You must be a very trusting soul John, concerning the trust you have in the rest of the family and guests 
Hummm
That the chlorine or the urine Bill?Both, i suppose 
The quantity of chlorine is similar to that of drinking water. This system is used also for aquariums. The only trouble we had was the year of installation when we followed the instructions of the installer, who basically gave us pool running hours similar to chlorine pools. We were running it for 12 hours a day. It started to turn greenâŚ
I got out the instructions for the Bio-UV system, two one metre light tubes in our case, hardly a âsmall lampâ, and they said as soon as water gets to 28 degrees, run 24/7. Read the instructions for the roller cover, same thing, at 28 degrees, run 24/7. Not a single problem in the 3 seasons since then. We do a chlorine shock treatment at the beginning if the season, and again as we wintertise it.
You are treating only the water that goes through the sand filter on your pool hut, so you do need to keep skimmer baskets clean, and we have a simple inexpensive pool cleaner to clear anything that blows in and sinks to the bottom should there be a high wind. But then, we all want a clean pool anyway, so these steps are require for safe swimming in any pool. We also maintain the PH at the correct level at all times, which is also essential for a perfect pool!
We are in full sun all day, so our pool in August often 30 (or above) degrees for extended periods. Also in our garden design we have no trees near the pool, and the olive grove is a bit away, and does not cause much in the way of leaf drop anyway. If I had a pool in the shade, surrounded by pine trees and deciduous trees, I would perhaps go for chlorine to be certain all was well!
However, I am not a pool professional, just been the owner of several pools in the UK, Middle East and France as we have moved around a bit in our working lives, and all I can say is that this one is by FAR the best! No stinging eyes and no damage to skin or hair.
Wrong colour quoted for chlorine hair, it actually turns blond hair green. My daughter was a competitive swimmer and swam daily in a public pool (but in the water for fewer hours a day than happy children and grandchildren during the school holidays of course). Boots sell anti-chlorine shampoo, which helped slightly!
At least yours has been specâd with about the right sized UV tubes 2x 55-62 watt lamps for a pool up to about 80m3. Interestingly, without any UV lamps my pool also ran on drinking water levels of chlorine 0.2-0.5ppm. I have an outside pool with trees and bushes around the perimeter.
These UV systems are not used a lot in the US, anymore than they are here, that tends to be false marketing rubbish, everything is better when justified by being used elsewhere.
Going green, yep when not sufficiently sanitised pools go green. Not an immediate danger, just unsightly and shows the sanitiser has been used up. What changes at 28 deg? not a lot, bacteria etc grow a bit faster but your running 24 hours means all of the pool water is being subjected to the UV and not just over half, allowing the other half to continue to grow more algae. Usually a good sign that the nutrient levels are high (phosphates). The not insignificant additional cost of running a conventional pool filtration 24 hours cannot be left out of the subject. By comparison, my pool runs 24 hours on about the same electricity a regular setup will use in just 2 hours of running.
As to pH levels, if you are not using chlorine stabiliser (cyanuric acid) then the chlorine will be burned off completely in 2 hours if the pool is in the sun. Another reason why pools can go green. If you are using stabiliser for the chlorine then the pH doesnât matter as long as it is above pH7 or you can suffer stinging eyes, the pH can go right up to mid 9 without the chlorine or eyes being affected, the pH of eye drops is pH 8.75-9.
I am a pool professional and work on many pools, also with colleagues around the world and as stated earlier no stinging eyes, no damage to skin or hair in a properly run domestic pool. Blond hair turning green is a sign of copper present in the water not chlorine (think verdigris) Tomato ketchup will remove the copper.
Washing before bathing is also a good idea as is pre wetting with tap water before going into the pool water.
So to make my point, and not meant in a nasty way You have owned several pools around the world but still do not understand the water treatment, obviously people will seek your advise and that is how miss information continues to move around the social media spheres. I have enough issues with so called professionals who donât understand what they are selling, some were road menders in the UK, now swimming pool builders and water engineers!
Hi John
Any thoughts on Naturalis pools.? We are still deciding which way to go with a pool.
Hi Martyn, just to clear up any confusion, do you mean the company Naturalis, concrete walled but wood effect pools or natural swimming ponds?
Reminds me of a joke I heard in Ireland,
âMrs, very sorry to tell you, Paddy died at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin Todayâ .
âOh No, how did it happenâ?
"Well he fell in a huge vat of the âBlack Stuffâ, anâ drowned!
âWhaaaaâ!
