Author: Xavier Gadea

Stay in the black

The choice of pool fittings can make or break the overall impression of a pool, as this installation by Poolstore in Worcestershire graphically illustrates. Adding the finishing touch, Certikin’s beautiful Optimus range of black fittings blend seamlessly with the pool’s grey black vinyl liner to give a sleek black slate effect.

Veering away from traditional blue, the owner of this stunning 7.32m x 3.66m hopper pool wanted something a little bit different, so he embraced the dark side and chose the stunning Elegance vinyl liner from the Certikin Touch range.

The range is designed to offer the appearance and texture of natural stone. By combining high quality, thicker than standard (2.0mm as opposed to 1.5mm) vinyl with the latest manufacturing technique of embossing and engraving, the design offers both aesthetic beauty and a very pleasing touch. It’s also highly functional as the Elegance design has an anti-slip option which complies with Cat C of the required DIN standard. Like all vinyls in the Touch range, the Elegance is protected by the Alkorplan 3000 multilayer lacquering system for durability and longevity.

The pool’s owner, Philip Orford says: “I’m incredibly pleased with the liner as it has a very high-quality look and feel. Being able to quickly heat the pool to 32 degrees is important to me. Thanks to the benefits of the heavy-duty Elegance vinyl, I am able to do that quickly and safely. The contractors were efficient and friendly and did an excellent job. Despite the price differential, I would highly recommend this superior grade liner over and above the standard.”

Complementing the eye-catching liner, is Certikin’s Optimus range of metallic grey and black flow fittings. Designed specifically for dark coloured liner and concrete pools, the Optimus plastic skimmer extension throat, wall inlet, vacuum point and main drain (with anti-vortex grille) give the pool an uninterrupted appearance. With the popularity of salt chlorinators on the increase, Optimus offers the ideal solution for those looking for corrosion free flow fittings. Philip adds: “The black fittings work very well and give the pool a high-end finish. We are absolutely delighted with the whole project. It has surpassed our expectations and given us a summer of fun and we look forward to many more.”

“The reason we use Certikin is because they are always able to meet our customers’ needs, regardless of the size or demands of the project. In this case the customer was very specific in what he required and the Certikin sales team were super efficient in providing quotations and recommendations for the project. We have had very positive feedback from all our customers regarding the professionalism of the Certikin installation team and the accommodating manner in which they carry out the work. This adds up to a productive and efficient working relationship between ourselves, our supplier (Certikin) and the end user.” Jason Fidler, General Manager of Poolstore

For all liner and pool equipment enquiries, contact Certikin International 01993 778855 | info@certikin.co.uk | certikin.co.uk

Certikin breathes life into Portishead Lido

Opened in 1962, the lido with its stunning views of the Bristol Channel, has afforded families a great day out but, suffering a major water loss in 2016, its operators, the Portishead Pool Community Trust were forced to embark on an emergency refurbishment operation before its life blood seeped away. In a joint project, DG Pools and CP Pools used tried and trusted Certikin equipment to resuscitate the lido’s heart… 

Portishead Pool Community Trust took over the running of the open-air pool in 2009 from North Somerset Council.  There had been a lack of investment in the fabric of the buildings and plant for many years. Cracks in the base of the pool tank and the pipework from ground movement were an issue despite them being patched up a number of times. It was always the plan to do a major refurbishment when sufficient funds were available.

That plan had to be brought forward in 2016 season when it was discovered the lido was leaking badly. Using the combined talents of DG Pool’s Glyn Lucas in commercial filtration and mechanical services and Carl Porter’s knowledge of pool construction, the Trust embarked on upgrading the Lido to bring it up to current industry standards.

Carl set about the design of the pool to ensure that skimmers, sumps and inlets adhered to industry flow rates and velocities. He supervised the installation of a new liner on top of the pool’s old ceramic tiles.  To compliment the modernisation of the pool tank, the plant room was also refurbished.  The sand filters were installed in 1962 so they were replaced with three new filters from Certikin.  The pumps and were old and they struggled to cope with the required flow rates, especially on busy days. The filtration plant was broken up and removed by D G Pools and replaced with the new plant.  All pipework, suction/return fittings and UW lights were supplied by Certikin.

