Trending: Natural Pools—renewed interest and growth

Natural Pools have been around in Europe since the early 1980s.  However, they didn’t take hold in the US until about 20 years ago.  In recent years the US has seen a spike in demand for ‘natural’ pools as consumers continue to want to use the most eco-friendly products in their homes. Whether in eco-friendly home cleaning supplies or pesticide-free gardening products, consumers want to eliminate or reduce the amount of chemicals used in their swimming pool water.  Improvements in design and materials have helped propel a spike in the demand for natural pools. With recent articles on HGTV, the Wall Street Journal and multiple design and landscape publications, it’s clear that natural pools are becoming more mainstream. Capitalizing on this surge in demand, RENOLIT, is supplying pool builders with both a non-toxic PVC pool membrane interior for these natural pools as well as their traditional weld-in-place PVC membrane interiors. RENOLIT’s proven PVC membrane interiors are helping builders and landscape designers easily offer this trending ‘natural swimming pool’ to environmentally conscious consumers.

What is a Natural Swimming Pool

A Natural Swimming Pool (NSP) is a constructed body of water that replicates the conditions found in naturally occurring ponds or lakes and optimizes these conditions to high water quality for bathers. The system is completely chlorine-free, with no devices that disinfect or sterilize the water (e.g., UV, ozone, ionizers, etc.) There are two methods to create natural swimming pools and both methods result in naturally purified water by nurturing the growth of microbes and organisms that remove nutrients from the water.  The first (and simpler method) uses a biofilm filter to remove bacteria from the pool water.  The second method involves the creation of a ‘regeneration zone’ in which the water is cleaned and clarified with the controlled and directed flow of water through biological filters of aquatic plants that create an environment for beneficial bacteria, zooplankton and phytoplankton to extract these nutrients. While this second method was the original system used to create a natural swimming pool, the creation of new biofilm filters accomplishes the same chemical-free pool water with less space requirements.  With either system, these natural swimming pools provide consumers with a more sustainable, eco-friendly swimming pool option. 

Part of today’s increased demand for NSPs comes from the fact RENOLIT is now supplying builders and landscapers with a complete catalogue of PVC membranes in North America. RENOLIT has been manufacturing its PVC membrane in Europe for decades where it has proven to be the ideal interior finish for natural pools because it is non-porous and is fast and easy to custom install on-site. RENOLIT even manufactures a PVC membrane without biocides or fungicides to be completely compatible with plants and aquatic life.  

Pool professionals getting started with offering natural swimming pools gravitate toward installing the simpler biofilm filter.  By installing a biofilm filtration system combined with any of the dozens of PVC pool interior membranes offered by RENOLIT, builders and landscapers can offer clients the look and feel of a contemporary swimming pool with a chlorine-free bathing experience.

Design and Construction

While in the past the trend was to build natural swimming pools that resembled ponds and lakes in freeform shapes, today’s natural swimming pools mirror the demand for rectangular-shaped, modern pools with steps, tanning ledges and similar features.  In fact, builders can keep the same pool designs clients want but make the pool a chlorine-free pool by simply installing a biofilm filtration system. The pool will then operate with its own dedicated, programable, energy efficient variable speed pump and will operate 24/7. The NSP circulation design is focused on the removal of surface water into the biological filter.  This “open atmosphere” filter provides an efficient and smooth operation. In fact, the operational cost of these biofilm filters is generally 1/3 the cost of typical pool systems and since surface water removal is the focus, installation of bottom drains is rare. The biofilm filtration area requires roughly 1/10 of the area of the size of pool and can be easily integrated into the landscape design, thus hiding its filtration purpose.

When consumers are interested in the larger ‘regeneration zone’ for filtration, then an added retention area adjacent to the pool will act as a filtration vessel that includes decorative plants and other plant species.  In fact, many clients enjoy the tranquility and landscaping around the pool as a bonus with the regeneration filtration zone.

The Pool Interior

In order to have the most successful natural swimming pool, the pool interior needs to be non-porous which makes a PVC membrane the ideal pool interior.  Plaster and gunite are porous and allow too much biofilm growth, making it difficult to keep the pool clean.

Additionally, PVC membranes are easy to maintain and very durable, lasting well over 10 years with proper care. The fast installation of a reinforced PVC membrane and the lack of any special equipment needed, together with the savings of operating a chlorine-free natural pool system provide significant long-term savings in installation, maintenance, and operational costs of the pool. 

While PVC is a synthetic material, advancements in manufacturing have reduced the product’s environmental impact. When used in natural pools, PVC membranes contribute to water conservation and reduced chemical use compared to conventional pools.  Natural swimming pools built with reinforced PVC membranes combine the best of both worlds—natural filtration with modern material durability. They provide an attractive and sustainable alternative to traditional pools, meeting both aesthetic and environmental considerations in landscape design and architecture.

Offering Natural Swimming Pools

Like any new up-and-coming trend, pool professionals need to be aware and be able to promote and sell a natural swimming pool to a prospective client.  For clients asking for a chlorine-free swimming pool, builders need to be able to offer this option and not turn away a sale. With the current uptick in demand for renovations of existing pools that are now 10+ years old, being able to promote and offer a chlorine-free, natural swimming pool will help pool professionals distinguish themselves from their competition and command a premium price.  As pool builders begin to transition from new pool construction to renovation, installing new weld-in-place PVC membrane pool interiors, new decking treatments, and natural swimming pool filtration systems are all ways to maintain higher profit margins and develop new relationships with landscape architects.  Natural swimming pools are increasing in popularity as consumers demand more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives.  Advancements in bio filtration and PVC membranes are making these natural swimming pools more accessible and efficient. Don’t wait. Start offering natural swimming pools and join the global movement.  More information:  https://renolit-alkorplan.com/collections/natural-pool