Filter Returns

Doghouse Riley · 29-09-2011, 12:29 PM

This may be of interest to those contemplating building a “natural looking” pool. (we do kid ourselves a bit don’t we? Still, we do our best).
To avoid having unsightly looking pipes, you can have the return via a waterfall. This would look impressive, but there’s the problem that in the colder months you might not want this running. My waterfall works on a bypass from the filter pump, there’s a valve in my pump sump where I can turn it on or off.

I built this “bridge” to cover the return from the filters in the garage. I made a former out of bits of wood and plywood and reinforced it with the side one of my wife’s pan stands. (She still doesn’t know where it went after 25 years). The top was faced with small pieces of York stone set in a coating of dyed mortar to match the York stone path and patio. Before pouring the concrete I painted the sides of the former with some of my wife’s “Crisp’n’ Dry” so the concrete didn’t stick to the sides.

Technical point, because of the clarity of the water in this photo I could see the pipe from the "skimmer" that serves as the overflow. I changed this to a black one recently.

Marlene&Boycie · 29-09-2011, 01:52 PM

Dear Doghouse,

That looks lovely, it makes me giggle that your wife probably went to the cupboard bemused that a pot stand and some crisp and dry wass missing! It's amazing what 'tools' can be found in a kitchen, even though Boycie has a garage full of 'em I still caught him poking about in the mud with my kitchen scissors, and tea towels...eurgh!

Doghouse Riley · 29-09-2011, 10:32 PM

Thanks for that.

The original plan was to create a one foot wide rill with a couple of bends in it from the back fence next to the tea-house finishing at the "bridge." It would only need to be about three inches deep. I was also going make a small "Willow Pattern" wooden bridge to straddle it.

I worked out that I could put a sump below the ground next to the back fence to contain a pump, the electrics supplied from the tea-house and have the water cascading from a small waterfall.
The return from the "bridge end" would be gravity fed from another sump next to the bridge through a four inch pipe under the rill back up to the sump next to the tea-house a fall of few inches would have been sufficient.

From the French windows or the patio, the rill would then have the appearance of flowing into the pool.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get my plans passed by "The War Office."