Thread: A swimming pool in Thailand – so easy

Do not listen to village experts when they advise you to make the following arrangement for filtering the fresh pumped out water:



This has no meaning

The small tank sitting on top of the two larger tanks is filled in with sand that should filter out the iron (saanim) and let the water fall in both storage tanks. The sand will be fully plugged by the fine rust within 2 - 3 weeks and water will go over the edge.

You will see it everywhere and nobody is bothering that the sand is no longer penetrable, they will do it again at any new house (because everybody does it so).

So if you already have it made so, take the upper small tank down, it has no meaning, sometimes trees are growing there. Better fill up the water in one tank only and let it settle there. In the meantime make use of the already cleared water from the other tank for few days. And once it has almost empty, use again the other tank and this will be filled up. And vice versa.

Is this sth local there? I have never seen such system where I stay in Suratthani. Most use water cistern collecting rainwater for drinking water and the water delivered from the public water supply for bathing and washing.

This is the usual system in villages of North when they use drilled well with strong iron content.

If somebody has the possibility to make a settlement tank (2 - 4 m3) in a height. Then after the settling (2 - 3 days) let the water go to another storage tank through a layer of sand.

From the storage tank ( 2 - 4 m3) the clear water is taken for the house use.

Should a rain water be made a use of: never let it go direct into the clean storage tank. The rain water - how it comes from the gutter (laan nam fon) is always very dirty, not only by a dust from road but from the green vegetation, the fallen leaves turn in black dust/dirt.

Better to arrange another separate tank(s), leave there the water to settle, later by a small pump to bring it as an addition to the clean water storage.

After the season you will see (and not believe) what a black dirt (10cm thick) will lay at the bottom of the rain water tank. A good draining pipe 2" with a valve should be at the bottom for the seasonal cleaning

All these arrangement needs a daily check/care/changeover (nothing that can be expected from the lovely one - I am afraid).

Somebody could make it as continuous system - the settlement tank filled up by the pump controlled by a level switch once the water sinks few cm down. And the lower storage tank be kept full by a ball valve with a swimmer.

I had had is so for few years. The continuous addition (even if with a small amount) of the fresh ironized water to the settlement tank will contaminate the already settled water. Even if the outlet is on the other side of the tank and there is a separation wall (with a fine penetration) in-between. The result of a shitty rust of all my 5 sand stages after some time is awful (shown in this thread few pages above).

Now, when I leave the settling without any disturbance for 2 - 3 days, afterwards I will get fully clean water and the sand cascade stays clean.

The treated rusty water is good enough also for our koi fish:

Who likes to swim in the iced water under 26 deg?

A plastic gardening sheet (they call it here "slam") floating on the water surface, making use of the days with very bright sunshine in the North in order to rise up a bit the water temperature and insulating the surface during the cold nights:



For the daily swimming it is easy to shift the sheet aside. And after the last lap to pull it back into the pool again.


The black wall behind the pool is also a Hi-Tech invention for rising the water temperature. After April it is needed again for cooling the very warm water (over 33) during nights when the air temperature drops under 30.

The black ceramic tiles at the one side are dry (wet) laid on the overflow edge, also for catching the sunshine. During sommer days the permanent fixed light color tiles are more appreciated.

Hi Klondyke ,

thanks and interesting thread . looking at the early and late pic's it looks like different pool tiles and the pool is raised higher above the sand washed path ?

There are 3 sides risen by some 20cm over the water level. In fact, the concrete path is again a bit lower, approx. in the level of the water.

It is quite important to have the sides risen above the concrete path. Otherwise there are always plenty of creatures crossing the path, coming over from the green area, very keen to jump into the pool. Surprisly, after a night rain manytimes I find a black scorpion laying desperately drowned on the bottom of the pool, never see them during day somewhere else and alive.

The top of the risen edge (and of the overflow edge on one side too) is made by 40cm ceramic tiles that are good for walking on when cleaning, sucking around.

Only one side with overflow is quite enough for the comfortable wellenless swimming without water in the nose and for cleaning the water surface when the pump is running.

Originally Posted by Klondyke

There are 3 sides risen by some 20cm over the water level. In fact, the concrete path is again a bit lower, approx. in the level of the water.

It is quite important to have the sides risen above the concrete path. Otherwise there are always plenty of creatures crossing the path, coming over from the green area, very keen to jump into the pool. Surprisly, after a night rain manytimes I find a black scorpion laying desperately drowned on the bottom of the pool, never see them during day somewhere else and alive.

The top of the risen edge (and of the overflow edge on one side too) is made by 40cm ceramic tiles that are good for walking on when cleaning, sucking around.

Only one side with overflow is quite enough for the comfortable wellenless swimming without water in the nose and for cleaning the water surface when the pump is running.

Thanks for the explanation and understand but it just looks like the pool has been retiled and the edges raised from looking at the early pics . But thanks again as it was an interesting thread.

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

Thanks for the explanation and understand but it just looks like the pool has been retiled and the edges raised from looking at the early pics . But thanks again as it was an interesting thread.

