Faq’s

• Do I need a planning permission to install an outdoor pool?
• Could you explain a little more about pH, chlorine and alkalinity?
• What are the different ways of heating a pool?
• What are polyester, Vinylester and composite?
• How are Compass Pools manufactured?
• What are the advantages of the Compass solar roller cover?

Do I need a planning permission to install an outdoor pool?

Oudoor Swimming Pools are covered by Class E
Such development is “permitted development” (i.e. no planning application is required)

You do not need planning permision for an outdoor pool when the pool is(1):

• No building, enclosure, pool or container forward of the principal elevation fronting a
  highway.
• Buildings to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and
  maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for
  any other roof.
• Maximum height 2.5 metres within two metres of a boundary.
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
• Maximum 50% coverage of land (i.e. garden) around the “original house”2 can be
  covered by additions or other buildings.

1 This guidance only relates to England.

The above regulations are current as of 07.10 it is important that you always check with your local planning office prior to the start of works.

For further information see http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/public/buildingwork/projects/workcommonoutbuildings/

Could you explain a little more about pH, chlorine and alkalinity?

Regardless of whether you have a fully-automatic or semiautomatic disinfection system for your pool, you still need to understand a number of basic concepts to be able to control the functioning of your system

pH values, chlorine, alkalinity:

pH values for your pool:

This term indicates the acidity level of your pool water. It should be between 7.2 and 7.4. If the pH deviates from these values, the effect of the disinfectant agent (chlorine) will be reduced and the swimming conditions will be less than ideal. If the pH level in your pool is too low, you need to add pH plus and if it is too high, pH minus.

Never add the required amount of products all at once; otherwise the level may swing the other way and will need to be corrected again.

Chlorine values for your pool:

Adding chlorine to your pool ensures that the water is properly disinfected. It has a permanent active effect against all kinds of bacteria (even when your filter system is not operating).

The (free) chlorine value should be between 1 and 3 ppm (parts per million).

A distinction should be made between: total chlorine, free chlorine and combined chlorine.

• Total chlorine: indicates the chlorine content of your pool water, but says nothing about its effect.
• The total chlorine value should be between 0.8 and 2.5.
• Free chlorine: is the most important element as this will do the disinfecting. The free chlorine value should be between 1 and 3.
• combined chlorine: is the inactive element and stops the free chlorine from working properly. The lower this value, the better for your water.
• A weekly backwash prevents too high a concentration of combined chlorine in your pool.

Alkalinity of your pool:

Alkalinity (TA value) is often confused with the pH .

The stability of the pH is partly determined by the alkalinity value. Both values have to be correct for your pool water to be disinfected properly.

The ideal TA value is between 100 and 150 ppm.

Once the TA value is correct, regular measurement is not necessary.

Problems with too high or too low alkalinity:

Too high:

• Difficult to adjust the pH
• Cloudy water
• Calcium deposits
• Chlorine does not work properly

Too low.

• PH fluctuates strongly
• Possible corrosion
• Possible discoloration of the water.

What are the different ways of heating a pool?

We distinguish between primary and secondary methods for heating the pool water.

A primary system ensures optimal comfort when heating the pool. The user programs the required temperature – typically between 22°C and 30°C – and, with an outside temperature of a least 15°C will have no trouble achieving the required temperature. The dependence on weather conditions such as sun, high air temperatures and other external factors is then extremely limited.

A secondary system raises the temperature without any guarantee that the pool water will actually reach the required temperature. These systems help save energy and are ideal in synergy with at least one primary heating system.

Primary heating systems:

High performance fuel oil boiler

The pool is heated by means of a heat exchanger. The pool water flows through a number of stainless steel or titanium tubes that come into indirect contact with a separate closed circuit starting at the central collector of the existing or newly installed fuel oil boiler.

Advantages:

• Rapid heating of the pool due to the high temperatures of the heating circuit.
• Always available, independent of weather influences, even at extremely low outside temperatures.
• Economic investment, certainly if the existing boiler is not too far from the pool system.
• Combines perfectly with alternative systems such as secondary systems.

Disadvantages:

• High running costs when used as the sole heating source.
• Not optimal ecologically.
• Cost of the fuel oil.

High performance gas boiler

The same working principle as with a fuel oil boiler

Advantages:

• The same advantages as the fuel oil boiler.
• The gas boiler occupies very little space.
• More ecological.

