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will and luke witt
 

Tel +33 (0) 547 48 01 96 (Sales only)

Tel 0207 100 3551 (VOIP for UK calls)

 

 

HOME PAGE of Swimming Pools in France

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CHOOSING POOL TYPE AND THE INSTALLER
Pool types available on the French market
Pool Installation in very Difficult Ground conditions
How Pool Quality can affect the Value of Your Property
POOL DESIGN INFORMATION
The ARConWall Structural System
Pool Shapes and Depths
Pool Liner Colours, Patterns and Freizes
Through the Wall Fittings Colour Options
Videos
PDF File of Video "The Pool Types Available"
PDF File of Video "Ground Conditions and Pools"

Ground conditions and pools Video
PDF file of Video "The ARConWall System"

The "ARConWall" system Video
EXISTING POOLS
Pool Renovation, the Costs and Economic Justification
Heating an Existing Pool
SUNDRY TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Pool Safety Devices and Legal Compliance
Pool Water Filtration and Optimising Pool Hygiene
The Insulation of Pools and Pool Heating
Tiled Pools and why they Leak
Shared Use Pool and the DDAS rules
Fosse Septiques |Fosse Toutes Eaux
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

 

Thank you to Bluepools for the lovely swimming pool you have installed for us. We are very pleased with it and this justifies our decision to choose Bluepools to do the installation for us. It has been a great success with our gite clients also, from whom we have had some very complimentary comments.

Best Regards
Kevin & Debbie MILLS

"Blue Pools have done a fabulous job on the pool at our holiday home in Argenton-sur-Creuse. It wasn't easy to instal but they kept us informed of progress and always came up with solutions that overcame the obstacles & ensured we got our dream pool. What I liked most is that they returned to put right a couple of problems with the equipment after the job was done, at no extra cost. The finish is very good and is made to a high standard with very low maintenance. It is great to see such dedication & integrity - I can't speak highly enough of Will, Luke & their staff.

Andrew Campbell"

I appreciated the answers to my questions and the time Luke spent at our initial meeting, going thriough the various options, with helpful suggestions and observations on our plans for our new pool at our holiday home near Tarbres. It was a relief to find a company that was prepared to offer a full construction solution including the terracing, steps and landscaping. I found the quotation very comprehensive, and useful to have an idea of the costs we might incur should ground conditions prove difficult - which they did!! Also appreciated Bluepools ability to overcome the difficulty encountered with the water table.

You were pretty accurate in terms of timescale for completing the project although there was an over run of three days because of the day or two later than advised start, the extra work involved in overcoming the water table issue, and the inclement weather towards the end of the final week.

Having been initially advised by Luke that an engineering project of this scale would undoubtedly create damage to the land surrounding the pool site, we were pleasantly surprised at how little damage had actually been caused. Overall, very happy with how everything has been handled, and would happily recommend Bluepools - especially now they're going to have a presence down that way.

Kind Regards

Andrew Lund-Yates

I would like to thank you for the way you handled the installations off the two swimming pools for me. You managed to start just after the selected time, proved to be totally reliable and finished in the time frame you had expected. The quality of the work was fine and you left everything neat and tidy after you had finished. I have good relationship with Luke and he has always been available to sort out any teething problems. I would like to wish you all the very best for the future.

Kind Regards Keith Trenter

When working on an old house there are always many unforeseen problems, and, like many other Brits, our house is old. So when it came to putting a swimming pool close to the house it was not surprising to find some complications. Bluepools proved themselves by recognising these complications and coming up with solutions.
Their ability to cope with these extras has made such a difference. Otherwise we would have been chasing around, spending time we really do not have, looking for additional artisans to do those unforeseen bits and pieces.
From the earliest stages, a test hole for the fosse septique soak-away, through to completion of the swimming pool Bluepools products and services have been good which means peace of mind for us."

Peter Butler

Hi Luke,

The pool has been brilliant and we have had an increase in the number of people wanting to visit as a result. But that is something we can put up with!

Caroline Jones - August 2007

Dear Luke

Many thanks to you, Will and the lads for a terrific job, Amanda and I are really pleased with the result.

Tom Dodds 20th June 2008

 

 
     

Shared use swimming pools and DDASS rules

Who are the DDASS?

