Tube Roundup Tuesday "DIY Pools"

Welcome to the very first "Tube Round Up Tuesday" post here on The Pioneering Parent blog.  Every Tuesday, we're going to round up our favorite YouTube posts of the week, and share them in a new blog post.

*Please show our YouTube creators some live and don't forget to like and share their videos. 

For our first "Tube Roundup Tuesday" we really wanted to make a 'splash!' Which is why we've dedicate this post to...

DIY Pools Projects Your Kids Will Love

Summer is here and with it comes the blistering heat.  For those of you who don't have pools, check out some of these seriously simple "Build Your Own Pool" projects that are simple enough for most kids, or for parents to do for the younger ones. 

DIY Pallet Pool 

In this video, Danielle shows us how she built a video from pallets in just 5 days.  We're huge fans of anything made from pallets around here, so we loved this video.

Next up...

DIY Stock Tank Pool

In this video 'Bat City Designs' shows you how to make a swimming pool out of a stock tank.  According to the video they purchased the stock tank at Tractor Supply, but you can also get them at Rural King.  And of course, you can always search sites like "Craigslist," "OfferUp," and "LetGo" for stock tanks as well.




Next up...

DIY Stock Tank Swimming Pool In A Sloped Yard - And Made Pretty.

This is another DIY pool using a stock tank, but in this video, Julia Konya shows you how she set hers up in her 'sloped' yard, and how she decorated it to hide the fact that it's a stock tank.

Fun Solar Power Projects for Kids

If you've never had a pool before, you may have heard that a pool is a lot of work and requires a lot of upkeep.  Even kiddie pools can easily turn green in just a matter of days. Most pools that aren't kiddie pools use a pump, a filtration system of some kind, and a treatment solution, to keep the water from turning into something resembling primordial ooze.

To keep pool water clean you will need: a pump, filtration system, and a treatment solution. 

The pump is how you move the water from the pool, into the filtration systems. The filtration system filters the water and passes it back into the pool.   Most pool pumps are expensive to buy and run on electricity so they're also expensive to run as well. 

That's why we chose this next video...

How To Make A Solar Energy Water Pump

This project uses a DC Motor, Solar Panel and few Other Elements. It is 12 volt and DIY Solar Water Pump. 

This is a great solar project for kids.  What we love about it is that it's going to teach the kids some very useful skills and because they'll be doing it for their own 'diy pool build' it, it will feel like a fun project and not a 'school lesson.'

DIY POOL Filter and Filtration Systems

Once you have the pump to pump the water from the pool, you need a filtration system to pump the water into for filtering, and then back out, and back into the pool as clean, filtered water.

The pump pumps the water to the filtration system.  The water enters the filtration system, passes through the filter, and then the filter passes the water back into the pool.

Kiddie Pool Pool Filters...

If you or your kids opt out of of the DIY pool builds but do decide on any kind of inflatable or hard plastic kids pool, you should check out this "Poor Man's Kiddie Pool Filter"from BeamDigger.




Word to the wise on this one, submersible pumps can be found for affordable prices, but the cheapest I've seen a decent one is the one I bought from Amazon in the spring of 2019. and it was right around $50.00.

Of course, thanks to the previous video on how to make a solar water pump, you can of course just make your own pump... and it doesn't even need to be a submersible pump.  You just need a filter... 

DIY Sand Filter For Your Pool

 In this 2 minute,' video, Jesse shows you how he made a DIY homemade sand filter for his pool.



Sand pool filters are most commonly found in above ground pools, though some older in-ground pools may still be using the sand filter system.

The other common filter type is the 'cartridge filter.'  I didn't find any videos on how to DIY these, and while they can be washed, you can still only wash them so much before you have to replace them, and some of them can get pretty expensive.

Plus, when you add in the cost of chemicals, or 'treatments,' it can easily make you wonder if the money saved on electric from the solar water pump is enough to make having a pool affordable.

The most commonly known 'treatment' solution is chlorine.  However, 'saltwater' pools have become more and more commonplace and have been touted as being less costly, and also, not quite as 'harsh' as chlorine.  Finally the newest 'trend' in pools, 'natural pools' requires no chemicals or salt.

Fortunately... one of the newest innovations in 'pools' is the "Natural pool."

Natural Pools and DIY Natural Pools

 Natural pools work in a similar fashion to the way lakes and ponds work.  You have a 'swim area,' and then, surrounding the swim area, is what's called 'The Regeneration Zone."  The regeneration zone is filled with plants and the microorganisms in the plant life filter the water.  The water is then circulated through additional filtering such as rocks or gravel.

How Natural Pools Work

Natural pools are free from chemicals like chlorine and salt.  You swim in 'fresh' water that's just as clean as any chlorine or salt treated pool.

But before you go running off to find your shovel and start digging a giant hole in your back yard, take a look at this 'compact regeneration zone.'

 Natural Pool Biofilter Filter 

The biggest problem with a natural pool is that you need a lot of land for the regeneration zone.

However, there are a few ways to work around that...

OLIVE- The Floating Natural Pool Organic BioFilter

The OLIVE is a simple filtration system that 'floats' right in a 'natural pool,' with a small regeneration area for the plants, and then two other filters for filtering out other debris.




And for the DIYr's out there, take a look at this...

DIY Floating Bio-Filter Garden




Another way to filter the water, without a regeneration zone taking up all your swimming space is to use 'tanks.'

Organic Pool with separate planted zone - featuring floating plant islands

In this next video, David Pagan Butler, creator of the OLIVE, demonstrates a contained regeneration and filtration system that's separate from the swimming area.  This is an excellent workaround for people who don't have enough land to create the attached regeneration zone. 

Are you a brave parent willing to let your kids try one of these 'DIY Pools'?

If so, we'd like to hear about it.

This last video got me wondering if I could integrate either a hydroponics or aquaponics system with a natural pool.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like something I should definitely do some more research on.

Tell us about any ideas you got from this "Tube Roundup Tuesday" post in the comments below.