Ecoskim could change the way pools are operated, worldwide.

Today, this invention by Queenslanders Mark Davies and Paul de Groot is on the verge of creating the most fundamental change to pool skimmer boxes and pool water management worldwide in 30 years.

What started out as a simple device that could be attached to existing skimmer boxes to cope with large fluctuations in water levels through evaporation - and heavy rain - has revealed a range of better pool management and economy features.

Mr Davies, who owns an engineering and fabrication company, and Mr de Groot, a pool builder and landscape gardener, are neighbours. A couple of years ago they happened to be discussing the problems of pool evaporation in Mr de Groot's self-made and designed backyard pool.

"It started out as a way of overcoming the impost of water restrictions," Mr Davies said. "We actually then moved a bit further afield with its design.

"We were sitting around the pool when restrictions started, wondering what the outcomes might be. Rumours at the time were that people weren't going to be able to fill up their pools with town water.

"We wanted to create something that would fit in with the rationale of all of these new council requirements."

A decline in Brisbane dam levels to less than 25 percent had prompted concern that soon the council would prohibit topping up of pools from town reservoirs completely. Water tanks, pool blankets and alternative water devices were rapidly becoming mandatory.

"There was so much uncertainty at that time and pool blankets seemed to be the next best thing - but then the prices of those jacked up dramatically," Mr Davies said.

At the time, the main reason for topping up pools was a decline in water levels from evaporation, draining the skimmer boxes, halting filtration and causing pool water to become unsanitary. Queensland's dry winters make this a constant risk, while the traditionally wet summers cause the opposite problem of skimmer boxes not being able to function properly through water levels creeping too high to ‘skim' the water surface of debris.

Ecoskim overcomes both these problems with the current retrofit device for existing skimmer boxes. Plus, the next generation of economical Ecoskim devices, to be fitted to pools during construction, have the capacity to change the way pools are managed worldwide.

VAST WATER SAVINGS

Mr Davies said most pool owners in Australia use water evaporation restriction devices, such as pool blankets, and have supplementary 3,000-5,000 litre water tanks to cope with evaporation in the average 50,000 litre pool.

In Brisbane now, the regulations stipulate that new water tanks are to be plumbed into the home for activities such as toilet flushing, which means less available for pool top-ups. Another common problem is that water quality from existing tanks is of a worrisome standard, which was why they were banned originally, and many home owners are loathe to use it for swimming.

The functionality of the device came from Mr de Groot's experience in dealing with a wide range of home pool installations he encounters through his pool and landscape gardening work. He developed the concept and, to round out the process, the men employed an industrial designer, IDR, based on Brisbane's northside.

"They refined it a lot," Mr Davies said. Through Mr Davies' engineering workshop, Metalmark, he was able to do most of the prototyping for the Ecoskim's early research and development.

Key features of the Ecoskim device are its enlarged weir, which holds more water than existing skimmer boxes, and its flow strength that skims the pool of leaves and other flotsam more rapidly than existing designs. This means less cleaning is necessary and helps to cut down on chemical use as more debris is removed before it contaminates the water.

Future developments include another style of Ecoskim box that fits at the wide section of a pool and could help establish the next industry standard. In future pool building, the Ecoskim concept is likely to have a major influence as it opens up new pool design possibilities.

FIRST CHANGE IN DECADES

Mr de Groot and Mr Davies have patented the Ecoskim concept and the design and were surprised to find their creation was the first alternative to traditional skimmer box design for many years.

"It is the first new design in skimmer boxes in 35 years," Mr Davies said. "We were amazed when we found out nothing had changed for so long."

They were also surprised, when they began their research, at how difficult it was to find data on the industry.

"We tried hard to get the numbers to make a judgement on going with the project," Mr Davies said. "It is hard to find good demographics about pools in Australia - and we were surprised to find that no-one really knew about evaporation levels or the concentration of pools in an area."

For now, the Ecoskim retrofit unit is the major focus for Mr Davies and Mr de Groot.

Astutely, the Ecoskim design has been patented in the US, where the pool market is vast.

"That's where we would really like to be heading," Mr Davies said. "There are eight million pools in the US now. In Australia, the figure is about 800,000 as far as we can tell."

 The development of new Ecoskim devices is in the pipeline, but for the moment the commercialisation and distribution of the retrofit device is the main aim for Mr de Groot and Mr Davies.

 "The sky's the limit, really. Where do you stop?"

www.ecoskim.com.au

* Ecoskim is seeking pool shops to assist with distribution and is also set to work with regional councils and the State Government.

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