I can't get enough of these videos on the construction of natural swimming ponds. I'm a landscaper and irrigation tech and I started my own landscaping business and while I enjoy building patios, retention walls, fire pits and ect. I really want to build natural swimming ponds with waterfalls and just all the eye candy and transform people's yards with amazing works of art. Moving to Arizona soon where pools are a necessity and I haven't seen many of any natural swimming ponds or companies that build them so I think my business idea will thrive there
Dear Joey, we absolutely agree with you! - And natural swimming pools bring so much more quality into your life! We wish you all the best with your new business! Best regards from Austria, Ines von Teichswimmer
I was asked to review this methodology. It appears to be a gravel filter. This pond has done well for five years. Every gravel filter I've seen clogs after 8 to 12 years. That causes anaerobic zones which harbor pathogens. Rebuilding the filter that often can get expensive. On the other hand this is typical of the diy or kit type ponds that are offered. The plastic liners last longer. It is usually 20-25 years before they have to be replaced. Thus if your goals are short term on the order of 10-12 years , this is fine. Rebuilding after 20ish years costs more than the original pool.
Thank you for your review! - I would like to invite you to watch more than this one video - I would specially recommend the interviews with the Teichdoctor who "invented" this system. (He would prefer me say: "he found out how nature works"). Our swimmteich gets into its 8th year and we are still happy. The oldest one of this kind that we have seen (it's actually the first one the Teich-Doctor built) is now 18 years old. Still works absolutely well. Clear water. Nothing had to be done except for the yearly cleaning (rinsing and sucking out the detritus). We have a video about this first one ever built on our German-speaking channel and will publish it here as well this year (haven't translated it yet). And don't forget: The system is based on nutrient-poor water. So there is not much that can cause anaerobic zones. And as you know - there are miriads of microorganisms in the water - They "clean" the water. And I have to diappoint you about the kit type pond....... - Every single swimmteich is a unique project. We do not sell any kit and there is no kit that could be sold to build a swimmteich. - Because everything varies. The depth, the size, the shape......... And when you want to build a swimmteich, you have to deal with the soil that you have. - And you have to understand how and why the system works. So how could you sell a kit?? Concerning the liner - When building a swimmteich it is your decision what kind of liner you use. You can use EPDM (that kind of lasts forever), in Europe, for aestetic reasons it is popular to use PVC or TPO liner in light colours. But you are absolutely right: The life of such a liner ends at some point. Procucers in Europe say that a PVC-liner lasts 25-30 years, TPO should even last longer because of the lack of plasticizers. Anyway, be welcome to subscribe to our channel and find out how many years our swimmteich will enrich our lives! Best regards from Austria, Ines
@@teichswimmer6746 Yes it does make sense since you mention you have to clean this out every year. That can be a huge amount of work I'd never subject my clients to. It may be acceptable for a very small pond. when the owners is on a tight budget and not paying for labor. With respect to EPDM, we get many calls from people who are replacing those liners after 20ish years.
@@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists The yearly cleaning is 2h on 3 following days. I think you have not watched some more of our videos because they would make you know better. But anyway, please tell me how you seal your ponds if not with liner? And look, a swimmteich is one way to build a natural pool. And it is the most sustainable way to build a natural pool because you do not use concrete or similar stuff, you don't use chemical stuff, you don't need any technical units. And it does not need any power for functioning and it needs very little maintenance. It is a great alternative to a chlorine swimming pool. It does not want to be a lake (because you always point out the size). And you do not have to build one. Everybody can choose, right?
@@teichswimmer6746 We seal our lakes and ponds with clay. It lasts for many thousands of years and through the science of sediment chemistry, it removes the nutrients from the pond with no need for cleaning.
@@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists Clay, of course, is the best for sealing - no doubt. We know one project that's entirely made with clay, but it took the owner some years until it was completely sealed. And you always deal with plants. - The guy we know even had rats one season..... But we entirely agree, clay is the most natural you can get.....
