All about eco pools | Meaning, types and advantages

Eco pools, natural pools and biopools.

Eco pools are a rising trend both in Spain as internationally. However, would you be able to describe exactly what an eco pool is?

While in other countries such as Germany and United Kingdom the construction of natural and eco pools is widely popular, the truth is that Spain lags well behind when it comes to sustainability and ecology of pools.

What are eco pools?

On the market there are large amount of systems for eco pools and each of them could be treated in a different manner (depending on the zone climate, the use, etc.). Nonetheless, all eco pools would fulfill a requirement: they use a natural purification system, with no added salt nor chemicals.

Types of eco pools

Nowadays, there are several options on the market. The choice should depend on factors such as: square meters of the pool, its depth, client’s liking, the available budget, the surrounding of the pool, the kind of property, etc.

The most popular natural pools are the following:

1.-Pools with a high technology water treatment

This option, even though it has been a while on the market, it is still unknown for many people. It consists in the use of the latest technology in pools to treat its water.

It comes to an alternative that does not use plants, like in the second option that is mentioned later. In this case it is used a combination of 3 processes: the UV technology, nanocrystals and hydroxil radicals.

This water purification system only requires the installation of the equipments to be able to produce 100% eco-friendly water, with 0% salt, chemicals and chlorine. As a result, the swimmer will be enjoying a dip in such pure water that it will appear alike bottled water.

What do these equipments make exactly?

They work with 3 processes:

-The UV Technology is in charge of eliminating microorganisms, viruses and bacteria through a ceramic catalyst chamber. The obtained desinfection power is so high that is able to break biological elements like the urea or the oil from the sun cream.

–Nano crystals are a bio resistant material that is activated with negative charge. They are in responsible of avoiding the colonization by bacteria.

–Hydroxil radicals use the minerals that are in water through an hydrolysis process. This third element is of big help at those times when there are more swimmers at the pool and when the temperature is higher.

With regard to the cleaning, this kind of pool requires a normal cleaning, like any other pool. This is a cleaning of the bottom once a week. However, it won’t be necessary to clean the filters manually, as they will be cleaned automatically, when the equipment needs it.

It is important to bear in mind that, although this system could turn out to be quite advanced, its functioning is usually automated with a pool automated system, like, for instance, Pool Tech Connection. Thus, anyone from maintenance staff or even the property owner could be in charge of the maintenance of pool water, with any kind of difficulty.

Finally, it is worth noting that, in spite of the fact that these systems can seem expensive at first glance, they are worthwhile in the long run. This is because their components have an exceptionally good quality and are able to work in a high performance way.

An example of an equipment  with a high technology water treatment is the system  Pure Pool Technology.

2.-Bio Pools

Natural pools or bio pools have as main characteristic the use of plants to purify the water. There are around 15 varieties of aquatic plants to choose from, depending on the type of water.

This kind of natural pool, that is normally made of concrete, is divided in two parts: an area for swimming and an area of plants, that is where water gets purified. At this point, it is important to know that to build a bio pool you will need to have at least 40 square meters. The reason for this is that approximately half of the space will be used for the regeneration process.

How does a bio pool work? 

Plants produce a biomass through the photosynthesis, that will be consumed by microorganisms at a later stage. Then the later will transform organic materia into inorganic substances, such as carbon dioxide, nitrates, etc. Those substances are necessary for the plants to grow. This way, it is generated a cycle where matter and energy are interchanged.

This kind of pool requires two deep cleanings along the year and a weekly maintenance to move leaves away. Moreover, it has to be taken into account that it is necessary to keep the aquatic garden clean and to fertilise plants with natural manure.

To sum up, we can point out that this type of pool is ideal for those people who value direct contact with nature and that feel well disposed to gardening works.

Advantages of eco pool

Eco pools or pools free of chemicals have countless advantages. Foremost among them are:

– For health

Swimming in pure water is beneficial for health. As no chemical products are used, it is avoided the irritation of skin, eyes and mucosas. This characteristic makes of eco pools the great solution for those people who suffer from alergies and dermatological problems.

– For the environment

Systems based on high technology, like Pure Pool Technology, use up to 35% less water in filter cleaning than common equipments.

In addition, as they use no chemicals, the pool could be full all year round, without the need of changing water (with the consequent saving of energy and in the electricity bill).

On the other hand, this system is efficient with regard to energy waste, because, even though it seem incredible, its equipments do not consume more than a normal electricity bulb.

In case of bio pools, we are also caring for the environment, as it results unnecessary to change water. In fact, it would be replaced only when it is evaporated.

Change from chlorinated pool to eco pool

Is it possible to change from a traditional purification with chlorine to a water treatment with no chlorine?

The fact is that, in case of advanced systems of water technology, like Pure Pool Technology, at any time we could discard old systems with chlorine or salt and start using this 100% ecologic equipment.

On the contrary, in case of bio pools, it should be taken into account if the pool is suitable for a natural pool project. It must be reminded that a minimum of 40 m2 would be necessary so that the project is viable. If that was the case, there would be no problem in turning a chlorinated pool into an eco pool.

What kind of pool do you find more interesting?

Would you prefer traditional purification systems with chlorine or would you encourage to try a sustainable system? Leave your comments!