Andy Thatcher of the Portishead Lido Community Trust says: “The job came in on time and on budget and the Trust and pool users are absolutely delighted with the outcome. We would thoroughly recommend CP Pools and DG Pools to anyone contemplating a similar upgrade of their pool and plant facilities.”

Portishead Lido | portisheadopenairpool.org.uk

DG Pools & Leisure Ltd | dg.pools.co.uk

CP Pools | cppools.com

NIVEKO and Unipools more than make the grade!

The juxtaposition of a stunning Niveko monopool against the backdrop of this sensational Grade II listed home in North West London, makes for an arresting sight.

The owner of this des res called upon the services of family-run, Mill Hill-based pool retailer, Unipools, to create a “top of the range swimming pool” to provide a source of exercise, fun and relaxation for his young family.

Surveying the site, Unipools’ MD, Selwyn Mindel, recommended the eye-catching NIVEKO monopool, to satisfy the owner’s requirement for a premium quality pool and help overcome the difficulties presented by the property’s restricted access.

Supplied in the UK by Certikin International, the installation of the stunning Czech manufactured monopool, measuring 11m by 3.7m, was challenging. As predicted, the lorry carrying the Niveko on its back, was unable to navigate the property’s narrow lane so Selwyn took control, supervising the delivery by driving ahead and directing the lorry as far as it could go. The pool was then unloaded on the road side and a crane brought in to lift the pool into the property’s beautiful walled garden. To reach its final destination, two trailers were used to leap-frog it into position.

A pre-prepared hole, on the site of an old swimming pool and tennis court, was waiting to receive the top-level skimmer pool with corner steps. A state-of-the-art pool house and gym were constructed alongside the pool.

“The NIVEKO has surpassed my family’s expectations,” says the delighted owner, Phillip Jones. “We love its simplicity and clean lines. We had a good idea of what we wanted our pool to look like, but it was not very specific, so we welcomed the advice and recommendations given by the experts at Unipools. Despite the complexity of the job, Unipools went out of their way to minimise disruption and finish the project within the given time frame. If I can offer one piece of advice, it’s to always call in specialists who know what they’re doing. Unipools’ guidance and experience proved invaluable.”

Green is the order of the day

“This is probably the pool of my career… so far,” says SPATA award winning wet leisure expert, Richard Adams of New Dawn Pools about this envy-inducing pool in the Cotswolds. Given carte blanche by the owner to create the pool of her dreams, the only stipulation was that the project had to be environmentally friendly, hence a Calorex heat pump was chosen for its green credentials.  

Gloucestershire-based New Dawn Pools is no stranger to building awe-inspiring high-end pools and spas but this one stood out as being particularly special because of its simple clean lines beauty and unique position. Located in Winchcombe – one of the highest points in the Cotswolds, the property has breath taking views across the valley, so an infinity edge pool to capitalise on this feature was a must. The 10m by 5m concrete pool was built on the site of an old tiled pool but with the addition of a beautiful internal spa complete with walk-in steps.

Richard says: “The owner was concerned about looking at the swimming pool from the lower garden and tennis court and seeing a concrete wall so we came up with the idea of building a Cotswold stone wall on the infinity edge upstand. We clad the wall with stone and soft planting and the water trickled over the infinity edge detail to give the impression of a waterfall from a natural spring. We then infilled the trough with pebbles.”

In line with the owner’s brief for energy efficiency, Richard installed a Calorex Pro-Pac as the plant room work horse. In addition, two Certikin heat exchangers (one to assist the heat pump in the Winter and one for the hot tub), were installed and connected to a domestic boiler to boost the pool’s temperature when they have parties and to heat the spa independently.