Thank you for your video in English!! You speak it very well. Bought your book 3 weeks ago, it was very informative. Building our Swimmteich this next spring, in about 6 months. Also, love your channel, hope you can provide English subtitles for all the wonderful interviews you and Christian have created on your channel (the youtube translator is horrible!! LOL). My wife and I are sooo thankful for all you have done. Thank you for being brave, and for shining such a wonderful light on the Trichdoctor!! We have one quick question, if you have the time: what do you think about having a "olympic pool" style of Swimmteich ?? That is to have the deep end in the very middle of two shallow ends... Any special considerations you can think of that we should implement? Love you both!! Christian and Lacey
Hi Lacey, hi Christian, thanks a lot for that wonderful feed-back! We are happy that you like our book and hope that it can help you build your swimmteich! Where are you located by the way? Referring to the olympic-style pool....... Christian and I have talked about it and thought about it and we think: The system (if you stick to it) will work, we have no doubt. As long as you have the regeneration zone all the way from one end to the other. - But what you should think about is this: The maintainance might become more difficult. When you use the brush as a broom you have to do that from two sides then (it's not only one direction). But that shouldn't be a big problem. But the suction could be a little harder because you can only access the deep zone from two sides instead of three. How about the width, what are your plans? When you plan the size of your swimmteich, always keep in mind that every spot on the bottom of the swimmteich should be reachable from the outer edge with a telescopic brailer/landing net. Hoping to hear of your further steps, ines von Teichschwimmer
@@teichswimmer6746 Lacey and I recently moved to the southern tip of Indiana, USA. We are a few miles north of the Ohio River. It is hot, hot HOT in the summer, so that is what started our journey for a pool. Thank you for your insights on the Olympic style and how it could impact cleaning. Right now, we aren't decided on a shape, or a type of liner, or even a "category" of swimmteich. We are deep in research mode, and gathering all the possibilities before we make a decision. We bought 5 books along with yours, and are watching all the videos we can find! We like the idea of some plants as shown in "category" 1 or 2 swimmteichs , but we adore the complete simplicity and low maintenance of your "category 0" method. Though undecided on details, we are committed to making it happen. In preparation of the land, we just had our overhead power lines to the house placed in-ground, out of the way of our future pond. We also just had a survey of our land/plot, to make sure our borders were legally accurate. To help us visualize the layout possibilities, I am learning Sketchup (is that what you used?), and am drafting up a couple of designs. Though undecided, on many things, we are leaning heavily towards the Category Zero method you used, the teichdoktor method. As for liners, we cannot find anyone nearby who can weld PVC, and I am not confident I want to risk doing that part myself. As you state in your book it is critical to be done properly. We may go with EPDM, which I am more confident to seal myself. But it's black. Yuck!! So our latest thought is now to explore building our own, custom fiberglass liner right over top of our dig. Thoughts? Thanks again so much for what you have done, and for sharing your results and the Teichdoktor's method with the world. Best, Christian and Lacey
Hi Lacey and Christian, I perfectly understand that it is difficult to decide for one or another method to build your pool. Yes, Christian did the drafts with Sketchup...... good thing to visualize..... concerning the liner, we stick to our opinion that it should be done rather by professionals. - But here we also maybe have a helpful hint: In your region, are there any flat roofs that are covered with liner? In Europe in the last years, many people go for a liner instead of roof tiles for their roof. - The welding of this roof-liner is exactely the same as welding liner for natural pools. - maybe you want to check it out..... Pls keep us updated on your progress, ines und christian
@@teichswimmer6746 Oh, that's brilliant to suggest I could try to find a roof liner to weld for us, I will look into that, too. Many ,many thanks for the tip!
Would love to build a schwimmteich on my property in Colombia, could you advise me on what to do if the soil is really wet and has a lot of natural springs close by and just below the surface, there is a stream of water very close by aswell. Maybe posible to integrate the water spring and creek to the schwimmteich?
