Bluepools Has Launched Its New Advisory Service To Help The Owners Of Gite Complexes With Swimming Pools Meet The DDASS Public Swimming Pool Rules In France

Owners of gite complexes in Frances and those considering the purchase of a gite complex in France by their SIPP 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 pool (piscine publique) by the DDASS (Direction Departmentale Des Affaires Sanitaires Et Sociales). 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 less than 3000 euros per pool.

Jonzac, Charente-Maritime, France (PRWEB) March 14, 2006 -- The Bluepools website, http://www.bluepools.co.uk, is visited around 100 times a day at the moment in the busiest sales period of the year for swimming pool installers in France. Many of the inquiries that result from the popularity of the website are for pools for gite complexes. It has recently become clear to Bluepools clear that many gite complex owners are entirely unaware of the DDASS rules that are based on the requirements of the EEC commission “Aqua-Europa.” The new Bluepools advisory service will help gite complex owners meet the DDASS requirements easily and economically.

What are these DDASS rules?

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 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.

The requirements of Rule 2 are quite complex - for instance a 12m x 6m swimming pool with a hopper will 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. In broad terms the water in a shallow pool will need to re-cycled faster than the water in deeper pools.

Rule 3 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. This could require two pumps and two sand filters for a 12m x 6m swimming pool for instance.

Rule 4 gives the requirements for washing the filter and flow speed limits in the hydraulic circuits.

What is the practical effect of the DDASS rules?

The main impact of the DDASS rules relates to pools 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.

How will the new Bluepools advisory service work?

Bluepools will visit the pool site and provide a free report on the upgrading required to meet the DDASS requirements. Contact Bluepools on 0546 48 37 99 for further details.

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