Organic Pool Design
Design Essentials For Organic Pools
The design of an organic pool will have everything to do with the success of your venture. An organic pond needs a series of relatively strict requirements in order to function properly and with so many variables at work it can be very difficult to design an organic pool that is inclined to stay clean and clear.
If the filtration is inadequate the pond will have too much algae and this will cause a chain reaction that travels throughout the miniature eco-system that you have created. A balance needs to be found naturally in the water and all you can do is provide the right environment for this to happen. Also providing the right plant life and a clean, oxygen rich and filtered water system will help, as will adding species like snails that can help to filter algae and process plant matter that falls to the bottom, but at some point nature has to take over.
The biggest failures in organic swimming pools will happen in the design if you do not proportion the filtration system to the water volume, introduce the wrong or an invasive species or allow pesticides, fertilizers, sanitizers or other contaminants into the water.
Shapes For Organic Pools
Actually a more important aspect is depth as opposed to overall shape. Essentially with an organic pool there are two water areas which are the swimming area and the filtration area. The swimming area is deep enough to accommodate your swimming habits whether is be swimming lengths or letting the kids play marco polo. The filtration area, commonly referred to as the shallows, is a large portion of the surface area of the pool itself. The shallows area is where the plant life grids will be and where aquatic life will be encouraged to take residence.
While technically the shallows area does not even need to be attached to the swimming area, for cost purposes it usually is. A saucer shaped area with a shallows around the perimeter is the most cost effective to build by far however to optimize the swimming area and comfort for squeamish bathers you can remotely located the shallows independently from the swimming area and connect the two only by means of the plumbing system. This is many cases will almost double your construction costs for the pool since you are then essentially making two pools.
Organic Pool Design Elements
The actual plants and actual insects and aquatic life that you need to use for your organic pool will depend entirely on where you are located geographically. If an industry expert is not available in your area for organic pool contracting you can try to build your own organic pool using the following guidelines:
The shallows area should range from a few inches to 2' in depth
The shallows area should be 1/2 to 1/3 the entire surface area of the pool
Use Cartridge style swimming pool filters or pond bio filters, not sand filters
Install at least two waterfall features
Install the largest ozone generator you can find 3000mg/h+
Install ozone release into the deepest part of the swimming area
Introduce large algae eating snails in large quantities to the shallows
Use a non toxic, inert water retention material such as clay instead of liners
Install a minimum of four separate suction point skimmers or gutter drains
As a minimum these organic pool design elements will help you to get started building your own organic pool.
Learn more about Organic Pool Builders in your local area.