Swimming Pool Seal Structure

Abstract

A seal or water stop structure for use along a concrete coping at the upper edge of a swimming pool and a method of molding such coping utilizing the seal structure. The seal structure includes an elongated seal component forming a permanent part of such swimming pool, and which component has a barrier element interposed between the upper edges of the pool and concrete coping overlying the same. The seal structure further includes a tear strip component frangibly attached to the seal component along a line of weakness for separation therefrom with a mold form after the concrete coping has been constructed. In the method of molding concrete coping, the side walls of the pool are first covered with tile or other water-impervious finish, and a disposable mold form having a surface portion thereof configurated in the finished shape to be imposed thereby upon the coping and having also an attachment portion equipped with a double-faced pressure-sensitive tape is secured by means of such tape to the finished surface of the pool walls with the configurated surface portions of the mold form projecting thereabove. The seal structure is inserted between a part of the attachment portion of the mold form and pool wall, and is secured to each prior to a moldable mass of concrete being spread against the mold form. Upon curing of the concrete mass, the tear strip component of the seal structure is separated from the seal component thereof along such line of weakness, and such separation of the tear strip component is effective to strip the mold form from the pool walls and coping.

Parent Case Text

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 819,173, filed Apr. 25, 1969, now Pat. No. 3,605,367, which is a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 761,726, filed Sept. 23, 1968.

Description

This invention relates generally to the construction of swimming pools and the like and, more particularly, to a seal structure for use along a concrete coping overlying the upper edges of a swimming pool and to a method of utilizing such seal structure in molding the coping.

In constructing a concrete swimming pool, the commonly followed practice is to first build the upwardly extending concrete side walls and bottom walls therefor, usually as an integer and by a technique known as the gunnite process. After the concrete side walls have at least partially cured, wooden strips (sometimes referred to as ledgers and which are often 2 .times. 6's) are nailed directly to the side walls along the upper edges thereof, and then face strips (often wooden 1 .times. 6's) are nailed to the ledgers and extend upwardly therefrom and define a mold therewith adapted to confine a mass of moldable concrete spread thereagainst which, when cured and the face and ledger strips removed, defines a coping extending inwardly from and overhanging the upper edges of the pool side walls. Thereafter, the tile or other water-impervious finish for the side walls is secured to the inner surfaces thereof, and grout is interposed between the upper edge of such tile and the overhanging coping. Finally, a rubber fillet is positioned in the corner defined along the grout so as to enclose such corner and make the same substantially watertight.

It may be noted that the upwardly extending side walls of a water-filled pool experience little thermal expansion and contraction since they are almost completely immersed within the body of water confined within the pool and are therefore maintained at a relatively constant temperature. In contrast, the concrete coping at the top of the pool is almost continuously experiencing thermally-induced expansion and contraction because it is exposed directly to the ambient atmosphere and its temperature therefore varies with changes in ambient conditions. As a consequence, there is relative expansion and contraction between the side walls of the pool and the coping thereof, and the common fabrication practice explained attempts to accommodate such relative movement along the juncture of the side walls and coping while still providing a watertight seal therealong by the use of grout and the rubber fillet thereover. It will be evident that both the grout and exposed rubber fillet are subject to cracking, wherefore the juncture protected thereby is prone to permit water seepage.

In view of the foregoing, an object, among others, of the present invention is to provide an improved joint between the upwardly extending side walls of a pool and the coping therealong, and which joint is substantially sealed against penetration by moisture and automatically accommodates and compensates for any slight variations in elevation and surface flatness of the upper edge of the pool side walls where they meet the coping to define such point. Another object of the invention is that of providing an improved seal structure having a seal component equipped with a barrier element adapted to extend along such pool walls in interposed relation between the inner surface portions of the upper edges thereof and the coping overlying the same so as to effect such improved joint therebetween, and which seal structure further has a tear strip component frangibly attached to the seal component thereof along a line of mergence enabling separation of the tear strip component following the molding operation in which the coping is formed along the upper edges of the pool walls.

