"Grain Bin" Swimming Pool

"Grain Bin" Swimming Pool FARM HOME Miscellaneous 30-3-44 Steel grain bin panels make dandy swimming pools, says David McKenzie, Delisle, Sask., who used them to make a 4-ft. deep, 18-ft. dia. swimming pool. "It's built much stronger than commercial above-ground swimming pools," says McKenzie, who built the "grain bin" pool behind his house four years ago. "We had a small above-ground metal swimming pool for years, but it rusted out and was so flimsy that we couldn't even lean on it. I wanted something that was built stronger. Half of this pool is underground and we installed a big pump that filters the water several times a day." To build the pool, McKenzie used a skid loader to dig a hole and then placed the bin panels in it. The bin panels weren't quite the same diameter as the hole so he stretched them out and bolted in part of an extra ring. He put the smooth-headed bolts in backwards with the nuts on the outside. After bolting the bin panels together he sealed them with silicone. The pool has a dirt floor with carpet laid over it. A commercial pool liner goes over the carpet. To keep the metal from puncturing the liner, he lined the panels with four layers of poly. "It looks nice. People who see it for the first time don't have any idea it's made from bin panels," says McKenzie. "My three sons really enjoy it. I added a layer of big rocks around the perimeter of the pool to improve its looks. I used square tubing to make a ladder on the side. The ladder fits into square tubing sockets set in cement on the pool's floor and can be easily pulled out. "I paid less than $100 for the bin panels and $400 for the pool liner. I already had the pump and filter. My total cost was only about $500." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David McKenzie, P.O. Box 614, Delisle, Sask., Canada S0L 0P0 (ph 306 493-8127).