons, or ~33,700 lbs. The area of the pool would be 154 sq ft. That calculates out to ~219 lbs/sq ft.

Either way, I don't think it's a good idea without a structural engineer signing off on it.

 

[Fordguy1964]

No hoax. I figured it was too heavy of a load. I will try to post pictures. I tried before with no luck. I will take more new pictures tonight and post them. THe wife likes the fact that the pool would be above the level for the little ones. I said there was no way it would support the load. She says if it wouldn't support that load then get a smaller pool. Well, I am still trying to convince her that it is too heavy so I don't end up going to work one day and come home to a collapsed roof because she tried it when I was gone. The opinion seems to be that the roof won't support it which is what I thought. My father was an engineer for General Electric and he over designed and over built everything. Since I was only about 7 or 8 when this was built I don't remember how much overkill was designed into it. I remember him saying he wanted it to withstand anything. His intentions were to put the master bedroom on top of it with basically a "love grotto" style water fountain and hot tub at one end. He didn't live long enough to see this to completion so it still sits as a patio.

 

[wssix99]

She says if it wouldn't support that load then get a smaller pool.

If the floor is built all the same, then it probably isn't a case of needing a smaller pool but a shallower pool. If the porch is built to normal floor specs, then you could probably do a 6" kiddie pool, if you put it in the center of the floor.

When houses are designed, even simple things like bathtubs are a big deal (Water is a lot heavier than it looks!) and their placement can dramatically change the engineering/cost of a structure. We had to have so many trusses under a tub in our new house that there was barely enough room to fit the plumbing in.

 

[schor]

14' x 3.5' is ~4,040 gallons, or ~33,700 lbs. The area of the pool would be 154 sq ft. That calculates out to ~219 lbs/sq ft.

Either way, I don't think it's a good idea without a structural engineer signing off on it.

Your right. I'm the dufus that used d where I should have used r. I need to stop relying on my memory, getting too old and should have googled it.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Voi]

She says if it wouldn't support that load then get a smaller pool.

I agree with the previous poster who suggested it would have to be a shallow one.

For what it is worth, my boys are 6 and 7 and one of those inflatable water slides with a shallow pool section can keep them occupied for hours. More so than any kiddie pool.

 

[ATC]

Should be OK with this....but I, personally, wouldn't put anything bigger up there with people I care about in it...

 

[CNGsaves]

OP . . . update GJ Profile with your LOCATION . . . City / State / Country.

Is this an apartment/condo in highrise building ???

Pictures ???

 

[wssix99]

If the location is close to the equator, I wonder if the centrifugal force of the earth's rotation, more in-line with the earth's gravitational force, would make the water seem lighter???

 

[930dreamer]

Hurry and get before pics, we can wait for the after pics until the adjuster is finished with the claim.

 

[PassnThru]

I think I understand the confusion here.

OP - the SLIDE goes on the roof - not the pool

 

[TONE]

Not sure if this is an option.

 

[FMC]

fill the room below with concrete, easy peasy

 

[Falcon67]

As above, no way in hell would I put that load on a roof. I get 34,744 lbs if using the figure 4040 gallons. Also note that when placing an above ground pool, you should consider what's going to happen if a pool wall lets go. Where is the water going to go, because it's going to go and you can't stop it. Lots of force unleashed.

 

[TractorJeff]

If his dad engineered it for a fountain and a hot tub, then get an engineer to look it over and calculate! Make the wife semi-happy!

 

[3baygarage]

Good movie scene that comes to mind:

[URL=http://s102.photobucket.com/user/nno16r/media/Weekend%20at%20Bernies_zpsigya1h1v.jpg.html] [/URL]

 

[wssix99]

If the wife is really insistent and if it just happens to be time to trade up for a different/newer model - one could always have her go up and do the first fill of the pool.

 

[logical]

Not sure if this is an option.

Put it up on top and it will end up down there pretty quickly .