Swimming pond

You want to build a beautiful pond…, but your children want to be able to swim in the garden. The ideal solution then is a beautiful swimming pond that everyone can enjoy. Swim ponds look like a pond and they are laid out as naturally as possible in the garden. Its appeal derives mainly from their natural appearance and relatively low price. Often a plant pond is installed next to the swimming pond, which provides filtration of the swimming water. With regular use, swimming water should also be filtered. There should not be too much debris or silt at the bottom, as the water will become murky. Heating may be necessary in cooler climates, as there the water can remain quite cold even in summer.

Constructing a swimming pond

In swimming ponds with a depth of 140 – 160 cm you can swim without touching the bottom. However, it is wise to create an extra zone of 60 – 80 cm deep for oxygen plants. These contribute greatly to a good quality of swimming water.

A swimming pond always consists of two sections separated from each other:

• The swimming area
• The filter section (biological or mechanical)

Biological filtering of swimming ponds is done through marsh plants planted in pebbles or a substrate, The substrate provides housing for beneficial bacteria that help to naturally purify the water. The substrate or lava pebbles also act to stop organic debris in the water. The filter area with the plants will provide a more natural look to the swimming pond.

The simplest swimming pond is a fairly deep pit with sloping walls, lined with black pond liner. If swimming ponds are used intensively by many people at the same time in the summer, a filter system offers a solution. A standard filter system – always placed outside the pond – then provides clear water in addition to the plants.

Maintenance of a swimming pond

In the fall, dead plants and blown-in leaves should be removed from the swimming pond, this prevents them from rotting on the bottom. Organic debris on the bottom increases the chance of acidification of the swimming pond also increases the chance of algae problems and poor plant growth.

It is best to regularly remove all fallen leaves from the pond. This is best done with a scoop net. The same goes for rotting leaves or silt on the bottom. It is not wise to empty the entire pond every year to clean the bottom. This not only removes all kinds of useful water creatures but also affects the bacterial metabolism to a significant extent, which is very important in the winter.