In the middle of a sweltering summer, there’s nothing better than diving into a pool of cool, refreshing water to chill off. So it’s no wonder many people are considering installing one in their backyard. In recent years, however, there has been a rise in interest in alternatives to the standard chlorine swimming pool.
What does that involve, exactly? Natural pools and other options, such as salt pools, were the subject of our inquiry. Natural swimming pools have several advantages, even though they aren’t prevalent in the United States.
The trend originated in Europe in the middle of the 1980s and is currently making its way throughout the U.S. It’s not hard to understand why chemical-free pools are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners with backyard swimming pools. There are a variety of financial and health advantages associated with switching to these pools.
Continue reading to find out the answers to all of your pressing queries.
Table of Contents
What are natural swimming pools?
If you’re looking for an environmentally friendly way to keep your swimming pool clean, you should consider a natural pool. Depending on your preferences, you can have a natural pool in any shape or size that complements the rest of your landscape.
An in-ground natural swimming pool does not need chemicals to keep it clean. Self-cleaning ecosystems can be found in and around natural swimming pools.
Natural swimming pools use bacteria instead of chemicals to keep the water clean. It’s easy to see why the chemical-free pool is a popular trend in the home swimming pool industry, given the numerous health and financial advantages they offer.
To maintain a clean water supply while avoiding chemicals, biofilters are typically put into service.
The beneficial bacteria filter water, usually in a regeneration zone or in the pool. Pumped back into the swimming pool after passing through a secondary filter to remove any silt or harmful bacteria that may have gotten through.
Clear as glass, and the water undergoes an endless purification cycle before being released into the environment. The biological filter’s microorganisms break down organic molecules and pollutants to be removed.
In order to prevent the pool from turning green with algae, absorbent material is used instead of plants. In the winter, swimming pools do not need to be drained of water to prevent damage. Byproducts like chlorine, bromine, and ozone are neither present nor heavy metals like copper or silver. Every day, an automated robot cleans the pool’s bottom and sides.
Why choose natural swimming pools?
While chlorinated pools are pleasant and have advantages, there are numerous reasons to consider a natural swimming pool over a chlorinated one. Because of the chemicals in chlorinated water, it is possible to have uncomfortable side effects such as dry skin or itchy and red eyes while swimming. However, you won’t have any troubles or pain after exiting a natural swimming pool because the water is free of chemicals.
In addition to making your home look better, natural swimming pools have many benefits that chlorinated pools don’t have:
- For your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being
The Health benefits of swimming in living water have been shown to leave you feeling revitalized and invigorated. Your health and well-being will benefit from using a natural swimming pool.
- Built to complement your home and outside space
There are few places as adaptable as natural pools for a variety of activities, including swimming with the family and eating al fresco. And we design your pool to blend precisely into your landscape and aesthetic.
- Low-cost operation and low-maintenance requirements
The running costs of a natural swimming pool are cheaper than those of a conventional pool because of the low maintenance and low energy requirements.
- Environmentally friendly outcomes
Your property will become a wildlife haven with the addition of a natural swimming pool. Drift away in the planted areas to discover an aquatic world full of life, such as koi and other freshwater fish swimming with the swallows. There are pollinators, bathing birds, and bats to be seen along the shoreline at night.
How do natural swimming pools work?
The goal of a natural swimming pool is to be as close as possible to the natural environment. Because of this, these pools have two different areas. In addition to the part of the pool where people swim, there will be another part where water will be cleaned. Keep in mind that the overall design of the pool can change a lot depending on how big your yard is and how much money you want to spend on it.
Most natural swimming pools are between 100 and 160 square feet. But if necessary, you could have an even smaller natural swimming pool. The exact percentages will depend on how the natural swimming pool is made, but about 50–75 percent of the water will be in the swimming area.
In the filtration zone, the rest of the water will be used to filter. Then, water will be pumped straight to the shallow filtration zone, where many bacteria will clean the area. Since the water in an NSP isn’t cleaned or sterilized with chemicals, salt, or machines, it’s easy to see why a homeowner might be worried about how safe the water is. But when the water is cleaned with only natural methods, it is always moving as it goes through a biological filter and into the regeneration zone.
Also, homeowners don’t have to worry about mosquitoes because the water is always moving. Mosquitoes like to breed in still water. The biggest and most obvious benefit is that there are no chemicals in the water.
This keeps the pool safe and clean, and the homeowner doesn’t have to worry about how much it will cost to buy chemicals every year. A natural swimming pool uses less energy than a traditional chemical pool.
