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Consider a Natural Swimming Pool

Most of us have a good idea of what the average home swimming pool should be like: a square or maybe a puddle shape, green or blue tiles and thousands of gallons of chlorinated water. However, there are people whose idea of a swimming pool is more like the swimming holes of yore, filled with cattails and lily pads. And then there are the people who have combined nature with a controlled environment to produce "natural" swimming pools.

The idea behind the natural swimming pool (NSP) is using nature's own filtration system to keep the water clean of contaminants, pests and biological wastes, which encompass the dead skin that everyone has to a young child's 'accident'. The combination of plants with a pump that keeps the water moving through them results in a crystal clear body of water.

These pools, their designers claim, have a lower cost of maintenance than conventional pools, are safer for the body (chlorine has been implicated in a number of health problems, including asthma and skin conditions), and are not much more cost to put in than the standard. They also offer much more in the way of aesthetics, combining lush greenery with a healthy swimming experience.

One big difference is that while a chlorinated pool is "dead", natural swimming pools use biological organisms, aeration and water movement to inhibit the growth of unwanted biological organisms that can pose a threat to people. With chlorine and other sterilization procedures coming into question, the NSP may well be the pool of the future.

However, this does mean that it takes some time for the balance between naturally occurring organisms in the water, such as algae, and the filtrating plants to reach the point where the water becomes crystal clear. Once the plants have established themselves and the right water circulation level has been found, the pool will quickly settle into the clarity desired.

The look of a natural swimming pool is extremely flexible. Shape, size and layout all depend on individual preference and property layout. The plants also provide some measure of privacy around the pool area for smaller properties. A natural pool can even be indoors, with the swimming portion enclosed and the plant portion outside. Some people have opted to convert their standard swimming pool into a natural environment, and this can be done with some clever modifications for the plant habitat.

Natural pools blend with natural settings and lend modern settings a taste of the exotic. Also, the presence of a pool-aerating waterfall can provide a soothing backdrop to a relaxing afternoon by the water. For rustic houses and cabins, a natural swimming pool can solve the difficulty of having a swimming pool without creating a jarring note to the property composition.

Natural pools are beautiful, useful constructs that can take the average swimming pool into another dimension and solve some of the problems that plague users of conventional pools with their attendant chemicals. They are good for the environment and can add more in the way of value to your home.

For more information, Google "natural swimming pools" or head over to totalhabitat.com

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