Still a further object is in the provision of an improved method of molding a concrete coping along the upper edges of a swimming pool or the like, and which method enables the water tile or other water-impervious finish to be secured to the upwardly extending side walls of the pool before the coping is formed therealong, thereby resulting in a more attractive appearance, better fit of the coping, elimination of the requirements for grouting and the necessity of a rubber fillet, and also resulting in a long lasting, substantially watertight seal being effected between the walls and coping. Additional objects and advantages of the invention, especially as concerns particular features and characteristics thereof, will become apparent as the specification develops.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a broken vertical sectional view showing an upper inner edge portion of the side wall of a pool with a mold form and seal structure in position therealong;

FIG. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 1, but showing the wall portion after the coping-defining concrete mass has been spread against the form;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, broken vertical sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing the step of stripping the mold form from the pool wall; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view of a seal structure embodying the invention.

As respects the present invention, the upwardly extending side walls and bottom wall of the swimming pool may be formed in any conventional manner, and ordinarily are fabricated of concrete as shown. The generally vertical or upwardly extending walls may be enlarged somewhat in thickness at their upper ends to form a bond beam which is rather standard practice. By way of example, the concrete walls of the pool may have a thickness of about 4 inches throughout most of their extent, but at their upper ends the side walls enlarge to about eleven inches in thickness for a vertical depth of approximately 1 foot to define such bond beam at the upper edges thereof. The portion of the pool illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is denoted in general with the numeral 10, and it has an upper edge 11 and an inner face or surface 12. The face 12 has a water-impervious finish 13 secured thereto which may be ceramic tile attached to the face in the usual manner as, for example, by means of adhesive or concrete bed mud. As stated hereinbefore, as respects these features and characteristics of the pool, they may be completely conventional and per se form no part of the present invention.

Secured to the upwardly extending walls 10 of the pool adjacent the upper edge 11 thereof is a disposable mold form 14 comprising a plurality of form sections (only one of which is shown) that may be identical except that certain of the sections are bent so as to conform to any curvatures and corner portions located along the side walls of the pool. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the form section shown has an inside bend formed therealong. In a typical instance, each length or section of the form 14 is integral from end-to-end thereof and has a length of about 9 feet, is also formed of a lightweight material having myriad interstitial spaces therein as, for example, one of the synthetic plastics such as the plastic material sold under the trademark Styrofoam.

The mold form 14 has a surface portion 15 configurated in the finished shape to be imposed thereby upon a coping molded thereagainst (as shown in FIG. 2) and which coping is denoted with the numeral 16. The configurated surface portion 15 has a reversely oriented, somewhat C-shaped disposition in cross section so that the coping 16 has slightly rounded top and bottom edge portions 17 and 18, respectively. Each section 14 further has an attachment portion (generally denoted 19) which faces in the same direction as that of the configurated surface portion 15, and is provided centrally with a longitudinally extending channel 20 defining a pair of vertically spaced ribs or feet 21 and 22 adapted to be attached along the tile or finish 13, as described hereinafter.

In order to indicate the general order of the size of the mold form 14, in the specific instance thereof referred to hereinbefore in which each section has a length of about 9 feet, it may have a thickness of about 2 inches at the rib-equipped attachment portion 19 thereof and a height of approximately 6 inches with about 4 inches thereof projecting above the upper edge 11 of the pool side wall 10. The form sections 14 may be fabricated in the configuration shown in any suitable manner, as, for example, by being machined from elongated bar stock or, depending upon the particular material employed, might be extruded, formed-in-place or otherwise molded. For more particular details concerning the mold form 14, reference may be made to my copending patent application, Ser. No. 761,726, filed Sept. 23, 1968.

Extending along the attachment portion 19 of the mold form 14 is a tape strip 25 which is a two-sided or double-sided pressure-sensitive tape adhesively secured along one side thereof to the mold form 14 and adhesively secured along its other side to the finish 13 of the pool 10. Thus, each section of the mold form 14 is adhesively secured to the upwardly extending walls 10 of the pool by means of the tape strip 25 which is substantially non-stretchable and, for example, might be fiberglass tape or an adhesive transfer tape. As respects the present invention, the tape 25 may be any one of a number of commercially available tapes, and may be sufficiently wide to cover the two ribs 21 and 22 and the channel 20 defined therebetween, but most conveniently a somewhat narrower tape strip is used which terminates below the lower terminus of a seal component or water stop 26 interposed between the finish 13 and the upper rib 21 of the attachment portion 19. Thus, the tape strip 25 may be conveniently restricted to the vertical height of the rib 22, as shown. It will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that a tape strip 27 is adhesively attached to the upper edge portion 28 of the mold form 14 for purposes of preventing elongation thereof as it traverses an inside bend as described in may aforesaid copending patent application.

