When Shrewsbury-based Salop Pool Services were called in to refurbish this tired old pool in Clun, South Shropshire, the race was on to get it completed in time for the owner’s special birthday celebrations.

The original inground concrete pool was leaking and coated in a dark green paint that over time had begun to flake and degrade. Space within the pool was not being used to its best advantage as part of it was portioned off by a wall.

Director of Salop Pool Services, Carly Rogers, takes up the story: “The pool was re-rendered and tiled using large format jungle green tiles with a mosaic tile band. The family are very into their fitness and asked us to extend the pool widthways to accommodate a flushed automatic safety cover (Coverstar) to make it 9.3m x 3.5m with a constant depth of 1.6m. The pool was re-shaped into how it looks today.

“With small children and pets in the family, safety was of utmost importance. There’s only one safety cover Salop Pools recommends, and that’s Certikin’s Coverstar.”

The Coverstar is a seamlessly integrated cover system – super-easy to operate and provides maximum safety (complies with French safety standard NFP90- 308) without compromising the pool’s appearance. The system features unparalleled strength. Supporting the weight of children, pets and even adults, it uses the exclusive Ultra Guard III vinyl composite, rather than the industry-standard vinyl, popular with other manufacturers.

The high level of UV resistance offered by Ultra Guard III considerably reduces the level of colour fading compared to standard vinyl, plus it has high resistance to chlorine, acid, ozone and other pool chemicals. Furthermore, instead of using sewn webbing (which often proves to be the weak area of the cover), Coverstar uses an exclusive patented process to heat seal the webbing, prolonging the cover’s life and improving the overall quality operation. Independent tests show this process is more than twice as strong as competitors’ webbing sewn to the cover. The heat-sealed webbing is also colour matched to the fabric to create a beautiful finish.

There are a variety of pit covers to choose from, including composite decking and heavy-duty pit trays in which stones can be laid, plus the Coverstar is supplied with a low-profile leading-edge bar, UK sourced power pack and UK sourced touch button key switch.

Salop Pools built a shelf on the pool’s internal walls for the safety cover and then ingeniously installed PU2 LED mini lights into the shelf for dramatic night-time effect.

Heating is supplied via a Calorex IPAC- 22 heat pump. The I-PAC/V-PAC inverter heat pump range is designed in the UK specifically for the UK climate, eco-friendly and carries an impressive 5 year on site parts and labour warranty.

These stylish-looking, compact heat pumps (the small footprint making them compliant with permitted development rights) are available in side or top outlet versions. The side outlet also has the added benefit of Wi-Fi capability for remote control.

Inverter heat pump technology allows for efficient control of the pool temperature with the I-PAC only using the energy required. High efficiency with modulating step-less inverter compressor gives an average COP of 10.3 (I-PAC+), 9.7 (I-PAC) and 10.7 (V-PAC), which is twice as efficient as the traditional on/ off models. Complying with the European F-Gas regulations, the heat pumps use the low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant R32. It requires less refrigerant volume per kW and is easier to recycle.

Other Certikin products featured on the pool include: 24” Vision top mount filter; Aquaspeed 1Hp pump; Plant Room Shield and salt chlorinator.

Carly says: “The pool took about six months to complete as the client made a lot of changes throughout the build, but we are delighted to say, we made the special birthday deadline. Certikin is our favoured supplier because its customer service is second to none. It’s a strong reputable company that supplies almost everything required in the pool industry.”

t.  01743 588484 | w. saloppoolservices.com