What should I know when installing a natural pool?
You can heat a natural swimming pool in three ways: with the sun, with covers, or with heat pumps. Pools that aren’t too deep can hold heat well, so the sun may be all you need to heat your pool.
When putting in any kind of pool, especially a natural one, there are a few things to consider. First, the sun’s direction is essential since natural pools don’t have heaters, “you want a pool that’s in the sun almost all day if you can if it’s facing the right way and its summer, it will be warm enough without a heater.
Under the pool, pipes could be placed in the ground to collect heat and warm the water. If you decide to cover the pool, this is thought to be the most cost-effective way to heat the water. In addition, covers for solar panels will float on the water and make it hotter when the sun is out.
Even though cheap pool covers can be bought for around $2,500, the best solar covers cost you between $10,000 and $15,000. When looking at heat pumps, in particular, these pumps can heat water well when they are hooked up to solar panels. But it would be best if you still covered the swimming pool. The cost of the heater itself can range from $5,000 to $15,000.
The cost of the insulation cover is about the same, so the total cost of using a heat pump can range from $10,000 to $30,000. How you choose to do it depends greatly on how much money you have. Even though heat pumps are very efficient, they will cost more to buy at first.
Natural swimming pools pricing
Before you get into the details of how much it costs to build a natural swimming pool, you should know that a concrete 30×20-foot natural pool costs about $70,000 to build. The pool we’re talking about here has stairs and a small deck to add to its natural glow.
We recommend a natural pool with bentonite clay lining if you’re on a tight budget. This will cost you at most $50,000.
If you like luxuries, you should go to high-end natural swimming pools known for their extravagance and luxury. High-end natural swimming pools will cost you about $100,000. Such swimming pools have a waterfall, retaining wall, boulders, infinity edge, stairs, and a deck.
How much it costs to build a natural swimming pool depends, of course, on what you use to line the walls and floor. Depending on the material, a natural pool costs anywhere from $0.25 to $113 per square foot.
Concrete is the most common material for pool linings. However, fiberglass, gravel, pool liners, and clay are strong contenders. Concrete also makes pool walls straighter and gives you more ways to customize them. Gravel and plants cover the plant or regeneration zones to filter the water and keep algae from spreading.
Generally speaking, the cost of labor to build a natural swimming pool that fits your needs is between $27,000 and $38,000.
On the other hand, equipment, materials, and excavation cost between $33,000 and $42,000. Considering all of these factors, the total cost of building a natural swimming pool is between $60,000 and $80,000.
Maintenance
Maintenance costs are low. Natural pools require much less maintenance than regular pools because they mostly clean themselves. You won’t need to buy chemicals or mix them. Some maintenance for a natural pool is the same as for a traditional pool, like sweeping the walls and vacuuming the bottom.
It’s easier to take care of than a regular pool because you don’t have to drain the water or add chemicals. Get a checkup once a year, but other than that, you only need to make sure there aren’t too many leaves on the ground.
Still, if you have a natural pool, you’ll have to take care of some extra things. The installation is the most challenging part because you must ensure that the filtration ecosystem is set up correctly to filter the water well. Total Habitat also suggests putting “beneficial bacteria” in the water at the beginning of each season to get the biological filter going.
Most of the maintenance can be done by yourself, but like any pool, it should be checked by a professional every so often. We, from Sun Valley Pools AZ, based in Arizona, suggest every three to five years.
Wrapping Things Up
There are many benefits to natural swimming pools. These pools can add style and luxury to any property if you want to make your home look better and increase its value. The environment also benefits greatly from natural swimming pools.
When taking care of a traditional swimming pool, chemicals had to be added to the water to keep the pH levels balanced and ensure the water was properly filtered. Chemicals aren’t needed to filter natural swimming pools, so you can swim in water that won’t irritate your skin.
If you stop using chemicals in your pool, you won’t be adding to the damage that is being done to the environment. Because there aren’t any chemicals in a natural swimming pool, it’s also easier to keep it clean. Natural pools are better than traditional pools because they can be used in any climate. Also, it’s essential to know that natural pools are flexible and can be built in many different ways.
Even though the initial costs can be high, the savings on maintenance and increase in home value should make up for them. In addition, once you find the right pool builder for the job, you should be able to create a pool that fits your needs and makes your home look much better.
However, before you put your plan into action of constructing a natural swimming pool, you need to make sure that you have a solid understanding of the expenses that are associated with its construction, the amount of space that is necessary, and the length of time that it takes to develop one.