By Leigha Faulkner
Today’s pools are fun and fascinating with everything from water features to built-in slides. Continuing the trend of the past several years, pool purchases continue to show an increase among Brazos Valley residents. This summer, keep in mind several tips for the latest in pool design ideas and maintenance.
Design:
Water features have been a popular, recent addition in pool design. Waterfalls, fountains and jets are not only an aesthetically pleasing addition to a pool, but also provide water flow, which lowers the pool temperature around five to seven degrees, says Brannon Wright, owner of Clear Water Pool Company.
“Freeform lagoon-style pools involving rockwork and detail are popular,” says Will Sinclair, Sunshine Fun Pools swimming pool consultant. “Similarly we’ve seen an increase in clean-line pools built with high-end materials.” Depth design is another change in pool trends. “In the last five or six years, pools are not as deep as they used to be because people are wanting more usable space,” says Wright. Instead of opting for deep diving areas, owners are now designing pools with a uniform depth, providing more standing space for activities such as pool volleyball.
Maintenance:
Eco-friendly equipment tops the trends in pool maintenance.
A variable speed motor pump, one of the more popular, energy efficient products on the market, offers several adjustable speed settings to provide optimal efficiency. “Before, [motors] just turned on or off. Now, you can switch the variable motors to the lowest speed and it uses almost no electricity,” says Wright. During the winter when pools aren’t in use the motors can be switched down and still keep the pool clean through constant sanitation.
Another system new to the market is an in-floor cleaning system, which brings water from the bottom of the pool to the top, allowing the debris to flow to the skimmers. Many pool experts agree these cleaning systems are an improvement over the standard automatic pool cleaners.
A pool is an integral part of a person’s backyard. “Whether it’s for recreational purposes, family time or parties,” Sinclair says, “buyers need to know they are taking on a living, breathing system that needs to be maintained alongside their house and yard.”
5 Trends for Home Pool Design & Maintenance
1. Freeform lagoon style with rockwork
2. Shallow “play pools” instead of diving pools
3. Variable Speed Motors/Pumps to save money
4. In-floor cleaning systems for efficiency
5. Waterfalls and fountains for aesthetics and water cooling
