I promised to write my full pool conversion story following numerous requests from RSG listeners. Hence today I do this in both languages.
Jarelank reeds het hierdie ligblou chemiese waterdief wat my swembad was my gewete gepla. Ek het navorsing gedoen en besef hoe toksies hierdie water vir die omgewing is, want al ons ou terugspoel water eindig uiteindelik in die stormwaterpype en die omgewing. Hier by ons vloei die water sommer in die vleiland in. Gladnie ok nie. Selfs die soute van ‘n soutwaterbad is ewe nadelig. Dan is daar al die gesondheidsnadele van swem in ‘n chemiese sop.
STAP 1 – Skakel af
Op ‘n mooi dag was die tyd reg. Ek het my soutwater swembad se chlorinator afgeskakel. Die son sou oor die volgende 2 weke die laaste chloried uit die water laat verslaan. Pomp het steeds gewone tyd geloop. Die chloried verbleik die water, so natuurlik het dit nou na sy natuurlik bruin kleur begin terugkeer. Dink aan ‘n lieflike bergpoel – dis skoon maar bruin.
STAP 2 – Bamboeseiland
Nou het Pierre Depaepe van Riverside Aquatics vir my ‘n natuurlike bamboes-eiland gebou. (Jy kan ook een by hom bestel.) Dis beplant met semi-waterplante. Mettertyd sou hulle wortels tot op die bodem strek en die water filtreer. Die plante se wortels neem die nutriente uit die water op en dis die kos waarop hulle leef. So het my natuurlike ekosisteem begin. Nou loop jou pomp net helfte van die tyd, so jy bespaar ook krag.
STAP 3 – Vissies
Volgende het ons vissies bygevoeg – paradysvissies in my geval. Hulle voeg nutriente by die water, wat die eilandplante help groei. Hulle leef ook op alge, en so werk hulle saam om die swembad skoon te hou. Gedurende die somermaande kon ek nou my tuin besproei via die swembad se teruspoel water. Ek het ‘n dik swart pyp aan die pomp se uitlaatwater gekoppel, in die tuin neergelê, gate daarin gemaak en voila! Lekker voedsame water vir die tuin. So spaar ons water.
STAP 4 – Vleiland en Voedselkleursel
Na twee jaar het ons besluit om ‘n vleiland te bou, om nog beter te filtreer en ook om meer swemruimte te skep. (Meer hieroor in ‘n later storie.)
Baie mense vra of ons in die swembad swem. Glo my die is DIE grootste voordeel van my natuurlike poel. Die water is skoon, vars en vol energie. Ons oorleef letterlik die somermaande deur elke uur of wat in te spring. Ons vermei lugverkoelers, dus werk eerder in nat swemklere. Pierre het ook vir ons blou voedelkleursel gebring wat die water se refleksie verhoog en pragtig lyk. Boonop laat die water nou minder sonlig deur, wat beteken dat alge nie kan groei nie. Werk beslis soos ‘n bom.
STAP 5 – Geniet!
Wat ‘n wonderlike ervaring om iets nuuts te leer, met Moeder Natuur as onderwyser. Soos ‘n kind uit te sien na daaglikse veranderings en nuwe lewe in ‘n lewendige bergpoel omring deur my groeiende koswoud.
Met die waterbeperkings pomp ons heerlik water uit ons bron na die groente. Dra emmersvol na vrugte- en neutebome. Ons het hoop, want ons het water.
Kompetisie
En nou die uitslag van die kompetisie. Wie het die eiland gewen?
Soenet van Heerden het vir ons die mees omvattende lys van voordele verbonde aan ‘n drywende eiland gestuur. Baie geluk. Maak asb kontak sodat ons jou eiland kan stuur.
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Simple pool conversion via floating island
I’d known for years that my chemical pool was not cool at all. And pumping the salty or chlorine backwash water towards the wetland was not the way a responsible citizen should behave. I see my neighbours’ water flowing down the street and into the storm water drains.
Everything ends up in the environment, always. There is no away on this planet. I have written some stories in the past about the effects on the environment and on the human body. They will be linked below this one. Information is power. Something had to be done. So here’s my journey. Nothing is perfect; we experiment all the time.
This was 3 years ago and I have never looked back.
Off went my chlorinator. If you have a chlorine pool, simply stop your chlorine programme. Then I ran the pump as usual for 2 weeks, the sun evaporating the residual chlorine from the water. Maybe a chlorine pool takes longer – you should experiment. When you reckon the water is free of chemicals, you’re ready for the next step.
My friend Pierre from Riverside Aquatics constructed a bamboo floating island, propagated with semi-aquatic plants. In time the roots grew to the bottom of the pool – creating an excellent filtration system to absorb nutrients from the water. At this stage the pump ran only half the usual time, so we were saving energy.
Next we added paradise fish, for they add nutrients which feed the island and help the plants thrive. They also eat the algae and form part of the pool cleaning team. Now I connected my pool backwash pipe to a black pipe, made holes in it and laid it around the garden. So the garden is fed via nutritious water and nothing goes to waste anymore. Now we’re saving water.
After 2 years we decided last summer to dig a wetland beside the pool, eliminating the need for a floating island. (More about this stage of the journey in a later story.)
“Do you guys swim in there?” I am often asked. Of course we do! Would you rather swim in a chemical soup? This water is clean, fresh and energetic. Recently we have also added blue food colouring, which serves a dual purpose: making the water more reflective, which looks great, and cutting some sunlight out of the water, so preventing algae growth. Here is Ruben chilling after a long day posting green news.
Growing a natural pool is a journey, as it’s alive. Put on the mind of a child and be inquisitive. Nature will teach every day. New critters arrive, things change. What an honour to have a living water system at the centre of an evolving food forest. This has brought us so much joy. I hope you do the same.
In spite of water restrictions we pump this sacred water to our veggies. Carry bucketfulls to fruit and nut trees. We are unperturbed, we have water.
Build your own island, or order one, as well as the natural colourant, called DyoFix, from Riverside Aquatics by contacting Pierre at riverside@wol.co.za, or calling him on +27 21 852 7535 or 0721540717.
By Elma Pollard
Read more about our pool conversion journey from humble beginnings here:
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