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Looking For Ideas in Swimming Pool Designs?

October 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Then here’s an article for you courtesy of the Baltimore Sun that talks about the hottest trends in inground swimming pool designs. Whether you’re looking for a traditional or contemporary pool design, there’s something for everyone in this article. Vanishing edges, fire pits recessed in the deck or in bowls positioned to reflect in the water, waterfalls, fountains, tiki bars and colored lights all add to the beauty and enjoyment of swimming pool designs.

A concrete pool usually starts in the low $30,000 range (fiberglass and vinyl can cost less). Landscaping, hardscaping, gazebos, fireplaces, tiki bars and outdoor kitchens add to the price, making swimming pools a significant home investment.

Make no mistake, your enjoyment is as much visual as well as physical. If you’re serious about building your ultimate swimming pool, fall is a great time to plan the design or even to start your construction while the ground is still warm and able to be excavated. Here’s an additional list of swimming pool design tips to help get ideas started.

While a beautiful swimming pool design can certainly make your backyard into a utopian paradise, don’t expect it to add significantly to your home’s value.  The article cautions that homeowners who build pools should not expect to recoup even half their investment. Unfortunately, not all home buyers are interested in maintaining a pool; and today’s market conditions don’t help. Whatever you do in designing your dream pool, do it strictly for the pleasure of yourself and your family - you deserve it! Check the article out for great ideas in swimming pool designs.

Jump Right In - BaltimoreSun.com

Thunderstorm Coming? Get Out of the Pool!

July 29th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Saw this story today in the Arizona Republic and thought the information might bear repeating for some folk who for whatever reason may be unaware. If there’s a thunderstorm anywhere in the vicinity of your pool, get out of the water ASAP.  Seems a guy wrote in to the paper about a disagreement he had with his wife over the safety of pools when a storm threatened. The advice given is right on target.

It’s not just that lightning is attracted to water, and that water is a fairly good conductor of electricity. It’s the fact that you are out in the open just like you were on a golf course or standing out in your yard.

And your [inground] pool is reinforced with metal rods under the concrete, and they could attract lightning, too.

Even if the bolt did not make a direct hit on your pool, a strike nearby could travel along the ground to nail you.

Your wife also is correct in urging you to leave the water at the first signs of the storm. Lightning can strike from as far as 10 miles away. So even if the storm looks like it’s a long way off, you need to get out of the pool.

So take heed and stay safe. Get out of the pool as soon as you see the storm coming.

Wife Is Right About Swimming During A Storm; Arizona Republic (azcentral.com)

Eco-Friendly Swimming Pools: Tips to Manage, Maintain

March 15th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Speaking of eco-friendly swimming pools, this is a great story from the Orlando Sentinel (FL) on green standards for pools.  No, not algae - we’re talking about managing your pool in an environmentally sound and sustainable way.  The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), a nonprofit organization, has published a Green Home Standard Reference Guide (note: PDF link requires Adobe Reader or equivalent) that recommends standards for green home building in Florida and is a resource for builders and consumers. The first two pages of the guide recommend steps for eco-friendly swimming pool management.

Not surprisingly, the FGBC would prefer you didn’t have a pool or spa at all due to water evaporation, energy use and chemical use concerns.  However, if you want an eco-friendly swimming pool, or want to maintain and manage your existing pool in a more eco-sensitive way, there are four steps you can take to minimize the environmental impacts:

Install a sanitation system that reduces/eliminates chlorine use.  The constant use of chlorine liquid or tablets to sanitize and shock the pool is of primary concern. Chlorine degrades and evaporates quickly from the water, necessitating weekly replenishment. FGBC recommends using salt water pool systems, ionization or UV sanitation systems to reduce or eliminate the amounts of liquid or tablet chlorine used.

Eco-friendly swimming pools use pool covers. Swimming pool covers keep the pool cleaner, reducing chemical and filter maintenance costs. A pool cover also reduces the amount of water and chlorine lost to evaporation. And, covers help prevent heat loss, keeping your pool water comfortably warm, miminizing pool heater usage and possibly extending your swimming season.  FGBC recommends “transparent or lightly translucent [pool] covers” which allow the sun to warm the water.  Opaque pool covers are specifically recommended for Florida pools to minimize heat loss at night.

Use a more efficient swimming pool pump. FGBC estimates that a pool pump accounts for as much as 20% of a home’s electrical use. To reduce this energy expense, they recommend using a pump no larger that 1/2 hp (horsepower) per 10,000 gallons of pool water, paired with an oversized cartridge filter and 2″ diameter PVC pipes instead of the standard 1 1/2″.  For example, I have a 30,000 gallon pool and I need to replace my pump - it took a nasty shock during our last electrical storm (ugh!). So according to this, seems I’d look to replace my ailing pump with a new 1 1/2 hp model.

It’s recommended to put the pump on a timer and run it no more than 6 hours per day in summer, three hours in winter. Six hours is pretty long; unless you’ve got hordes swimming round the clock, you shouldn’t need nearly that.  I set my timer for four hours in summer; and the water’s beautiful. You might also consider putting the pump on solar power.

Use a solar pool heating system.  This would lessen electricity and gas dependence, and is definitely eco-friendly.  

With water shortages, drought and water contamination in the news, we need to look for ways to responsibly and sensitively manage our swimming pools.  While I can’t implement all of the FGBC’s recommendations (solar power is out - too many trees) I’m happy to know my salt water swimming pool is considered green. The pool cover is coming.  The pool pump is a must; and I’ll measure my pipes. Having an eco-friendly swimming pool is not without expense; but if taking these steps can help the environment I think it’s worth the price.

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