Infinity pools are also known as trailing edge or negative edge pools. They have one or more sides where the edge of the pool ends in a weir that is 15 to 25 mm below the average water level of the pool. The water cascades over the weir in a collection channel that runs under the entire length of the weir. The effect when viewed by a swimmer in the pool is very dramatic as the edge appears to merge with the sea in the background or even the sky if the pool is located on top of a hill.

A properly designed infinity pool has two circulation systems. The infinity edge system is only designed to work when the pool is in use and consists of a circulation system that takes water from the collection channel, filters it and returns it to the main pool. The other system works exactly the same way as a conventional pool, heating and filtration circulation system, except the nasty conventional skimmers are not required and the water circulates back through the pump through the drain at the bottom of the pool. the pool.

The additional cost of an infinity pool arises primarily from the provision of:-

• The collection channel that acts as a buffer tank
• The waterproofing of the landfill and the collecting channel
• The large capacity infinity edge circulation pump and filter
• The automatic filling electronic sensor in the carcass harvesting

The automatic level sensor/filling device is required to ensure that there is enough water in the system to prime the edge pump and to compensate for waves that bathers and rainwater send into the weir. For a 12 x 6 meter pool with an infinity edge, the additional cost should be in the range of 8 to 10,000 euros excluding taxes. The channel and automatic filling, the edge filtration system and the additional waterproofing costs will each amount to about a third of this or around 3,000 euros each. Waterproofing may seem expensive, but a conventional factory-made PVC liner is not suitable for an infinity pool and should be replaced with a PVC “reinforced liner” system that involves cutting and welding the PVC liner into the place.

There is a very interesting alternative to infinity pools that is starting to be sold on the French pool market where Bluepools operates. These are called mirror pools and they are an exciting option when the views from a garden are less than spectacular. In a mirror pool, the infinity edge is taken around the entire perimeter of the pool and the weir is drained by a perimeter channel that is much smaller than the collection channel of an infinity pool. The perimeter channel is drained by a network of gravity-fed downspouts that channel water to a central collection tank that provides the buffer water storage normally provided by the collection channel in a conventional infinity pool. The cost of a mirror pool will be slightly more than the cost of an infinity pool of the same size with the infinity edge along one long side.

The additional operating costs of an infinity or mirror pool will not be as high because the large pump needed to run the infinity edge system will only work when the pool is in use. Additional costs will be incurred from:-

• The power used by the pump
• The cost of water lost due to evaporation from flow over the weir
• The cost of replacing heat loss caused by evaporation.
• The heat required for the water to replace the evaporated water.

The total additional operating cost is difficult to assess precisely because it depends on many variables, but it will certainly be less than the cost of heating a conventional pool of the same size with a heat pump.

The development of infinity pools has coincided with the rise of a new trend towards designer pools that are now often seen in exclusive properties and on magazine covers. Many people have properties in an ideal location for an infinity pool installation, even more have gardens that would benefit from a mirror pool and I hope this article encourages the development of both.

Copyright Bluepools SARL

www.bluepools.com