Started in January 2017, Richard and his team worked to a tight schedule to complete the pool and landscaping in time for a big family wedding at the end of July, where the pool and spa quickly became the focus of entertainment.

Richard says: “We were honoured and privileged to be awarded this project, which was an absolute joy to work on. This has become the latest New Dawn flagship pool.”

Ten reasons to pick Pro-Pac

Using “state of the art” green technology, Calorex heat pumps heat pools for a fraction of the cost of gas, oil and direct electric heaters, but without the carbon footprint.

The Pro-Pac domestic ‘Y’ range provide reliable heat even in the harshest winter conditions. An intelligent, electronically controlled defrost allows the units to operate reliably in air temperatures as low as -15 °C!

High efficiencies: Pro-Pac heat pumps are designed to provide an industry leading coefficient of performance, saving CO2 and reducing operating costs.

Titanium full flow heat exchanger.

High efficiency, sound insulated, rotary (PP 8 and 12) or scroll (PP 16 and 22) compressors. Fully ERP compliant

Touch screen controls which enable easy adjustment of the pool water set point temperature and clear symbols show the actual water temperature and operational status of the unit.

“Smart pool pump control – Pro Pac can synchronise a pool pump to run only when the pool requires heating, significantly cutting down on pool pump running time. Used with a time clock that operates the pool pump for a block period, minimum pool water turnover rates are maintained.

Small footprint – the Pro-Pac range is designed with space in mind.  Furthermore, Pro-Pac’s comply with size requirements for permitted development rights (models 8-22)

Three-year on-site parts and labour warranty. Ten-year anti-corrosion warranty on the Pro-Pac casing.

Fully supported by a nationwide network of service engineers, often offering next day attendance and fix.

Roldeck:
Decked out in style and substance

“A Roldeck is like a well-maintained roof – a sound investment”

There’s only one way to top off a beautiful pool in style and that is a Roldeck slatted cover…its appearance is as classy as its components are functional. These two installations by Cambridge-based Elm Leisure illustrate that the Roldeck is as much at home indoors as it is outdoors.

“The initial plan was for the creation of a simple, environmentally friendly concrete pool,” explains MD of Elm Leisure, Ben Monks. “By the second meeting, however, the project had become slightly more sophisticated with the addition of an infinity edge.”

Some 14 months later the stunning pool, complete with infinity edge and walk-in steps to one side, was up and running. Adorning it is a Roldeck with aluminium looking PC60 polycarbonate slats which emerge out of a hidden pit.

“For me, the Roldeck ticks all the boxes. The Roldexk is the ultimate in heat insulation, evaporation control, durability and aesthetic appearance. In this case its heat retention properties, when combined with a Calorex heat pump for summer use, was spot on in meeting the client’s requirement for both style and efficiency.” says MD of Elm Leisure, Ben Monks.

“The Roldeck’s smart mechanism means it glides effortlessly over the pool”

With space at a premium, Elm Leisure chose a Roldeck Easy cover for this pool. The Easy cover, with its two slim and discreet end stands, is ideal if space is limited.

Jo Catterall, Auto Covers Sales Manager, says: “The Easy cover is very competitively priced eg a 4m x 8m with white PVC slats retails at just £6,000 plus delivery and VAT. At that price, it could be sold as a small add-on to any new or existing pool project. There’s an electronic and a solar powered version.”

Ben says: “We cast our own concrete spa using all Certikin spa jets and six blower Venturi air jets and air switches and used a handmade Cranbourne marble surround to match the pool.”

The owners were keen to ensure that the new pool hall was in-keeping with their solar and air sourced heated house. The pool is thus fully insulated using the Hexatherm Xpool insulation. “It’s ideal as it gives thermal performance calcs (u value of 0.25) which allows the pool to meet Part L of the Building regs. It also keeps the structural engineers happy as the insulation is load bearing,” says Ben.

A Calorex Variheat Series III model 600 was chosen, in addition to air source heat pump interconnected with buffer tank 200 Litre with 3kW immersion heater which combined, provides the customer with low energy heating.