The good weather is coming and the desire for a swimming pool. There is only one take. The world is divided into who has a pool and who doesn’t. If you are one of the latter, know that in recent years there has been a proliferation of removable pools of 5,000 to 20,000 liters of water in which you can bathe and cool off without having to sacrifice the space of the plot for a worksite. Do you have problems for the garden? We will see it.
Building pool is not always possible
An integrated swimming pool is ideal but it is not always possible. A good part of the plot is sacrificed forever and requires slightly more expensive maintenance. Remember that at least you must have:
- Chlorine and algaecide pumping and dosing system
- filters
- Skimmer
- pool cleaner…
The main factor is space. If we have a small plot, almost all the space is unused. If it is large, it matters less, but the budget is high and depending on the use that is going to be made of it, the installation decision will be there.
Options: Removable basins.
I don’t know what you think of when you say removable pools. We will put two extremes as a parody to center the plan. We are halfway between one thing and another.
Those that are becoming more and more fashionable are those made of canvas of such volume that they already require a certain containment structure due to the lateral thrust of the water. We are talking about pools over 2,000 to 3,000 liters, reaching sizes of 25,000 or more. Examples of different sizes can be found on Ferrokey.eu. These pools are large enough to allow a very comfortable summer bath. For children they are a fabulous option and for adults they are more than enough. The forms are generally in the form of a bathtub, square or round, and can be adapted according to the model to the space available.
Can they affect the garden lawn?
When we talk about these swimming pools, we enter a somewhat particular terrain because they are removable, yes; but not. Once you have assembled and filled them, you leave them for the whole season. They have their own waste water pump (external) to maintain optimal water quality for swimming (mainly chlorine and algaecides). This situation raises the question of whether the lawn will suffer. The short answer is yes.
lester
Detachable pools usually have between 5,000 and 25,000 liters of water. This assumes the same quantity in kg in very few square meters. However, we are going to do a little walking calculation around the house. A swimming pool of these is usually one meter high or at most 1.20 meters. In a 20,000 liter pool, we assume that the area it occupies is approximately 20 square meters. If we think about it, we exert 1000 kg of force on 1m2 of garden.
Now let’s think about an adult person. Suppose for rounding off that he weighs 75 kg. The support surface is your feet which will not have more than 300cm2. This past per square meter is 0.03m2. With a simple rule of three, the force or pressure we exert standing on grass while walking on static far exceeds that of the pool per unit area. The result of this simple count is 2500kg/m2. That’s two and a half times more than the swimming pool.
All this without taking into account the fact that running, walking and jumping suppose an additional force than in static since it is necessary to add, in addition to the inevitable gravity, the tear when pulling and the additional force of our muscle when pressing.
Conclusion: The weight itself is not a problem.
Lack of light
In fact, what is going to be a problem is the lack of light. Between 2 and 4 months of total darkness in the area where the pool rests means many blades of grass will turn yellow and die. It is impossible for it to photosynthesize and oxygenate properly. and they are not pools that can be moved from place to place.
Can chlorinated pool water affect the lawn?
We haven’t said anything about whether the chlorinated water could damage or burn the lawn in the garden. He does not go. If chlorine levels are normal, the soil and grass will tolerate the chemical additives that are added to a swimming pool. Don’t worry at all about splashes, spills, leaks, etc. Chlorine concentrations are too low to affect crops, whether grasses or any other ornamental plant, including the most sensitive ones.
And can it be watered?
The chlorine gradually reacts and is lost in the pool solution. This is what we call residual chlorine. The same thing happens with water purification plants. The concentrations of chlorine that are added upstream are not those that reach our faucet at home. In this way, we could manage to irrigate with this water, when the chlorine levels are low.
The only precautions to take are small plants that have recently sprouted or are particularly sensitive.
In particular, the water quality parameters of a swimming pool in terms of pH, free chlorine, temperature, conductivity, hardness, etc. are perfectly compatible with irrigation. Free chlorine in a swimming pool is around 2 or 2.5 ppm (mg/l) maximum. A sensitive plant can withstand concentrations of 30 ppm, well above the values of swimming pools.
Warning: If the treatment of your swimming pool is based on salt water at a rate of 5-6g/l then this water is not at all suitable for irrigation. Here, you will have to be careful.
What species of grass can best support large above ground pools?
Considering all of the above, the only variable to consider is weight and lack of light due to being covered for several weeks. We will not be able to solve the lack of light, but we can lighten the variable weight with essences resistant to trampling. There are species like Ray grass (perennial lolium) or the Cynodon dactylon with even more resistance due to the hardness of its leaves. Finally, we cannot forget the Festuca arundinacea, the most versatile in terms of climate and resistance to trampling.
Never rule out artificial grass
However, if we know that removable pools for the summer are going to be a constant every year, artificial grass can be one of the cheapest solutions in the long term and with fewer problems. He will not suffer from the weight, the lack of light does not affect him, nor from the steps. It’s true that we removed this natural aspect from the grass, but we can always envisage a precise zone where the swimming pool will go. The current qualities of artificial turf are truly amazing in recent years.