Natural Swimming Pools after the TeichMeister System
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 08.22.06
If you're thinking about getting a swimming pool for your garden, think natural!
The Spanish company ARAGrup for example offer technologies, systems and materials that are environmentally friendly and are specialists in water management for urban and agricultural landscapes. Amongst these they offer Natural Swimming Pools after the TeichMeister system.
Here is what makes them 100% natural: the plants! These together with micro-organisms eliminate contaminants from the water and leave it crystal-clear all year round without chemicals or salt. For the biological self-cleaning process to work you need a natural purification zone (plants and water pumps) adjoining the swimming and bathing zone to circulate and filter the water. To make cleaning easy and keep maintenance low, ARAGrup suggest vertical walls for the swimming area, with a stone, wood or concrete finish or a PVC (not so natural! Anyone have an alternative?) film lining in different colours (light blue for Mediterranean and dark green for mountain lake feel). When it comes to designing the shape and layout of the swimming zone together with the filter zone you can let your imagination run wild. Sizes can range from 25m2 to 10.000m2 and the filter zone requires 20% for it to work. In the end you’ll be left with untroubled bathing and a beautiful pond. Keep in mind that it’s possible to convert a traditional swimming pool into a natural one. Now the only thing that needs to change (al least here in Spain) is the law that requires all public swimming pools to have a certain percentage of chlorine in the water, no matter how clean it is without. So the public can’t go natural yet even if the water is crystal-clear and does not give you allergies! ::ARAGrup (Spanish only) ::TeichMeister
What an awesome idea! In Australia, the state I live in has just made it very difficult to put in a new swimming pool from a water usage perspective. It would be great to see this design matched up with some sort of filtration for roof water harvesting that would meet public health requirements.
Very Nice!
This looks similar to the German Bio-Top system at:
www.swimming-teich.com/
Its actually not really that similar to the Biotop system. We use it here in the UK and it allows us a far more swimming pool-like design over swimming 'pond'.
Check out our website.
I have just started researching "natural swimming pool" designs for our property near Sydney, Australia. I'm looking at lining a dry , porous dam and converting it into a swimming pond using wetland plants for natural filtration. Could anyone assist me with practical information?
I will be building a new home soon and really want a living pool. My husband wants an indoor pool so it can be used into the winter. Does anyone know of a way to combine the two, or know of someone who has?
Thanks
Hello Martha,
Bionova in Deutshland has built the first tropical pool. It works with the natural plants system and it can be used round the year. Ask to them
Where do you live ?
You can contact me for futher details at mathilde.dumont[arobase]wanadoo.fr
Hi all, we put a natural swimming pool in Gambia, West Africa in an ecoresort 2 years ago.
It did present many problems with the growth of algae in
hot climates. The accumulation of dust from storms coming in from Mali and other inland areas caused algal blooms. We solved this by increasing the filtration area of small size basaltic rock as well as adding enzymes to reduce the nitrate and phosphate.
The resort owners also put over a cover that reduced algal blooms and is actually very pleasant in the heat.
The pool works great now. Nothing better than having a beer and sitting in the freshwater pool and having a chat to other guests. The bird and small reptile life in and amongst the pool and reed filter is also amazing. Here is a picture of it - http://www.eekos.com/jons_pics_069.jpg. Email me on kevin@eekos.com if you have any queries.
Does anyone have experience of putting a natural pool in a hot, dry climate - I see from Kevin's email above he had problems with algal blooms but managed to get round that - evapotranspiration is also a concern as it's not a very humid enviroment and quite windy (aegean coast in turkey). I'd like to see if anyone has put a natural pool in a similar mediterranean environment and what (if any) the issues were. Please feel free to contact me at peter[dot]hill[at]imbpartners[dot]co[dot]uk. Thanks
Hello Peter,
I think the first thing to consider when building in a hot climate is dig it deep, it needs that thermal mass and volume of water outside of the top meter. The deeper cooler water will buffer the effects of a hot climate and strong sunshine.
Hi all~~~We are building an indoor pool attached to our home and I have been desperately searching for a chemical free system~~~hydrogen peroxide was the closest I got (or is that chemical too?) but I couldn't find a really reputable source of information~~~now I'm trying to learn about the TeichMeister system, but I had to call Germany about it and speak in my broken German to a very patient and congenial fellow at the company who has promised to send me literature~~~has anyone used this system for an indoor pool and , if so, could you tell me about it???~~~Is there any other system that can do the job?~~~Help!!! ~~~and thanks for any replies~~~
We made natural swimming pools in all parts of europe and australia.
We know of the problem with hot climate, but it also works. The important thing is, to install a pump to hold the water in circulation. Take the water with an overflow - and then pump in the plant filter. Then it works. We had about 35°C water temperature in some ponds and no problem with algues. We tested this many years in an indoor pool with natural cleaning.
On our website you will find our partners for a lot of aereas over the world (www.bionova.de)
Hello i am living on the Canary Islands and am interested in building a eco-pool. egg. Teichmeister.
questions:1 Is the pump system functional on solar energy and 2. what about mosquitoes ?
thanks for any replies
Can anyone help us with a conversion to a natural swimming pool for for our pool in Northern Zululand? We have serious algae problems even with chlorine and have tried salt water chlorination too! I think the natural pool will be the ans. if we can manage the algae and keep wildlife snakes etc out of the swimming area. Will they not also love the fresh water? Please help. We are a wildlife eco reserve and environmental rehabilitation centre. If we could pilot this project we could promote it everywhere here! many thanks Janet.
I saw this solar ionization product that they say is non-toxic and cleans your pool using less electricity. Floatron
http://www.floatron.com/
Have anyone heard of this technology and is it really safe and healthy?
Thanks!
hie...
i need some information abt an eco friendly swimmingpool...
its construction, materials, precautions etc...
i m doing a project on it...
so need it seriously....
pls do help me i need it urgently...
since me not getting its information...
thanks...