âBut I suppose it wus kwik thoughâ.
âNo sorry Missus, 'twasnât at all,
Your poor Man, 'e 'ad to get out, three times, for a peeâ
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Hi John
The company naturalis. Also thinking of may the fibre glass coque pools. Our other thoughts are the poly block system and concrete but thinking of a way maybe we could have a pool for less money. We know the concrete is the best option but obviously very e pensive.
Thanks
Julie
Bill, With the recent visit of âHis Holinessâ the Pope to IrelandâŚI , (in my capacity of devout atheist) couldnât resist forwarding a few comedic gems âŚby a truly great manâŚ
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Hi John
Is it possible to private message you please?
Regards
Julie
1 Like
Yes of course, I was going to do that as the contents of my answer could be deemed controversial, plus a little too much noise on this thread.
3 Likes
Hi John
Not sure how I do it privately , links me back to the thread !
Regards
Julie
Martyn Wood
UCB BioPharma
Hi John,
I am thinking of installing a plunge pool (possibly that would double as a hot tub in winter). I definitely want something that is cheap and easy to maintain and various friends have suggested a salt water pool. What are your thoughts on that?
I havenât decided exactly how Iâm going to build it yet but as it is on a fairly steep slope with bedrock close under the surface, Iâm thinking a concrete platform half way down the slope and then a raised deck built out from the top of the slope and level with the top of the plunge pool. Not sure yet if I will attempt to buy a ready made one or build it myself from blocks but I am very open to suggestions as I have not got a clue! Cheap is a requirement as I donât have too much cash and am shortly to retire so will hopefully have plenty of time. Thanks.
Sula
Hi Sula,
Ok, a plunge pool in winter sets the pattern I believe, Insulation and plenty of it! That will keep it comfortable to use in winter and affordable to use.
How many people are like to use it, baring in mind youâll be very popular! No problem with using a salt system if itâs sized correctly and you might consider using magnesium salt rather than sodium for a more relaxing soak, that does cost a bit more but you wonât use too much.
What kind of size are you thinking?
Hi John,
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Iâm thinking pretty small, mainly due to cost of heating etc. It would depend on the shape I suppose. If I were to buy a ready made pool and put in on a concrete platform, they seem to mostly be round so I guess around 2 to 3m diameter? Iâm not sure how practical it is to build it myself from blocks but If i were to do that I would probably go for rectangular and about 2m by 3 or possibly 3.5m. The most people likely to be in it at once would be 6 to 8 but there are just the two of us living there - could be cosy at that size!!! I think I would use it most in summer so am not sure whether to go for a slightly larger one and give up on the hot tub idea or go for a bigger one and get more use out of it in the summer. I think anything of any size would probably be pretty impractical as a hot tub so that may well bite the dust! I really have no idea how much these things cost to run either. I saw one a neighbour had built himself which was pretty small (1.5m x 2m?) and it was chest depth with a raised area for seating at one end. He had tiled it nicely and it looked pretty good! Thanks.
Sula
The polyblok forms (polystyrene) would allow you to build either shape. There are blocks made to form Roman end steps (curved) which come in std radius forms so 2-3m round is reasonably straight forward with the std blocks allowing square or rectangular pools to be built. A decent level of insulation is therefore STD. Donât forget the floor installation. A thick foam constructed cover will lock in the heat.
The filtration system costs v little to run, setup my way so only when you run the boost jets will it start costing a bit more.
Depending on what heating/hot water system you have at the house, if you have a gas boiler for instance, we could use that to fill it cheaply and quickly so you can enjoy the moment rather than book it 24 hours ahead
Thanks again for sharing your expertise. I looked at some youtube videos of the polyblock system and they look reasonably straightforward to construct and concrete fill - I think I could do that. My only issue is that I am building on a 45 degree slope so would have to create a flat base for them. Probably a reinforced concrete foundation I guess. What would you use for the floor insulation? Would you put a monocoque in that or a pvc liner? I know there are also waterproof plasters you can use but I know nothing about them. Unfortunately we are right out in the sticks with no mains gas so it would have to be electrically heated.
Floor insulation would be an extruded polystyrene foam panel, rendermesh and thin coat polymer coating, or Wedi panel type. Monocoque (fibreglass) can take a higher temperature such as a hot tub where a vinyl liner cannot. Tiling is another alternative but the adhesive must be for constant water immersion (swimming pool use) normal water proof adhesive would not work long term. Epoxy adhesive and grout are good.
The cover would also need to be a foam type to retain the heat.
Thanks. 