Disadvantages

• Reasonably high running costs when used as the sole heating source.
• If there is no gas supply, the connection costs can mount up.

Note:

• Propane and butane solutions offer the same advantages as a town gas connection. The running costs are 280% as high, so this solution is extremely expensive,

Air/water heat pump.

This heating option is currently becoming very popular for heating pools.

A heat pump is a higher-performance electric heating system. It absorbs heat from the air, water or soil and transfers it to the heating system.

This free natural energy is initially absorbed by the heat pump’s first heat exchanger (vaporiser). This contains a cooling agent (active liquid) that absorbs the heat from the energy source as it vaporises.

The compressor sucks in the vapour and compresses it. The compression raises the temperature of the liquid.

The second heat exchanger (condensor) transfers the heat to the (hydraulic circuit) of the heating. Finally, the expansion valve causes decompression, so the cycle can start all over again.

One noteworthy feature of heat pumps is that with a certain amount of energy, in the form of work, a larger amount of heat energy can be transferred than the amount of work carried out. They can therefore have a coefficient of performance (COP) higher than 100%. A COP of 5, for example, means that the heat pump is theoretically capable of producing 5kWh of heat for every kWh it takes from the grid. That corresponds with an output of 500%.

From a temperature as low as 15°C the output of the latest air/water heat pumps achieves a COP of 5.22 to 5.73. If you compare that figure with the theoretical maximum COP value of 1.09 for a modern gas boiler you get a better idea of why this system is growing in popularity. As the range of high-quality heat pumps for pool applications is widening, the investment is becoming much lower.

Advantages:

• Affordable system with a healthy ratio between investment and yield. Typical break-even < 4 years.
• Full-scale primary heating if the output capacity is +0.35 kWh per m³ pool water, for example, for +16 kWh for 50m³ pool water.
• Optimally ecological and suitable for achieving a passive model pool with photovoltaic panels.
• With a heat pump you can also heat your pool when the sun isn’t shining.
• With a heat pump you can also heat your pool water at night, benefitting from the cheaper night rate.
• Highly comfortable to use

Disadvantages:

• It is not possible to swim in the winter, as the output of a heat pump quickly drops when the environmental temperature is below 10°C.
• The range of qualities is enormous and difficult to explain to the layman.

What advice can we give you in the choice of heat pump?

• Always opt for a titanium heat exchanger. This material offers the best heat transfer, which is extremely efficient and important for heat pumps and it is also extremely highly resistant to chemicals in the pool environment.
• Ask for written confirmation of the COP values at 15° C reference temperature; the better air/water heat pumps already produce a COP of 5.2 or more.
• Also ask for a written guarantee for 5 years instead of the legally required 2 years.
• Beware of cheap makes, as the quality level is not good enough at the moment,.

Secondary heating systems:

• Calculation example for start-up air/water heat pump 4 to 12 kWh for heating 50 m³.
  These devices are capable of producing the same output as under point 3 above for additional heating of the pool. The disadvantage, however, is that you give up having the pool water at a constant temperature. The heat loss from the pool will not always be compensated for.The device will also be constantly working to achieve the required comfort temperature.
• Solar panels on the roof or in the garden.
  Solar panels work with a liquid in a closed circuit that capture the rays of the sun and stores them in the primary circuit to transfer via a heat exchanger to heat the pool water.

Advantages:

• Frost-free system due to added glycol in the primary circuit.
• Aesthetic designs.
• Relatively little area needed in comparison with other solar systems. 12 to 14m² to heat 50m³.
• Also works with diffused light, albeit with a lower output.

Disadvantages:

• Extremely expensive system and a long break-even time, at least 12 to 18 years, taking the investment into account.
• Expensive plate heat exchanger required to achieve any yield in spring and autumn.
• Despite the high investment, this remains a secondary system that only achieves its expected output under optimal conditions, on a 30° slope facing south.
• EPDM rubber or PE plastic sun mats.

Sun mats can be installed on either flat or sloping roofs as long as there is enough space. Manufacturers advise 67% of the pool area as mat area—from experience we suggest 100% as realistic and 150% as an optimal area.

The black flow-through mats directly receive the pool water and heat it with their warmed up plastic covering without any further loss in an extra heat exchanger. A simple measurement and regulation technique heats the pool water.