Dear Mark, thanks for your interest in a swimmteich! Hmmm, wet soil...... springs..... what a challenge! I could imagine that digging wouldn't be easy. But for us that's hard to say if it is possible to dig certain forms and the needed depth if the soil is really wet. But what we advise for this issue: Ask a local excavation company what their experiences are..... The stream of water should not be a problem as long as it is not right next to the swimmteich. The question if you could/should integrate it into a swimmteich is something we can also not answer with certainty. In general, I would think that it can only be an advantage to have fresh water constantly running through the water body in your garden. On the other hand, the Teichdoctor-system is based on still water that finds its balance in natural water circulation. Our experience is that whenever people install water falls or little creeks run by pumps, they have a problem with string algae because of the additional oxygen brought into the water by that moved water. So I would definetly expect that to happen where the creek runs through your swimmteich. Another issue is: How could you install a ring drainage around the swimmteich if a creek is running through it. So that would probably be the biggest/an impossible challenge. But without ring drainage you do not have the guarantee that no surface-waters flood your swimmteich. - And then you would probably not have clear water. Another disadvantage (for us, at least) would be that the water in your swimmteich never gets warm! So these are our thoughts on it, best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Hi Tyler, we used a FPO-liner, color patina green Ral 6000. We recommend for PVC a thickness of 1,5mm (millimeter), with the FPO we took 1,3 mm because FPO is more difficult to work with, it's not vey elastic..... Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Hello Kai, a liner should last about 30 years. But actually we do not know anybody who has his/her swimmteich that long because the system was invented only 17 years ago. - We have seen some natural pools that are around 20 years old. They do not have problems with their liners at all. Leaking occurs (if it happens) only in the beginning when the thermal welders leave and you fill your natural pool with water. If the water level sinks, then you know that the thermal welders have probably missed a leak. (After they finish their work they check all the seams and close/weld the leaks they may find). That sometimes happens. Once the pool is full of water, you usually do not have risks any more. - But of course we know a few cases when the liner was punctured. E.g. Chris tried to get rid of some wrinkles of his liner in a corner and kicked the liner with his shoe. (The swimmteich had not been filled yet) - and the liner was damaged. So the welders had to come back to fix that hole. We know of one family that added a jump stone after filling their swimmteich. That jump stone was inserted by an excavator because it was really big. They did not use a gravel bag as foundation and somehow that big rock damaged the liner when it was placed. During those 7 years that we have our own swimmteich, it happened once that two of the stepping stones (which are quite big and heavy) fell down to the ground (Our teenage children had a party). It did not affect the liner at all...... So no worries about the liner! - Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Thanks for that question that we get quite often: No, I am sorry that would not work! The minimum depth you need in the deep zone is 9-10 feet. We know one swimmteich that could not be dug deeper than 8 feet, because of the ground water level. And that still works, but we would not recommend it. Best regards, Ines von teichswimmer
Hi and thanks for your questions. The smallest we have seen is this one : th-cam.com/video/9_vQbWFvwR8/w-d-xo.html And we have seen another one that has been built by the owners in South Tyrol in Italy. They have built in spring this year having our book and the videos. We were allowed to visit and interview them, but unfortunately I haven't translated the video yet. But you can see the size on the video: th-cam.com/video/fFpCcet2kHA/w-d-xo.html Yes, of course it is complicated if the water table is higher than the deepest spot of the swimmteich. But there are solutions and we have already seen one that kept digging to the depth of 3,5m and it worked. And we have seen others that stopped at the water table level and that is their deepest spot. But this should be at least 2,5 - 2,8 meters deep. Otherwise it is risky that the system works. Hope I could give you the information you wanted, best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Dear Lucas, thank you! We did not fix the stepping stones at all. - As we have those gravel bags beneath them they cannot harm the liner. - And as we recommend , we used stones that are heavy enough so that they do not move easily. - And we do not want to fix them because then we could not turn them over when they get slippery..... In six years there was one person (a friend of one of our daughters) who managed to kick 2 stepping stones loose so that they fell into the depths. - And we don't know how he achieved that!!😁 We did fix our steps, though. - Now we have the "problem" that we cannot turn them over so we cleaned them with an iron brush this year (first time) and that was fine. But if we built again, we would not fix our steps either. The gravel bags hold them in place very well....! Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Dear Tonia, I am so sorry, but I don't quite understand your question.... - I don't think that I am saying that I have to clean it (what?) all the time....Please clarify for me.... thanks, Ines von Teichswimmer
I have a robot in my pool that goes back-and-forth and cleans it cleans the green mold growing on the bottom and I still have to scrub the steps every once in a while and I have to add chemical in their chlorine it’s a pain in the butt but I keep it up in my pool is huge
Hi Loraine, sorry for the late answer! We get that question frequently: I can assure: We do not have more mosquitos than we had before. The reason is: We have newts and birds and other life in and around the swimmteich who feed on mosquitos and their larvae. That obviously keeps a perfect balance! Best, Ines von Teichswimmer
