In todays swimming pool & spa industry there are many different pool designs and extras to be had on a swimming pool to offer a unique look. If you know of a perfectionist upmarket pool builder who is very passionate about building custom designed pools and you have the financial means, you can pretty much achieve anything on a swimming pool, within reason of course. Pool builders who confidently and professionally construct these types of pools can normally only be found in the major cities. Pool companies of this calibre will always work to the quality of the job and not to a time frame so they are not cheap, but in the pool industry you only get what you pay for! Always be prepared to pay for this level of quality. You should not attempt to bargain down on price with a top end specialist pool builder as this will get you nowhere. There are many others who are willing to pay for his expertise so he will give his time to another customer instead of you if you want to negotiate his price.

There is a common mis-conception that installing a fibreglass pool is alot cheaper and much quicker than building an inground concrete pool. If you go back 20 or 30 years than this was very much the case, but in today’s pool industry it is not.
There are 2 main reasons for this –
1. Fibreglass pools are not as cheap to purchase as what they were in past decades.
2. These days fibreglass pools have almost identical pool copings to concrete pools. Once the fibreglass shell goes in a concrete bond beam is laid around the pool for the coping pavers to adhere to. This concrete bond beam should be allowed to cure for 28 days before pavers can be laid, the same curing process as a concrete pool. So the time frame of completing a fibreglass pool installation is only 1 or 2 weeks faster than building a concrete pool

Leaking swimming pools can be a real headache, especially when you have trouble locating the source of the leak. Too many pool owners have wasted thousands of dollars paying tradesman to fix leaking swimming pools, only to have the problem re-occur again and again. If you do not know exactly where the leak is coming from you will need to do a dye test. You can do this by using one of the coloured solution bottles in your pool water test kit. Just squirt around all the sources in the pool where water can escape, the pool returns, skimmer box, pool lights and especially the hydrostatic valve. The hydrostatic valve and pool lights are the most common source of leaks in pools. You should be able to clearly see where it is leaking as you will see the dye dissapear through the source of the leak. If this fails to get a result you may have a leak in the pool plumbing somewhere between the pool and the filter. The best method for locating leaks in PVC plumbing is to pressure test the lines.

WHEN EMPTYING AN INGROUND SWIMMING POOL ALWAYS ENSURE THE HYDROSTATIC VALVE HAS BEEN CLEARED AS SOON AS THE POOL IS EMPTY!!!

Whenever a pool is emptied, the hydrostatic valve must be cleared immediately, end of story! If a pool contractor is to empty your pool for whatever reason (this is often done overnight), make sure he is on site clearing the hydrostatic valve as soon as the pool is empty. Neglecting this important facet is what causes a swiiming pool to rise out of the ground. (see Hydrostatic Valve for more information). Never let a tradesman pump a pool out empty when it is raining, or has been raining heavily. I have personally seen pools that have popped out of the ground, and I have charged a fortune to repair them, and it is always because of one idiot that didn’t think, or worse still, didn’t know any better.

There are 2 styles of swimming pools, geometric and freeform. Geometric being a rectangular straight edge pool, and freeform pools being kidney shaped or twisted and turned to fit any landscape. If installing a freeform concrete pool there is one thing you will need to keep an on eye if you want to save some cash. Construction of a freeform pool is cheaper than a geometric pool as it will use less concrete, less excavation, less interior lining. If you want to know more you can go to the members area of pools exposed to have all your concerns clarified.

With ever rising electricity costs, pool pump manufacturers have been forced to produce multi-speed pumps to stay competitive. These pumps do work well, but will require additional monitoring by the owner than a regular pool pump. They start off on the top speed and after a short period of time automatically wind down to the lowest speed, using less electricity. However, these pumps are a little bit of false marketing, as when the pump runs on the lower speeds it pushes less water through the filter. This means that you will often have to run the pump for longer periods of time than you would with a regular pump, which means false economy to the home owner.

Another downside to these pumps is if there is a booster pump cleaner such as a Jetvac or Polaris is used in the pool. Running the pump on the lower speeds will cause the cleaner to not work effectively. If you do have this issue, the pump will need to operate on the top speed whilst the cleaner is functioning. The pump can be manually switched to the lower running speeds once the pool cleaner has been disabled.

Wishing all swimming pool & spa owners a happy healthy and prosperous 2012! Does each year seem to go faster or is it just my imagination?

Merry christmas to everybody out there in the world! Hope you all have a lovely time with friends and family and don’t get too drunk!

Best wishes for the new year my friends.

Safe swimming – Adam Glover

Pool and spa lights were a nightmare for decades and were often nothing but problems. Halogen pool lights would leak, get hot and melt, or work for only a short time before the globe that cost you $30 and took 1 hour to replace would need replacing again. Those days are all gone thanks to the introduction of LED lighting in swimming pools. LED lights will last up to 20,000 hours before the globe needs replacing, so for most pool owners this is the life of their pool. LED lights are not as bright as halogen pool lights, but are far superior in reliability. Led pool lights are also available in spectrum colours, this gives one light the ability to shine in numerous colours such as clear, blue, green, red and yellow etc. The light can be easily set to operate on just one colour at a time, or can flicker through the entire spectrum of colours periodically, giving a great effect at parties especially with multiple lights going off at the same time!

Often when a pool is completed and filled with water for the first time, leaks may occur around internal plumbing features, such as around the return to pool lines, or around the hydrostatic valve, or quite often the underwater lights. Professional pool builders are aware of the areas in a swimming pool where water can leak, and will usually take the necessary precautions before the pool is filled with water. In the Interior Finishes chapter of this site the importance of sealing around all interior features is explained in depth. Hopefully this was discussed with your pool company and your pool was finished correctly. There are a number of suitable products for repairing leaks around pipework. A hydraulic quick setting water proof cement such as Maxplug is a common choice. A two part epoxy mix which sets and expands under water called Emerkit, is often used. Emerkit can be purchased from most pool shops, but is not my ideal choice as it tends to break apart as it ages. Fittings should be removed before attempting to seal around pipes. Unless the pool is empty and dry, steer well away from silicone type products.