I wanted a pool and found organic swimming pools, but struggled to find info on how to build them. So I decided I would document my build and share with others so they could build their own.
Please ask questions. I want to help. I may not have all the answers, but I have learned a great deal through this effort and am happy to share.
Hi there, I went with the Firestone PondGard 45 Mil thickness. Mine was 50’ x 75’. The formula I used was length or width + depth x 2 + 4 feet (for burying the edges). Keep me posted and good luck!
I’ve heard that it can be, but I think it’s relative to size. This is over 30,000 gallons so topping it off doesn’t seem to be an issue. If it were a smaller system it very well could be an issue.
Couple things 1.) Don’t need as much rock as I have (could have saved some money there) 2.) Would have added a bog to begin with (more planted zone helps) 3.) White sand looks great to begin with but requires a little more upkeep. Would go with a more earth toned version. 4.) Get the big hiblow pump. 5.) Bigger or more skimmers at the top 6.) Devise a better way to agitate the bottom so you can reduce sediment from forming at the bottom. 7.) While it worked for me I would suggest a geotextile (mirafi) in place of the recycled carpet. Not worth the risk. 8.) Probably wouldn’t do the pallets again. They work just fine, but I think a stone wall would be better (certainly more work and cost tho). Keep me posted!
@@chrisyoung5721 Wow great insight/infro, so thanks for that. May I ask why you say you would have added a bog to begin with? Is the down flow filer system not enough?
This episode sponsored by PME 😄 But seriously, I really appreciate seeing your process. I too am a big fan of David Pagan Butler, but clearly he’s working with a different climate & he’s often stressed that he can’t guarantee the results in hotter places. As someone hoping to do this in a dry-ish part of Australia I’m encouraged by your apparent success! Do you have an update on how it’s going - what you’re happy with, what you’d do differently? Cheers 👍
Oak at the threshold , Doug fir for the stringer that runs the pallet wall and redwood for the dock. Selected those based on application. If wood stays submerged it lasts a long time. Stuff that gets wet then dries out is prone to deterioration which is why I went redwood for the dock.
Im obsessed with water and pools ,ponds ,waterfalls ,oceans etc ,i wish when i had was younger i had training for this kind of job.enjoy every munute of your job lads from england x❤️
Hi! I went with the Firestone product and I got mine from Pondliner.com where it ran roughly $1 per sqft. That was a few years ago, so I would expect prices have gone up since then. I will say the liner is very important. It’s the place the invest in good product. Best of luck!
Hey Chris! So the perforated pipe you got going around the regen area… so you have a few of them that has a T fitting on it and they are pointing straight up. Why is that?
Hi Chris- did your pool go throigh any algae blooms? I know its normal for it to go through a few blooms before it fully clears and settles into its longer term, healthy ecosystem in the pool. Thanks!
We are going to be building a house this year, and I think this is exactly the type of pool I want to build next year. Thank you for sharing your experiences with this. I think you need some more plants to combat that algae no?
Hi, I’m excited for you! That’s for the kind words. Yes, I certainly need more plants. In fact I just bought some. Going to add more and more thru this spring. I was a little slow to add them for two reason. Wanted to see which ones I liked / thrived & secondly I wanted to be careful with the type of plant and how aggressive it is.
Are there any other liner colors available besides black? I suppose you could also just line the bottom and sides with some kind of other material on top of the liner. I want to be able to clearly see bottom b/c i wouldn't want any critters in my pool lol
Hello, I’m not aware of other colors. You could put rocks on top of the liner to give it a different color. Regarding the critters, don’t forget it is a natural habitat so you want life, it’s part of an ecosystem. However, even with the black liner I can see to the bottom without any issues.
Hello Chris, I’m working in the licensing team at Bored Panda, an online arts and design magazine. We really like your videos and we're interested in featuring some of them on our social media channels. Could you tell me your email address please? So I'll provide you with more details. Thank you!
@@chrisyoung5721 Hi Chris, of course, I can send you more info. If you're not willing to disclose your contact details here, you can find my email address on my RU-vid account and send me an email. Let me know if it works.
Hi, I think you proved me wrong. Checked out your website. Looks cool. I couldn’t find your email. Could you shoot it to me and we can chat further thru email?
@@chrisyoung5721 Hi Chris, unfortunately, RU-vid doesn't allow writing an email address in a comment under the video, unless you're the channel owner. I just included my contact details in the description of my account, let me know if you can find it!
How is it going now? It looked to be the plant ratio to me, plus if it is a new pool this is common. Most pools need to balance just like an eco system, but this can take a year or so.
Thanks for asking. Much better now! Yes, it was a new pool when I shot that clip. In the spring I’ll do another video showing the progression. The plants are much more established now. The water is quite clear but I still do get some algae that floats up around the edges that I have to net up every couple weeks. I think it will get better as the plants take up more root. If you have suggestions I welcome them.