Good morning, we are actually really keen on finding out! - We know of a swimmteich in Costa Rica and we know of a project in India. So we can tell you in a few years if it really works. But we think it will because the pool inn Costa Rica exists for almost a year now and they do not have problems.... We recommend to pay even more attention to the depth of the deep zone if you live in a region where it's hot and humid or hot and very dry...... The bigger the cool water body on the ground the more stable the water quality will be..... Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
This is great. i am interested that you just used bare soil..others i have seen require block and concrete to support the sides of the pool to stop them collapsing. Was this because of the type of soil you have or do you think that this method applies to any soil type? I am thinking of buying the book. if the answer is in there just let me know
Hello C, the method to avoid concrete does not work with any type of soil. If the excavation operator can dig without the soil breaking in constantly it works. So that means, it will work with most soil, but will not work the simple way if you have sandy or ballast (gravel) soil. I hope that answers your question - but of course we also deal with that topic in our book. - It's on page 55, "Condition of soil".........;) Best regards, ines
it's a natural pool without technical or chemical support and without any plants that is constructed according to the "Teich-doctor"-method. That is a new system of building a natural pool, very sustainable and not expensive, that has not exsisted so far. Instead of saying this long sentence all the time we have started to call a pool constructed this way a SWIMM-TEICH. which is more or less the German/Austrian word for swim pond. Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Dear Evan, thanks for your question. Due to the method of building we are keeping the amount of nutrients at the minimum. If there are no nutrients there is nothing to feed the algae...... To understand that system better we invite you to watch the videos with the Teichdoctor - he kind of invented that method by using his experience as a sewage attendent..... but see yourself: th-cam.com/video/tCNNhOeWJXs/w-d-xo.html Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
There is enough life in the water that feeds on mosquito larvae - that is why there is no problem with mosquitos. And, as there are no plants, mosquitos do not really like our natural pool...... I can assure that we do not have more mosquitos than before installing our swimmteich.
Dear Katherine, thank you for your feed-back - yes, I bet that this is interesting for you! - My sister is biologist, too, and she ldid not believe it in the beginning!! Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
hahaha, I think you heard a bee that has come to drink from our swimmteich! There are no mosquitos during the day and definitely not more than before we had our swimmteich......
Ok that comment on how low cost the pool is to build is a loaded comment… you say it’s cheap because you only have to pay for materials and labor… ! Materials and labor can go anywhere… the skys the limit! It could be a hundred thousand dollars or three thousand…So very unclear! Also you never mentioned exactly what the materials are that we’re used… If pvc liner then your pool will cause cancer in swimmers…along with many other bad liner choices. Please advise
Thanks for your questions! - In fact, we have a video already about the detailed costs. But so far, we have only done it in German ( th-cam.com/video/0iuLxpxBGlI/w-d-xo.html ). Of course we will eventually upload an English one about the costs in detail. Pls be a little patient..... For now, I can only reassure you that we personally have not used PVC-liner, but TPO-liner that does not contain plasticizers. - If you watch more of our videos, I am sure you will get more anwers to your questions! Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
I can't get enough of these videos on the construction of natural swimming ponds. I'm a landscaper and irrigation tech and I started my own landscaping business and while I enjoy building patios, retention walls, fire pits and ect. I really want to build natural swimming ponds with waterfalls and just all the eye candy and transform people's yards with amazing works of art. Moving to Arizona soon where pools are a necessity and I haven't seen many of any natural swimming ponds or companies that build them so I think my business idea will thrive there
Dear Joey,
we absolutely agree with you! - And natural swimming pools bring so much more quality into your life!
We wish you all the best with your new business!
Best regards from Austria,
Ines von Teichswimmer
I’m in Arizona. You can start in my backyard to build your portfolio 😁
I was asked to review this methodology. It appears to be a gravel filter. This pond has done well for five years. Every gravel filter I've seen clogs after 8 to 12 years. That causes anaerobic zones which harbor pathogens. Rebuilding the filter that often can get expensive. On the other hand this is typical of the diy or kit type ponds that are offered. The plastic liners last longer. It is usually 20-25 years before they have to be replaced. Thus if your goals are short term on the order of 10-12 years , this is fine. Rebuilding after 20ish years costs more than the original pool.
Thank you for your review! - I would like to invite you to watch more than this one video - I would specially recommend the interviews with the Teichdoctor who "invented" this system. (He would prefer me say: "he found out how nature works").
Our swimmteich gets into its 8th year and we are still happy. The oldest one of this kind that we have seen (it's actually the first one the Teich-Doctor built) is now 18 years old. Still works absolutely well. Clear water. Nothing had to be done except for the yearly cleaning (rinsing and sucking out the detritus). We have a video about this first one ever built on our German-speaking channel and will publish it here as well this year (haven't translated it yet).
