DIY Projects

Functional DIY Projects

Garden DIY Projects

First of all, when selecting the rail or rails you require, shop around – as you would usually do for any purchase.

Some rails are designed to have their lower end fixed to a step or the bottom of the pool. Others are designed to be attached to the paved surround. I chose the latter type as the former would have required a lot more work and possibly draining the pool, plus all the hassle of properly sealing it again.

In the case of these rails, we were able to obtain them on a special deal, which included a 25% discount on the second. So the total cost here was just over R6800, for the pair – and that included free shipping from Durban to Cape Town!

The rails are 316 grade stainless steel – which is marine grade (your kitchen stainless steel cutlery and pots etc are often 304 grade) and came complete with the required 10x50mm stainless steel coach screws and plugs.

This was a great deal.

The next step was to install them, so I called around to get some quotes.

Once I had picked my shattered body up off the floor, I decided to do the job myself, as the lowest quote per rail was R1900! Each!

Having said that, unless you are absolutely certain of your skills and ability, even the best rails at the best price are a bit of a thorn in your side if you don’t install them properly – and THEY MUST BE SECURE. So if in doubt, bite the bullet and have them installed.

(Many suppliers offer the rails and install them for you – but that is added to the overall cost, not unnaturally – they are after all, businesses.)

Measure up properly

Your first step is to decide on a position for your rail/s and accurately measure up… more of that in the captions…

But first… a word of caution!

Be extremely careful when positioning the rail/s as you do NOT want to go through any pool plumbing, either the outlet/s or weir inlet. So site them so as to avoid any danger of that.

Also allow for the fact that if you are installing two rails, as here, they need to be spaced about 650-700mm apart. Wider than that can make it more difficult for youngsters to use them, narrower than that, and can cause problems for users who have a “wider girth”, if you get my meaning.

Note:

The slabs used around this pool are about 50mm thick, so coach screws no longer than 60mm are needed; 50mm are fine. Also please note, beware of installing the rails too close to the edge of a slab; even though they are concreted in with concrete grouting between them, you do not want them to crack.

Materials:

  • Stainless steel:
  • (316 grade) hand rail*
  • Six or twelve 10x50mm stainless steel coach screws**
  • One pack of 10mm flat washers
  • Nylon walls plugs – 6 or 12**
  • Epoxy – optional

*Rails are available in stainless steel or chromed, and possibly some contractors offer a galvanised. I went for the top of the line.

**Supplied by the manufacturer, but I purchased the washers and epoxy separately.

Method:

  1. Our pool is 3×5.5m, with 4 outlets on a semicircular set of steps at the end opposite the weir, so my first step was to use a length of timber to accurately mark the midpoint of the pool on the weir end.
  2. It pays to be a precise as possible. So I ensured the ends of the timber were overhanging the same distance – to the millimetre.
  3. Then I measured from the edge of the coping on one side and to the other and the midpoint was 1470mm, which I marked as shown (the coping overhangs the pool sides a little.
  4. I confirmed that the midpoint was also the middle on the weir. I had already guessed it would be, but I checked anyway.
  5. Now on the outlet end, I positioned the timber across it, again positioning it carefully to have the same overhand on both ends.
  6. As you can see, the timber was laid across the straight sides of the pool, so I then had to use a line to line up on the midpoint as marked on the timber.
  1. However, that would then have meant that the centreline would have been offset just 8mm or so from the centreline of the middle slab on the steps. Making that the centreline would thus have resulted in the rails being 8mm offset from the centreline of the slab, and as that would be “right in your face”, very obvious. So I drew a line down the centre of the slab and would align the rails on that. (Come on now, who is going to drag out a measure and say “Oooo… you are 8mm off-centre on your pool 3000mm wide?”!)
  2. So, here’s the length of STRAIGHT wood used to mark that centreline.
  3. Here are the supplied fasteners, but I also had a pack of industrial-strength filler on hand for any eventuality
  4. I drew two lines parallel to the centrelines and 335mm from it, to give a spread between the rails of 670mm… a sort of average between the two suggested extremes. I marked the position of one hole first for the rear base plate, and then drilled it. I lightly fixed the base plate in position, then swung the whole rail around to the required final position, marked and lightly drilled the positions for what would be the front attachment. (You can see the light indentations to the left of the drill.) Then I aligned the rail again, marked off the remaining two holes for the rear attachment plate, and drilled them. Then I completed the holes for the front plate, inserted the plugs and lightly fixed the rail in position.
  5. Note that the slabs used around this pool incorporate a decorative surface, so the surfaces under each base plate are unlikely to be absolutely level or flat. Allied to that, when the slabs were originally laid, they had slight variations in levels. So…
  6. I used a level as shown to confirm if the rear rail was out of kilter at all… and of course… it was.
  1. This shows a VERY exaggerated view of the effect of the uneven surface, compared with the use of shims (washers) as required, to “pack” up the unsupported/lower surface.
  2. This shows the shims being inserted under the base plate. It required the complete removal of each coach screw and a little of inserting one, removing another, putting another back in and so on, until…
  3. Success! Obviously, you must ensure the first rail is very accurately aligned before fitting the second.
  4. To position the second rail, I positioned the rear base plate in line with its matching mate on the other side, and used the same method to lightly fix it in place with one lightly attached coach screw. Then I aligned it exactly parallel with the first rail, using equal diagonals to ensure both were parallel and properly orientated towards the pool. Note the lower part of the illustration, which shows that though both rails are parallel, their diagonals for not match and they are both way out. Again, to reiterate… Obviously, you must ensure the first rail is very accurately aligned before fitting the second.
  5. With the second rail aligned and attached, I checked the rear rail was vertical and thankfully, no shims were required. The decorative covers are preinstalled on the rails and simply drop over the base plats, hiding the bolt heads. A very attractive finish.
  6. The completed job… now even this geriatric old coffin-dodger can use the pool again.

Tools:

Hammer drill/driver (mains or cordless), masonry drill bit. This required a 10mmØ bit – to seat the rawl plugs, wooden mallet, and ideally, a ratchet socket set with extenders and a range of socket sizes. The one in question here required a 13mm socket

Project guide

  • Difficulty: Experienced
  • Estimated time: 1-2 hours, depending on whether you are fitting one rail or two
  • Cost: (Depends on the cost of the hand rail/s and its length but can range from a low of R4000 or so, each, or higher, depending on the design and manufacturer

These materials (barring the hand rails themselves, though your local Mica store could possibly order them for you) are available at Selected Mica Stores. To find your closest Mica and whether or not they stock the items required, please go to www.mica.co.za, find your store and call them. If your local Mica does not stock exactly what you need they will be able to order it for you or suggest an alternative product or a reputable source.