Functioning of a natural swimming pool

Imagine having a swimming pool which can be cleaned with plants ! A conventional pool uses chlorine to kill bacteria, while a natural swimming pool employs natural plants and filters to get the job.

At first sight, natural swimming pool resemble a natural pond, but they actually consist of two zones, a deep and central sector of swimming, and less deep edge with plants that are particularly chosen for purifying water. Ecological swimming pool use the natural properties of natural purification plants, with a skimmer to extract the debris field such as leaves, and a small pump to keep water circulating through the plantation sector.

Algae compete with plants for food and light, but the algae blooms often decline as soon as the water lily and other plants emerge to shade the water. We may discourage the presence of algae by adding more plants. In addition, monitoring and elimination of phosphorus can maintain a lower pH (5.5 - 6.5), which can prevent algae to grow.

To transform the ecological pool in a stable eco-system, a fairly large area of plants, also known as regenerative zone, is set beside the swimming area. Usually the balance between the two is reached when the total area of the biological swimming pool is divided in half for the sector swimming and the other half for the zone of regeneration. The water flows slowly and continuously by the temperature differences in areas little deeper and deeper, and also by a small pump.

When water leaves the sector swimming, it passes through a skimmer where any outside debris such as leaves are removed. In the area of plants, water is still cleaned by natural processes in flowing in and around the roots. The transformation is taking place at a micro level-bacterial, while the leaves of various plants consume different types of food, what is important to limit the growth of algae.

The flow of water prevents the mosquito larvae, and predators live in the plantation sector. While water can be heated, and most aquatic plants can adapt to warmer temperatures, the ability of water to hold oxygen is reduced, which is harmful to the life cycle in the natural swimming pool. The area regenerative simulates swamps where natural processes contribute significantly to improving water quality. Many chemical transformations take place in the sector of the zone of regeneration and they ensure that water leaving the area is much cleaner than when it entered.