And don't forget: The system is based on nutrient-poor water. So there is not much that can cause anaerobic zones. And as you know - there are miriads of microorganisms in the water - They "clean" the water.
And I have to diappoint you about the kit type pond....... - Every single swimmteich is a unique project. We do not sell any kit and there is no kit that could be sold to build a swimmteich. - Because everything varies. The depth, the size, the shape......... And when you want to build a swimmteich, you have to deal with the soil that you have. - And you have to understand how and why the system works. So how could you sell a kit??
Concerning the liner - When building a swimmteich it is your decision what kind of liner you use. You can use EPDM (that kind of lasts forever), in Europe, for aestetic reasons it is popular to use PVC or TPO liner in light colours. But you are absolutely right: The life of such a liner ends at some point. Procucers in Europe say that a PVC-liner lasts 25-30 years, TPO should even last longer because of the lack of plasticizers.
Anyway, be welcome to subscribe to our channel and find out how many years our swimmteich will enrich our lives!
Best regards from Austria, Ines
@@teichswimmer6746 Yes it does make sense since you mention you have to clean this out every year. That can be a huge amount of work I'd never subject my clients to. It may be acceptable for a very small pond. when the owners is on a tight budget and not paying for labor. With respect to EPDM, we get many calls from people who are replacing those liners after 20ish years.
@@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists The yearly cleaning is 2h on 3 following days. I think you have not watched some more of our videos because they would make you know better. But anyway, please tell me how you seal your ponds if not with liner?
And look, a swimmteich is one way to build a natural pool. And it is the most sustainable way to build a natural pool because you do not use concrete or similar stuff, you don't use chemical stuff, you don't need any technical units. And it does not need any power for functioning and it needs very little maintenance. It is a great alternative to a chlorine swimming pool. It does not want to be a lake (because you always point out the size). And you do not have to build one. Everybody can choose, right?
@@teichswimmer6746 We seal our lakes and ponds with clay. It lasts for many thousands of years and through the science of sediment chemistry, it removes the nutrients from the pond with no need for cleaning.
@@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists Clay, of course, is the best for sealing - no doubt. We know one project that's entirely made with clay, but it took the owner some years until it was completely sealed. And you always deal with plants. - The guy we know even had rats one season..... But we entirely agree, clay is the most natural you can get.....
Cool that you started with english videos! Thanks I can't wait to see more! :)
Thank you, Luna!
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your video in English!! You speak it very well. Bought your book 3 weeks ago, it was very informative. Building our Swimmteich this next spring, in about 6 months. Also, love your channel, hope you can provide English subtitles for all the wonderful interviews you and Christian have created on your channel (the youtube translator is horrible!! LOL). My wife and I are sooo thankful for all you have done. Thank you for being brave, and for shining such a wonderful light on the Trichdoctor!! We have one quick question, if you have the time: what do you think about having a "olympic pool" style of Swimmteich ?? That is to have the deep end in the very middle of two shallow ends... Any special considerations you can think of that we should implement? Love you both!! Christian and Lacey
Hi Lacey, hi Christian,
thanks a lot for that wonderful feed-back! We are happy that you like our book and hope that it can help you build your swimmteich!
Where are you located by the way?
Referring to the olympic-style pool....... Christian and I have talked about it and thought about it and we think: The system (if you stick to it) will work, we have no doubt. As long as you have the regeneration zone all the way from one end to the other. -
But what you should think about is this: The maintainance might become more difficult. When you use the brush as a broom you have to do that from two sides then (it's not only one direction). But that shouldn't be a big problem. But the suction could be a little harder because you can only access the deep zone from two sides instead of three. How about the width, what are your plans?
When you plan the size of your swimmteich, always keep in mind that every spot on the bottom of the swimmteich should be reachable from the outer edge with a telescopic brailer/landing net.
Hoping to hear of your further steps, ines von Teichschwimmer
@@teichswimmer6746 Lacey and I recently moved to the southern tip of Indiana, USA. We are a few miles north of the Ohio River. It is hot, hot HOT in the summer, so that is what started our journey for a pool.
Thank you for your insights on the Olympic style and how it could impact cleaning.
Right now, we aren't decided on a shape, or a type of liner, or even a "category" of swimmteich. We are deep in research mode, and gathering all the possibilities before we make a decision. We bought 5 books along with yours, and are watching all the videos we can find!