They are the DIRECTION DEPARTMENTALE DES AFFAIRES SANITAIRES ET SOCIALES and they have branch offices in all prefectures and most sub-prefecture towns in France.

What do they do

The DDASS, as they are commonly known, control the operations of establishment like public swimming pools in France

What does that have to do with my pool?

Application to Gite Complexes

Owners of  gite complexes in Frances and those considering the purchase of a gite complex in France should be aware that a swimming pool that is to be used by more than one family at a time will be designated a public swimming pool (piscine publique) by the DDASS. The filtration requirements for water sanitation in these pools are very stringent and the cost of upgrading an existing pool to meet the DDASS requirements can be quite expensive. However a new 12m x 6m swimming pool that fully meets these filtration requirements can be installed at an extra cost of about 3000 euros for a 10 x 5 pool and 4500 euros for a 12 x 6 pool

Bluepools DDASS advisory service

In 2006 Bluepools launched its advisory service to help the owners of gite complexes with swimming pools meet the requirements of  the  DDASS rules in France.

EEC requirements

It has recently become clear that many gite complex owners are entirely unaware of the DDASS rules that are based on the requirements of the EEC commission

This issue is particularly germane to those who are considering the purchase of a gite complex by their pension fund now that the rules since 2006 allow one to do so. The upgrading of the gite complex swimming pool could be an entirely unexpected extra cost.

The Bluepools advisory service will help gite complex owners meet the DDASS requirements easily and economically.

What are these DDASS rules?

Rules cover 4 areas

The rules cover four areas and these are:

  1. Hygiene and Safety (Hygiene et Securite)

  2. Water circulation time (Circulation d'eau, temps de recyclage)

  3. Pre-filtration, pumps and filtration (Prefiltration, pompage et filtration)

  4. Cleaning the filters-hydraulic circuits (Lavage des filtres, circuit hydraulique)

Rule 1

Rule 1 requires a shower and disinfected foot washes to be provided and limits the number of bathers using a pool to 1 bather for every 2 square metres of pool area. It also requires a stringent testing regime to ensure water quality at all times.

Rule 2

The requirements of Rule 2 are quite complex - for instance a 12m x 6m swimming pool with a hopper may require 4 skimmers, 6 water inlets, 2 main drains at least 2 metres apart with 2 skimmers feeding a 63mm diameter pipe, 3 inlets fed from a 63mm diameter pipe and a 50 mm pipe from each of the main drains.

Rule 3

This requires pumps and filters that will match the filter and purify the water at the rate required by the water circulation requirements of Rule 2. The most economic pump and filter system would probably consist of a two sets each consisting of a 1.5 hp pump and 750 mm sand filter - each set would be connected to 3 inlets, 2 skimmers and one of the main drains via the pipes described above. In broad terms the water in a shallow pool will need to re-cycled faster than the water in deeper pools but for maximum economy each pool filtration system will need to be designed on a bespoke basis.

Rule 4

This gives the requirements for washing the filter and flow speed limits in the hydraulic circuits.

What is the practical effect of the DDASS rules?

Main Impact

The main impact of the DDASS rules relates to pool built from swimming pool kits. It is extremely unlikely that any kit pool will meet the DDASS requirements and in most instances up-grading a kit pool to meet the requirements will not be economically viable because of the water circulation requirements. This particularly applies to the pools that do not have skimmers and just circulate the water through the ladders.

Multi-family use

If a gite complex owner allows more than one family to use the pool (including his / her own family) then it will be classed as a public pool. If the swimming pool does not comply with the DDASS rules it is probable that the owner will be stopped from advertising the pool and the guests stopped from using it

How will the new Bluepools advisory service work?

Visit and Free Report

Bluepools will visit the pool site and provide a free report on the best way to meet the DDASS requirements either in a new pool or in the upgrading of an existing swimming pool. Contact us on 0546 48 37 99 for further details or fill in our Contact Form at the top of this page and type DDAS in where it says pool size.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bluepools is a a Brand name owned by Piexe Limited Registered in England No 6348048 145-147 St Johns Street, London EC1V 4PY and operating from a French office at 15 Avenue de Lattre de Tassigny, 17500 Jonzac, France