Advantages:

• Affordable heating system, simple technology, from €3,500 excl. VAT, installed and working pool, 4m x 8m.
• Aesthetic, due to invisible installation on a flat roof.
• Limited break-even time, 3 to 4 years, allowing for the investment.

Disadvantages:

• Unaesthetic when installed on a sloping roof.
• Sensitive to storm damage.
• Does not work with diffused light, only full sun.
• Effective functioning only 2 to 3 months at our latitude.
• Obstructs repair work to the roof.
• Does not allow the pool water temperature to be regulated.

What are polyester, Vinylester and composite?

Polyester

A polyester is a polymer that consists of a chain of ester compounds. Polyesters are formed by a polycondensation reaction between dicarbonic acid and a diol or by a polycondensation reaction between a large number of molecules and a dicarbonic acid and an alcohol group.

When, for example, a polyester is produced from glycol and terephthalic acid, that produces polyester polyethylene (PET). PET is used for making soft drink bottles and for clothes.

Polyester can be either a thermoplastic (melting under the influence of heat) or a thermosetting plastic (hardens under the influence of a chemical reaction),

Thermosetting polyester is a liquid mixture of unsaturated polyester and styrene. These two components can react under the influence of a hardening agent (a peroxide) to form a hard plastic.

Vinylester

Vinylester is a resin produced by the esterification of an epoxy resin with an unsaturated monocarbonic acid. The product of the reaction is then dissolved in a reactive solvent, such as styrene, up to a 35-40 percent content on a weight basis.

Vinylester can be used as an alternative for polyester in a matrix of composite materials. The properties and strength of Vinylester are superior to those of polyester. It is therefore frequently used in the marine industry, due to the better corrosive resistance and the ability to withstand water absorption better.

Fibre-reinforced plastics / Composite Material

The more generic term ‘composite material’ is generally used for fibre-reinforced plastics. The definition of a composite material is: A material composed of several clearly distinguishable materials where the properties of the composite material are better than those of each individual component.

Resins (such as epoxy, polyester, phenol and Vinylester) are used as a bonding material to make the filling materials (glass fibres, aramide fibres, carbon fibre, textile, pulverised stone) adhere to one another or to the core (with sandwich constructions, a honeycomb structure of, for example, aluminium, phenol foam, balsawood) or to make the rougher main material (PVC, polystyrene, quartz, stone) bond together.

Well-know applications are yachts, rowing boats and monoblock pools.

Copyright, This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_ester .

How are Compass pools manufactured?

Every Compass monoblock pool is manufactured according to the Australian patent PN 1690, the basis for the insurance policy. The pool undergoes various production phases in specially conditioned rooms where the temperature and atmospheric humidity are controlled.

A total of six glass fibre-reinforced layers of composite are laminated onto an open mould to produce a solid, chemically resistant basin.

In the first phase, the foundation is laid for the colourfastness, chemical resistance and scratch resistance.

1. An open mould	2. Finished Bi-luminite™ basis layer
3. Finished Bi-luminite™ basis layer	4. Applying the Bi-luminite™ colour layer
5. A series of glass-fibre-reinforced layers of Vinylester and composite layers are then applied to the basis to prevent ageing.
6. Applying glass-fibre-reinforced Vinylester protective layer	7. Applying Ceramic Composite protective layer
8. Finally, a hard shell is fitted to isolate the whole thingentirely from the ground and any groundwater.
9. Applying the glass fibre-reinforced outer structural layer	10. A finished pool, ready to be removed from the mould

What are the advantages of the Compass solar roller cover?

• Safety – a roller cover makes your pool safer for children and pets.
• Energy-saving – a solar roller cover is a highly effective insulation method. The water stays at the right temperature and, naturally, evaporates less quickly. That saves on not only energy costs, but also chemicals.
• Quick and easy – the roller cover is quick and easy to operate, either by hand or with the wireless remote control.
• Benefit from the heat of the sun – solar energy is absorbed by collectors that then transfer the heat to the pool water. As the strips cover the water, this creates a greenhouse effect, as it were. The result? Pleasantly warm water. These ecosystems are so effective that there is less need for additional heating.
• Cleaner water – with the covering system, there is less chance of leaves, twigs, sand and other dirt contaminating your pool water. The water remains far cleaner.
• Fewer problems with algae – a covered pool absorbs less light. And that prevents algae growth.