We like the idea of some plants as shown in "category" 1 or 2 swimmteichs , but we adore the complete simplicity and low maintenance of your "category 0" method.
Though undecided on details, we are committed to making it happen. In preparation of the land, we just had our overhead power lines to the house placed in-ground, out of the way of our future pond. We also just had a survey of our land/plot, to make sure our borders were legally accurate. To help us visualize the layout possibilities, I am learning Sketchup (is that what you used?), and am drafting up a couple of designs.
Though undecided, on many things, we are leaning heavily towards the Category Zero method you used, the teichdoktor method.
As for liners, we cannot find anyone nearby who can weld PVC, and I am not confident I want to risk doing that part myself. As you state in your book it is critical to be done properly. We may go with EPDM, which I am more confident to seal myself. But it's black. Yuck!!
So our latest thought is now to explore building our own, custom fiberglass liner right over top of our dig. Thoughts?
Thanks again so much for what you have done, and for sharing your results and the Teichdoktor's method with the world.
Best,
Christian and Lacey
Hi Lacey and Christian, I perfectly understand that it is difficult to decide for one or another method to build your pool.
Yes, Christian did the drafts with Sketchup...... good thing to visualize.....
concerning the liner, we stick to our opinion that it should be done rather by professionals. - But here we also maybe have a helpful hint: In your region, are there any flat roofs that are covered with liner? In Europe in the last years, many people go for a liner instead of roof tiles for their roof. - The welding of this roof-liner is exactely the same as welding liner for natural pools. - maybe you want to check it out.....
Pls keep us updated on your progress,
ines und christian
@@teichswimmer6746 Oh, that's brilliant to suggest I could try to find a roof liner to weld for us, I will look into that, too. Many ,many thanks for the tip!
@@cdurch1 let us know if you are successful with the roof liner......
Would love to build a schwimmteich on my property in Colombia, could you advise me on what to do if the soil is really wet and has a lot of natural springs close by and just below the surface, there is a stream of water very close by aswell. Maybe posible to integrate the water spring and creek to the schwimmteich?
Dear Mark, thanks for your interest in a swimmteich!
Hmmm, wet soil...... springs..... what a challenge! I could imagine that digging wouldn't be easy. But for us that's hard to say if it is possible to dig certain forms and the needed depth if the soil is really wet. But what we advise for this issue: Ask a local excavation company what their experiences are.....
The stream of water should not be a problem as long as it is not right next to the swimmteich. The question if you could/should integrate it into a swimmteich is something we can also not answer with certainty. In general, I would think that it can only be an advantage to have fresh water constantly running through the water body in your garden. On the other hand, the Teichdoctor-system is based on still water that finds its balance in natural water circulation. Our experience is that whenever people install water falls or little creeks run by pumps, they have a problem with string algae because of the additional oxygen brought into the water by that moved water. So I would definetly expect that to happen where the creek runs through your swimmteich.
Another issue is: How could you install a ring drainage around the swimmteich if a creek is running through it. So that would probably be the biggest/an impossible challenge. But without ring drainage you do not have the guarantee that no surface-waters flood your swimmteich. - And then you would probably not have clear water.
Another disadvantage (for us, at least) would be that the water in your swimmteich never gets warm!
So these are our thoughts on it, best regards,
Ines von Teichswimmer
What liner did you use a d how thick?
Hi Tyler,
we used a FPO-liner, color patina green Ral 6000. We recommend for PVC a thickness of 1,5mm (millimeter), with the FPO we took 1,3 mm because FPO is more difficult to work with, it's not vey elastic.....
Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
@@teichswimmer6746 Thank you for the reply!
Can we put cement after the liner?
Yes, you can, but we think it's a shame you do not see the colour of the liner any more.......
How long does a liner last and what do you do if it gets punctured or leaks?
Hello Kai, a liner should last about 30 years. But actually we do not know anybody who has his/her swimmteich that long because the system was invented only 17 years ago.
- We have seen some natural pools that are around 20 years old. They do not have problems with their liners at all.
Leaking occurs (if it happens) only in the beginning when the thermal welders leave and you fill your natural pool with water. If the water level sinks, then you know that the thermal welders have probably missed a leak. (After they finish their work they check all the seams and close/weld the leaks they may find). That sometimes happens.
