Natural Swimming Pools?

[noobiechickenlady]

I came across a good article on MEN regarding building your own natural swimming pool. Has anyone done this or built a pond and used plants to keep the water clean? Any pros & cons to consider? What is your experience?

I'm debating this with family at the moment and trying to convince my mom (the landowner I rent from) that it would be a good idea.

 

[big brown horse]

Would it have a filter? I have been toying around with this idea I have in my head too. Can you put up this link for the MEN?

 

[kohburn]

like a man mad pond that would stay clean enough for safe swimming?

I've thought about it, but I have a hard enough time with the fish tank in my office.

I think with a well designed natural filter bed and a solar powered pump to provide a steady flow it could be done.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

No filter, you put water plants around the edges of the pool, with a short retaining wall to keep them from washing into/invading your swimming area. MEN article recommends reserving 50% of the total water area for plants. The roots filter the water to keep it clear. Of course, you would have to deal with errosion & some biological material flying into the pool. Simple enough, gravel or urbancrete steps into the pool so the plant zone isn't used to enter & exit. Add a pool net to skim dead leaves.

You'd also need some sort of pump to aerate the water. Thats the expensive part for me. I have cheap labor to dig & compact the hole (beer & pizza!) I can pay for the bentonite clay, if I need it. I have very heavy clay soil, so might not even need it. The pump though, I'm not sure if there is a more frugal way to aerate a pond/swimming hole. Thats where SS comes in, plenty of good do-it-yourselfers here, maybe there are some ideas?

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2002-08-01/Natural-Swimming-Pool.aspx

 

[kohburn]

I think it would require more than just aeration, ithink circulation would be essential. something to move a few hundred gallons per minute into the planted zone to filter back into the swimming hole would probably do the trick.

there should be many solar powered options available depending on your budget.


ebay has a slew of solar pond pumps and fountains in the 20-30$ range. would probably be more cost effective to get a small 45watt solar panel setup from harbor freight and then a pump sized properly for that output.

 

[big brown horse]

No filter, you put water plants around the edges of the pool, with a short retaining wall to keep them from washing into/invading your swimming area. MEN article recommends reserving 50% of the total water area for plants. The roots filter the water to keep it clear. Of course, you would have to deal with errosion & some biological material flying into the pool. Simple enough, gravel or urbancrete steps into the pool so the plant zone isn't used to enter & exit. Add a pool net to skim dead leaves.

You'd also need some sort of pump to aerate the water. Thats the expensive part for me. I have cheap labor to dig & compact the hole (beer & pizza!) I can pay for the bentonite clay, if I need it. I have very heavy clay soil, so might not even need it. The pump though, I'm not sure if there is a more frugal way to aerate a pond/swimming hole. Thats where SS comes in, plenty of good do-it-yourselfers here, maybe there are some ideas?

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2002-08-01/Natural-Swimming-Pool.aspx

Thanks for the link!! I can't wait to read it! I know all of the man made "tanks" (aka ponds) in TX had to be lined with clay first. Why not a liner though? (Let me read this article more clearly, it may have the answer in it already.)

(Funny how far beer and pizza goes for men! If someone asked me to dig a great big hole for beer and pizza, I'd say NO THANKS, I can buy my own!! )

 

[kohburn]

good artical - answered a lot of my thoughts on the subject. I definately like this idea and it is a lot more complementary to a generally "green" lifestyle than a traditional pool.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I guess it would depend how your aeration worked. If you sucked the water from of the bottom of the pool and returned it via a gentle waterfall, maybe that would provide enough flow? But then, thats not aeration, not really, or is it? More research required...

Big Brown, It is funny, isn't it?
"Hey, will you build me a house?"
"Sorry, I'm busy"
"I'll buy you beer and pizza!"
"I'll be right over!"
If you get SS enough, you can even MAKE your own!

Kohburn, thats precisely why I was looking at it. Even factoring in the cost of installing, cost of pump, etc. Its still cheaper and waaaay more green than a traditional pool. Plus it encourages wildlife. Like the treefrogs that got run out of our pool (traditional above ground) when we drained it.

We let the thing turn into a semi-pond during the winter, accidentally the first time. I churn the water every couple of days to cut down on the mosquito population, but the treefrogs & dragonflies usually take care of most of them.

 

[big brown horse]

I grew up in Small Town, TX and we spent whole summers in my bf's pond (tank, if you are from TX). We made sure to make a lot of noise right when we first got in (like riding our horses into it) to scare away all of the snakes first. This pond couldn't have been more than 50 square feet? How do you think it got filtered? The cows. Now that I think about it, it was probably a petri dish, but we lived!! After we swam in her pond, we drank our fill out of the hose!!

I guess my point is that I think that with the proper plants, why do anything more?

 

[Wifezilla]

A skippy filter goes a long way toward keeping a pond clean. I use a modified version for my duck's pond (500 gallons).

http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm