Has anyone insulated under a swimming pool?
18' swimming pool, Northern Wisconsin, I can see Lake Superior from here, north. I would like to put 2" rigid foam boards under 6-7000 gallons of water to keep the ground from sucking the heat out of the pool. Haven't found anyone that has done this, would rigid foam be stable enough to take the down pressure/weight of the water? which product should I use? life expectedancecy? signed [email protected]
Pool builders and homeowners don’t seem to be very aware of the amount of energy lost to the ground from heated swimming pools, so you would be wise to insulate it for sure. We have a page all about how to run an energy efficient swimming pool, see here first –
Saving Energy Costs in Swimming Pools - Top Tips
As you will read in there, with a little bit of thought put into it, you can fairly easily cut your pool operation costs by 50% or more in terms of energy required for cleaning, heating, and general circulation. For building a new pool, yes you should put insulation along the sides and underneath.
We would recommend high density EPS Rigid foam panels, but confirm with builders ahead of time. One of the easiests ways to build a well-insulated swimming pool is with ICF Blocks (Insulated Concrete Forms), which not only creates the structure, it keeps the heat where you want it – in the water and not in the ground below.