Once the pool is full of water, you usually do not have risks any more. -
But of course we know a few cases when the liner was punctured. E.g. Chris tried to get rid of some wrinkles of his liner in a corner and kicked the liner with his shoe. (The swimmteich had not been filled yet) - and the liner was damaged. So the welders had to come back to fix that hole.
We know of one family that added a jump stone after filling their swimmteich. That jump stone was inserted by an excavator because it was really big. They did not use a gravel bag as foundation and somehow that big rock damaged the liner when it was placed.
During those 7 years that we have our own swimmteich, it happened once that two of the stepping stones (which are quite big and heavy) fell down to the ground (Our teenage children had a party). It did not affect the liner at all......
So no worries about the liner! - Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
@@teichswimmer6746 Thanks a lot for your reply.
Thanks for the great video ad explanation! Q- With the link to the instructions, can the swimming pool be just 4 or 5 feet deep?
Thanks for that question that we get quite often: No, I am sorry that would not work!
The minimum depth you need in the deep zone is 9-10 feet. We know one swimmteich that could not be dug deeper than 8 feet, because of the ground water level. And that still works, but we would not recommend it.
Best regards, Ines von teichswimmer
hi, please what is the size of the swim area of your Teich? thank you
Hi, our swim area is 10m long and 5,5m wide.
Where do you get the liner?
Hi Scotty, I would search the net for it: PVC-pond-liner or TPO-pond-liner. An internation brand it SIKA. Best, Ines
What about mosquitos?
Not more than before we had our swimmteich!
what is the smallest a pool can be? I don't have as much space... Also, are there any complications if it needs to be deeper than the water table?
Hi and thanks for your questions.
The smallest we have seen is this one :
th-cam.com/video/9_vQbWFvwR8/w-d-xo.html
And we have seen another one that has been built by the owners in South Tyrol in Italy. They have built in spring this year having our book and the videos. We were allowed to visit and interview them, but unfortunately I haven't translated the video yet. But you can see the size on the video:
th-cam.com/video/fFpCcet2kHA/w-d-xo.html
Yes, of course it is complicated if the water table is higher than the deepest spot of the swimmteich. But there are solutions and we have already seen one that kept digging to the depth of 3,5m and it worked. And we have seen others that stopped at the water table level and that is their deepest spot. But this should be at least 2,5 - 2,8 meters deep. Otherwise it is risky that the system works.
Hope I could give you the information you wanted, best regards,
Ines von Teichswimmer
Thanks for sharing
Welcome!
Awesome pool! May I ask how did you fix the stepping stones all around the pool? Thanks in advance for your kind response.
Dear Lucas, thank you!
We did not fix the stepping stones at all. - As we have those gravel bags beneath them they cannot harm the liner. - And as we recommend , we used stones that are heavy enough so that they do not move easily. -
And we do not want to fix them because then we could not turn them over when they get slippery.....
In six years there was one person (a friend of one of our daughters) who managed to kick 2 stepping stones loose so that they fell into the depths. - And we don't know how he achieved that!!😁
We did fix our steps, though. - Now we have the "problem" that we cannot turn them over so we cleaned them with an iron brush this year (first time) and that was fine. But if we built again, we would not fix our steps either. The gravel bags hold them in place very well....!
Best regards,
Ines von Teichswimmer
@@teichswimmer6746 thanks a lot for your kind explanation.
Hi I can't find the book link anywhere can u please provide it to me
I have to fill mine all the time with water because it evaporates what do you mean I have to clean it all the time
Dear Tonia, I am so sorry, but I don't quite understand your question.... - I don't think that I am saying that I have to clean it (what?) all the time....Please clarify for me....
thanks, Ines von Teichswimmer
I have a robot in my pool that goes back-and-forth and cleans it cleans the green mold growing on the bottom and I still have to scrub the steps every once in a while and I have to add chemical in their chlorine it’s a pain in the butt but I keep it up in my pool is huge
@@toniavasseur9574 oh, I see. - Yes, but the goal is always clear water. - We all thrive for that, don't we..... Best regards, Ines
@@teichswimmer6746 well I have to keep a robot in mine to keep it clean. It’s a pain in the butt and I hate it but I love it
How do you avoid mosquito larvas?
Hi Loraine, sorry for the late answer!
We get that question frequently:
I can assure: We do not have more mosquitos than we had before. The reason is: We have newts and birds and other life in and around the swimmteich who feed on mosquitos and their larvae. That obviously keeps a perfect balance!
Best, Ines von Teichswimmer
Great video
Thank you!
may i ask... will this also work in the tropics?
Good morning, we are actually really keen on finding out! - We know of a swimmteich in Costa Rica and we know of a project in India. So we can tell you in a few years if it really works. But we think it will because the pool inn Costa Rica exists for almost a year now and they do not have problems....
We recommend to pay even more attention to the depth of the deep zone if you live in a region where it's hot and humid or hot and very dry...... The bigger the cool water body on the ground the more stable the water quality will be.....
Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Is a deep zone required for the natural cleaning process to work? Thanks
Hi, yes, that's correct, it's part of the concept!
This is great. i am interested that you just used bare soil..others i have seen require block and concrete to support the sides of the pool to stop them collapsing. Was this because of the type of soil you have or do you think that this method applies to any soil type? I am thinking of buying the book. if the answer is in there just let me know
Hello C, the method to avoid concrete does not work with any type of soil. If the excavation operator can dig without the soil breaking in constantly it works. So that means, it will work with most soil, but will not work the simple way if you have sandy or ballast (gravel) soil.
I hope that answers your question - but of course we also deal with that topic in our book. - It's on page 55, "Condition of soil".........;)
Best regards, ines
@@teichswimmer6746 great thanks 👍
I like it
Thanks a lot, Victor!
1:08 isn’t it a pool? What’s a swim ti?
it's a natural pool without technical or chemical support and without any plants that is constructed according to the "Teich-doctor"-method. That is a new system of building a natural pool, very sustainable and not expensive, that has not exsisted so far.
Instead of saying this long sentence all the time we have started to call a pool constructed this way a SWIMM-TEICH.
which is more or less the German/Austrian word for swim pond.
Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
How are mosquitoes around the pool?
Hi, not more than before......
Come avviene il sistema di filtraggio e come è stato realizzato
You have a lovely accent 😁
Thank you! 🥵
I don't understand you guys don't use any pumps or any kind of water filtration what do you use to keep the water so clean and blue??
Dear Evan, thanks for your question.
Due to the method of building we are keeping the amount of nutrients at the minimum. If there are no nutrients there is nothing to feed the algae......
To understand that system better we invite you to watch the videos with the Teichdoctor - he kind of invented that method by using his experience as a sewage attendent..... but see yourself:
th-cam.com/video/tCNNhOeWJXs/w-d-xo.html
Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
How do you stop mosquitoes from 'enjoying' your pool? 🤔
There is enough life in the water that feeds on mosquito larvae - that is why there is no problem with mosquitos. And, as there are no plants, mosquitos do not really like our natural pool...... I can assure that we do not have more mosquitos than before installing our swimmteich.
Beautiful pool
Thank you, we are enjoying it every single day!
Thank you for this video. I am a biologist so I find this very interesting. Paul's wife Katherine in central Texas hill country USA 🇺🇸. 🌎 🇺🇸 💙 ♥ ❤ 💧 👌
Dear Katherine, thank you for your feed-back - yes, I bet that this is interesting for you! - My sister is biologist, too, and she ldid not believe it in the beginning!!
Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
Cool, there are also German lessons. Most important words: SCHWIMMTEICH / TEICH / TEICHDOKTOR
You got it!!!!!
How many mosquitoes
Hi Carlos,
not more than before. not less than before....
Best regards,
Ines von Teichswimmer
👍
I hear a fly. It’s probably lotta mosquitoes around then too loud no pump and filter
hahaha, I think you heard a bee that has come to drink from our swimmteich!
There are no mosquitos during the day and definitely not more than before we had our swimmteich......
Ok that comment on how low cost the pool is to build is a loaded comment… you say it’s cheap because you only have to pay for materials and labor… ! Materials and labor can go anywhere… the skys the limit! It could be a hundred thousand dollars or three thousand…So very unclear!
Also you never mentioned exactly what the materials are that we’re used… If pvc liner then your pool will cause cancer in swimmers…along with many other bad liner choices. Please advise
Thanks for your questions! - In fact, we have a video already about the detailed costs. But so far, we have only done it in German ( th-cam.com/video/0iuLxpxBGlI/w-d-xo.html ). Of course we will eventually upload an English one about the costs in detail. Pls be a little patient.....
For now, I can only reassure you that we personally have not used PVC-liner, but TPO-liner that does not contain plasticizers. - If you watch more of our videos, I am sure you will get more anwers to your questions!
Best regards, Ines von Teichswimmer
👍