Check out my natural pool. It’s a different style but you could incorporate some of the methods perhaps. I never have any algae at all. Natural Pool 18 month review - unbeatable filter performance! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8gBbhJU0skU.html
I start mine next week. Dimensions? 3.5 meters x 2.5 meters x 1 meter deep. Rectangle shape. Staired entrance in one corner. In each of the other three corners will have a blue poly barrel 120 liter size full of filter rocks with a pipe to the bottom with an air bubbler. I live in Thailand. I have access to endless free floating and bog plants. I'll use a waist rope for stationary swimming. It's easy to get VERY hot here when working the garden. 5 minutes in the "dipping pond" will resent the body thermostat to neutral again and again and again. Love your pond. That size isn't practical for me..... I'm hoping mine will be as functionally clear and clean as your. Only time will tell.
That’s awesome! Just keep in mind you want a planted zone. I would target 50% of the pond for plants. More plants, better water quality. Have you checked out David Paganbutlers site?
@@chrisyoung5721 I've watched ALL of David's clips repeatedly. While I'll only have 3 barrels that are only 85 cm deep and 50 cm circumference..... about 10% planted zone. My pond will have vertical walls. In each of the 3 corners with barrels, I will also string a floating hose across to make 45°/45°/90° triangles with floating hyacinths and floating lettuce trapped between the walls and hoses..... both of these floating plants have 0.5 meter root system.... Those will get me much closer to the 50%. Plus I'm going to have bogg plants that will have roots in the water along the vertical wall but leaves that grow outward along the top... Mathematically, my system should cycle all water volume 5-10x in 24 hours..... and I will have low nitrate pressure... Few swimmers and NO FISH. Only time will tell. But I think I can pull it off. Lastly. I'm gonna have a center rope suspended lengthwise with mesh to form a tent shape with curtain rings to pull one side or both sides back and forth to control the amount if sunlight it gets..... Thanks for your reply and confidence boost.
@@chrisyoung5721 He Chris.... I'm an technology illiterate. But..... I figured out how to upload videos. I posted a few today that are my driveway and patio garden. DON'T watch them. BORING. But.... Very soon, I should have my pond being built clips to post.
Would you mind elaborating on why you would use CMU if you could do it again? Do the pallets move? Give? Bow? I'm looking to do a kind of deadman cantilever wall with pallets. I'm wondering how they'll do over time.
I think the block or CMU approach is more solid. The pallets actually have held up quite well so far and I’ve had it in operation for 2 years. However, I got some very heavy duty pallets. Just keep in mind 1 yard of gravel or dirt is roughly 3,000 pounds of weight. That is a tremendous amount of material to hold back. Behind the liner it’s find because the water mostly balances it out. Let me put it this way. If I were to do it again out of an abundance of caution I would go with blocks.
Hi Gregory, Got the bags from Home Depot. I filled them with part cement part DG (decomposed granite). For the pavers I used a standard block adhesive. I’ll see if I can’t find the actual Mfg.
One other question: did you just sit the post for the dock/diving deck on those pavers, or did you screw them into the boards you used for the pallets?
Hi Greg, That’s probably worth a clip on its own. Simply put it = width + (depth x 2) + 2’ for the edges. Keep in mind the liner only comes in 50’ widths so I would avoid going wider than that so you don’t have to have a seam. If you want I can help if you give me the dimensions.
This pool is awesome. I going to make one SOOO much smaller. 1 meter deep (0.5 meter below the ground and 0.5 meter built up above the ground) X 2 meters wide X 3.75 meters long.... with 4 industrial plastic barrels filled with rocks (one in each corner) with a bubbler in each for filtering and circulating water. Tie a waist rope for stationary swimming for exercise. Otherwise a nice plunge pool to cool off that is also a very nice water garden. I live in the tropics.... I have multiple year round water plants to chose from. Floating water lettuce will probably be my main nutrient eater. An elephant ear in each barrel. I'm about 1 month from breaking ground.
@@chrisyoung5721 Chris.... I finished my "soaking" pond. I made some very RUFF clips of the process, setbacks and end product. I have enjoyed the pond but haven't swam with a tether yet. It's a week old and no string alge. Fingers crossed.... I've added more water plants since my final clip. The floating plants are THRIVING. Thailand as been 39°-40° C or 99°- 101° F for the last 10 days.... So I finished just in time.
Really nice project Chris. Quick question: what are the large diameter pipes coming up at odd angles below the platform? Also did you make a filter/skimmer using the blue barrel?
Thanks! Simply put they were a contingency plan. I put those in on both sides of the pond (if you look close you will see a set on the other side too). I switched from the perf pipe and used solid for them. They connect to the perforated loops that are running below the crushed rock. Essentially as a fail safe. Originally, I wasn’t completely confident the airlift approach would move enough water so I wanted a means to be able to install a pump just in case without having to drain and dig.
@@chrisyoung5721huh. I am planning the exact same thing. Putting in perforated pipe as a fallback if I absolutely need a filter. This adds confidence in my plan.