The seal or water stop structure 26 comprises a seal component 29 and a tear strip component 30. The seal component 29 includes a flat barrier element 31 adapted to be disposed in the generally horizontal orientation illustrated in the drawings and a skirt element 32 that extends downwardly from the element 29 along the inner edge thereof and is, accordingly, transversely oriented with respect to such element 29. In the particular form shown, the angular disposition of the elements 31 and 32 is substantially 90.degree., and the skirt element is adapted to extend along the side walls 12 of the pool in substantially contiguous relation with the water-impervious finish 13 thereof. Along its outer edge, the barrier element 31 is equipped with a relatively short depending lip 33 adapted to seat upon the upper edge 11 of the pool side walls, as shown. The lip 33 is adapted to prevent a body of mastic 34 used to adhesively secure the seal structure 26 to the upper edges 11 of the pool wall from flowing into the space defined between such upper edge and the overlying barrier element 31.

Extending upwardly from the barrier element 31 are a pair of spaced apart protuberances 35 and 36 -- the first of which is materally higher than the second -- and such protuberances are adapted to be embedded within the concrete that cures to form the coping 16. The protuberances 35 and 36 have oppositely turned ledges or ribs 37 and 38, respectively, adapted to increase the bond with any material enclosing the same which usually is a body of mastic 34 used to secure the seal structure to the upper edges 11 of the pool, as is evident in FIGS. 2 and 3. For a similar purpose, the protuberance 35 is T-shaped and has a generally horizontal cross bar 39 at its upper end.

The tear strip component 30 has an inverted, generally L-shaped configuration and includes a relatively narrow base 40 oriented in substantially coplanar relation with the barrier element 31. The tear strip component 30 further includes a transversely oriented member 41 that extends downwardly from the base 40 and converges toward the skirt element 32 so as to define a generally V-shaped tool-receiving space 42 therebetween. The member 41 is transversely disposed relative to the barrier element 31, and it extends downwardly to a greater distance than the skirt 32 so as to overlie the same. The tear strip component 30 is frangibly attached to the seal component 29, and such attachment is defined by a line of weakness 43 formed adjacent the juncture of the skirt 32 with the barrier element 31. Such line of weakness defines the only attachment of the tear strip component 30 to the seal component 29, and in this reference it will be noted that the skirt 32 at its lower terminus is separated from the transverse member 41, as shown at 44.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a body of mastic 45 used to secure the seal structure 26 to the mold form 14, and for this same purpose the transverse member 41 may be equipped with a plurality of laterally projecting barbs 46 adapted to project into and grip the mold form 14. The mastic bodies 34 and 45 may comprise any suitable material having adhesive properties tending to secure it to the seal structure 26, upper edges of the pool walls and form 14, an example, of such material being liquid rubber which is commercially available and is spread as a liquid that hardens into a relatively firm mass, e.g., polyurethane liquid rubber.

Evidently, the seal structure 26 is integral and may be formed of any suitable material as, for example, one of the relatively firm plastics (vinyl, for instance) which may be extruded in the configuration illustrated and cut into strips of any desired length. In order to indicate the general order of size of the seal structure 26, a specific instance thereof has a dimension of approximately five-eights of an inch from the undersurface of the barrier element 29 to the lower tip of the transverse member 41 with such member 41 extending about one-eighth of an inch below the lower terminus of the skirt 32. The barrier element 31 has a width of about five-sixteenths of an inch from the protuberance 35 to the line of weakness 43, and the base 40 has a width of approximately one-sixteenth of an inch. The protuberance 35 has a height of about three-eights of an inch, the protuberance 36 is about three thirty-seconds of an inch in height, and the space between the protuberances 35 and 36 is about one-eighth of an inch.

In use of the seal structure 26 in providing the concrete coping 16 along the upper edge of a swimming pool, the inner surfaces of the side walls of such pool are first equipped with the tile or other water-impervious finish 13, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Each form section used to provide the mold form 14 (assumed to have the tape strip 25 along the attachment portion 19 thereof) has the exposed side of such strip pressed against the finish 13 of the pool with the configurated surface portion 15 of the mold form projecting above the upper edge 11 of the pool, as shown in FIG. 1. As many form sections are provided as is necessary to assure a continuous mold form about the side walls of the pool, and the various sections are abutted along their adjacent edges and are cut to the lengths necessary.