O yes, you are right. Originally I had the walls made by single cinder blocks 40x20x7, similarly as most of the Thai fence walls are, only 2 lowest layer made double. Then the tiles on it, all by normal cheapest cement enhanced by some "liquid glass" (nam yaa) for the improvement of waterproof. In few layers is a steel wire laid underneath.

This had functioned quite OK, only later the overflow channel had been loosing water because of cracks in the channel. The channel construction was connected with concrete walkway its foundation had not been properly compacted underneath, therefore permanently had been sinking and damaging also the channel.

So after 4 years I had decided to break all the walkways around, compact them and make them more robust and thick, hence the higher pool walls. And the channel newly implemented. When doing this I had added 2 outlets at the pool bottom (originally I did not have any). The bottom outlets (inlets to the filter) are good not only for a better sucking the fine dust hanging at the depth of pool but they enable to run the filtering when not enough water level for overflow channel.

Therefore I had added 10 cm concrete at the pool bottom (in order to embed the outlet pipes) - I could afford rise the bottom since the walls got some 20 cm higher - retaining the original pool depth. And when doing all this I had added another cinder blocks to the existing wall tiles, glued in by concrete mortar (with nam yaa), the block layers strengthened again by 3mm steel wire underneath. And afterwards clad by new larger tiles.

A remark to "cinder" blocks: (learning after years they are called "cinder"?)

This building material 40x20x7cm with some hollowness inside - very common up-country - is sometimes looked down on, often it can be read here. It is made in nearly every village by quite simple procedure, with quite a poor cement mixture. Affordable to villagers (and me too) for 3.50 few years ago, now some 4.50 - 5 Baht.

Yes, the block itself is not very sturdy. However, once a wall is built, it represents a very sturdy unit. I have seen many walls collapsed in the whole length because of insufficient foundation or other cause, never just a part of it. Of course you can break a hole in it by a large hammer, in what kind of wall you cannot?

An example I have taken photo today on my property where the simple "cinder block" wall - more than 20 years on the rain - has been slowly leaning (like a Pisa tower) because of the rising push by the fast growing roots of large Chamchaa tree under the foundation. The leaning can be recognized during last months in its some 20m length. I think that in my remaining years I will not see the wall collapsed completely.

So, when such wall is made doubled with some cement mortar poured in between, and with some tiny steel wires horizontally laid in, such construction is good enough for the houses here in Thailand without need of erecting first the pillars (Thai sau, no house without a sau). Also good enough for swimming pools.

As my experience is, as long i am not in the main locations like Bangkok, Pattaya or similar, we will not be able to ensure the quality of the construction, material, building, tiling, piping, and el. installations.
For me the only proper solution for a long lasting, hassel free swimming pool outside of the main cities like Bangkok, Pattaya or similar are fiber pools.
Available in different sizes shapes and colors they are commig pre-fittet, pre-tested include all el. equipments, controls, pumps and filters. The construction is done within just a view days and they will never leak or never need to retile. As well they are much more easy to clean.
For me really best solution for a proper swimming pool.

Originally Posted by Peter Dee

As my experience is, as long i am not in the main locations like Bangkok, Pattaya or similar, we will not be able to ensure

Originally Posted by Peter Dee

fiber pools. Available in different sizes shapes and colors they are commig pre-fittet, pre-tested include all el. equipments, controls, pumps and filters. The construction is done within just a view days

Peter, the meaning of the thread is that the pool building can be not only easy but also affordable.

What you are describing is about something very different. The difference is some 10 - 15 times bigger/smaller obolus.

The question is: do you think that the swimming (and the daily care) is 10 - 15 times more enjoyable? (apart from the impression for the neighbours).

Oder thread, I know, but still relevant and interesting read.

The focus is on the unique pool design but also a nice cameo of a building reno.

Well done Klondyke.

Is/are there any updates?

A house I'm looking at buying has a salt water pool. Looks quite nice. Foked if I know how it works or how I'm supposed to maintain it. Better ask on a real forum to get info.

Could just drain it, then cover it to main an underground lair of evil Lulu-ness.

Originally Posted by David48atTD

.

Well done Klondyke.

Is/are there any updates?

The pool looks today same as before - more or less.

Originally Posted by Luigi

A house I'm looking at buying has a salt water pool. Looks quite nice. Foked if I know how it works or how I'm supposed to maintain it. Better ask on a real forum to get info.

Could just drain it, then cover it to main an underground lair of evil Lulu-ness.

I recommend you to forget all the salty wishie washie, just normal water filtering 4 - 8 hours daily divided in 2 - 3 portions (now I run early morning, late evening and night - not to warm up the water by sunshine but cool it down when air is cooler).

Then, the biggest headache is the algae fighting. A ladle of Copper Sulphate once a week dissolved in the pool water makes the trick.

And to be assured about the bacteria growing, twice a week a spoon of chlorine, same dissolving.

And often backwashing of the filter. All the other (by the shops) well advised chemicals have a negligible influence on the water clarity but on your money...

Drained, covered, and transformed into an underground Lulu-Lair it is then.


Cheers though.