When all of the sections are in place (the order in which all of the sections are first secured along the pool walls, need not be explicitly followed), appropriate lengths of the seal structures 26 are located as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by pressing the depending skirt 32 and transverse member 41 between the surface 14 of the pool and the upper rib 21 of the mold form. The seal structure is pressed downwardly so as to seat the lip 33 firmly upon the upper edge 11 of the adjacnet pool wall, and the skirt element 32 is located so as to be in substantially contiguous relation with the finish 13 of the pool wall. The barbs 46 project into the relatively soft surface of the mold form 14, and since they are pointed upwardly serve to hold the seal structure 26 securely in the position shown. As many lengths or sections of seal structures 26 are used to form an uninterrupted succession thereof about the pool, and the structures are secured to both the upper edges 11 of the pool walls and mold form 14 by the mastic bodies 34 and 45 which are applied along the respective edge portions of the seal structure, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. After the mastic has cured, a moldable mass of amorphous concrete is spread against the configurated surface portion 14 of the mold form so that the desired finished shape is imposed thereby upon the coping 16.

After the concrete mass defining the coping 16 has cured, at least to the point that it is self-sustaining, the mold form 14 and tear strip component 30 of the seal structure 26 are removed, thereby leaving the coping 16 and seal component 29 of the seal structure as shown in part in FIG. 4. Such stripping of the mold form 14 from the water-impervious finish 13 along the pool walls and from the concrete coping 16 may be accomplished (as shown in FIG. 4) by first breaking away a sufficient portion of the mold form 14 to expose the tear strip component 30 of the seal structure, and by then breaking away a portion of the transverse member 41 at one location so as to permit insertion into the space 42 of a tool 47 such as a screwdriver to serve as a wedge or lever to pry the tear strip component 30 away from the skirt 32, thereby separating the same along the tear line or line of weakness 43. Such lateral displacement of the tear strip component 30 effects spearation of the mold form 14 from the pool wall and permits the mold form to fall free thereof along with the tear strip component 30.

By removing the mold form 14 and tear strip component 30 in the manner described, substantially no lateral pulling force is applied to the seal component 29 and as a result there is no chipping of the concrete coping 16 adjacent the juncture thereof with the finished 13 of the pool wall. Since the mastic body 45 is attached to the strip component 30 and mold form 14, it is removed therewith and, as a consequence, there is no requirement for scraping or otherwise removing mastic from the walls of the pool or coping 16. Accordingly, there is a clean, sharp juncture of the coping 16 with the pool walls - which juncture is defined by the depending skirt 32 along the upper edge thereof or, more particularly, along the line of weakness 43.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making a complete disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A seal structure in combination with a swimming pool having generally vertical walls and a molded concrete coping overlying the upper edges of said walls and forming a juncture crack therewith extending inwardly from the exposed faces of said walls, said seal structure comprising an elongated seal component having a barrier element disposed in said crack and extending outwardly from the face of said side walls, and an elongated tear strip component positioned along the inner face of said side walls and frangibly attached to said seal component for separation therefrom following molding of such coping and being transversely oriented relative to said barrier element so as to extend generally along the exposed face of such vertical walls.

2. The seal structure of claim 1 in which said seal and tear strip components are integral, and said frangible attachment of said tear strip component to said seal component being defined by a line of weakness therealong.

3. The seal structure of claim 2 in which said line of weakness attaches said tear strip component to said barrier element.

4. The seal structure of claim 3 in which said tear strip component is equipped with projecting barbs extending inwardly from the exposed side thereof to attach the strip to a mold form.

5. The seal structure of claim 3 in which said barrier element is equipped on the underside thereof along its outer edge portion with a relatively small depending lip adapted to seat upon such upper edges of the generally vertical walls, and a mastic material along the outer edge portion of said barrier element securing the same to said upper edges in sealing relation therewith.

6. The seal structure of claim 3 in which said barrier element is equipped with an upwardly extending protuberance adapted to be embedded in such concrete coping.

7. The seal structure of claim 1 in which said seal component has a downwardly projecting skirt element extending between such generally vertical walls and said tear strip.

8. The seal structure of claim 7 in which said seal and tear strip components are integral, and said frangible attachment of said tear strip component to said seal component being defined by a line of weakness therealong.

9. The seal structure of claim 8 in which said line of weakness attaches said tear strip component to said barrier element adjacent the juncture of said skirt element therewith.