The Best Pool Accessories

Now that summer has rolled around, every family needs a certain number of pool accessories to turn a backyard pool or the neighborhood pool into the funnest spot to be.  Swimming pool accessories are either practical or simply enjoyable; all are designed to accommodate swimmers in quantity or quality.  The two basic types of accessories are in water and out of water.

In water swimming pool accessories are meant to help kids swim and parents relax.  Inflatable plastic rafts are a great way to leisurely float about, working on a tan or reading a book while enjoying the cool air coming across the water’s edge.  Inflatable rafts take only about a minute to fully pump up and are fairly cheap, coming in at only ten to twenty dollars at any retail store.  Some rafts are simple planks, others are far more complex, boasting cup holders, double seats, back rests, cushions, and even foot powered wheels for locomotion.  Parents enjoy taking it easy on rafts, while kids mostly enjoy tipping them over and into the water!

Inflatable tubes are a great way to assist poor swimmers or just take a load off while you paddle about.  The quintessential swimming pool accessory is the inflatable waist ring, designed to keep anyone of any age afloat.  This is a great safety tool for younger kids or even babies — with proper supervision, naturally — who could not swim otherwise, allowing them to paddle about to their hearts’ content.  Inflatable tubes cost about the same as inflatable rafts.

Pool noodles need not be blown up, as the synthetic material traps air and makes it far too light to sink under water.  Pool noodles are just as often used to buoy a child as they are for a match of pretend sword fighting, and some parents have to be careful that the noodles are not used too rashly.  Noodles are extremely cheap, often as low as five dollars, so it is not uncommon for families to take as many as a dozen at a time.

Not all accessories need be taken into the water, some help make it more intriguing from the outside.  Slides and diving boards allow anyone to jump straight on in with a fun twist; case in point, the number of kids waiting in line for their turn!  Diving boards can be set up at heights just a few feet off the water, or to Olympic sized heights of three dozen feet.  Similarly, a slide can be a simple forty five degree angle plastic chute, or can curl around and around before depositing the inhabitant into the water.  Slides and diving boards are more expensive than simple float toys, and may cost as much as a thousand dollars for purchase and installation.

Above ground pool accessories may be the costliest of all, as many above ground pools are designed for heating or even hot tubs.  Custom heaters cost several thousand dollars, but many customers claim the feeling of the hot water is well worth the investment.  Have professional plumbers install any heating apparatus to an above ground pool for proper effect.
photo credit: cdsessums

The Quickest Ways to Ruin Your Pool Accessories

You have a great above ground swimming pool and you take care of it. But what about your pool accessories?  You pay good money to get a typical swimming pool accessory. If you want to find out what the quickest ways to ruin them are, then you’ll want to read this article. Specifically we’ll discuss how not to care for them, improper storage methods and negative effects of dirty pool accessories on your pool.

After reading this article, you should be able to see why you should take care of your accessories.

How Not to Care for Above Ground Pool Accessories
One of the worst things that you can do to your accessories is to leave them floating in the pool when you’re done swimming. This leaves them exposed to the negative effects of both your pool chemicals, while also leaving them unprotected from the harmful effects of UV rays from the sun. Only slightly better is to remove them from the pool but still leaving them out. This at least gets them out of the active effects of the pool chemicals.

What Not to Do When You Store Your Pool Accessory

When you do go to putting your pool accessories away, whether at the end of the day or the end of the season, if you haven’t cleaned them off with clean water, and then dried them off, you’re simply asking for mold and mildew to form on them. This is especially true at the end of the season. They’ll stay wet longer which gives mildew that much more opportunity to grow.

What Dirty Swimming Pool Accessories Do to Your Pool

If you didn’t take the time to clean your accessories at the end of the season, and then the next season rolls around, imagine what will be going into your pool if you don’t take the time to clean them. All the mold and mildew that built up over the cold season will go straight into the pool. Obviously the pool chemicals will handle this, but it will use them up faster. This will cost more money to replace the chemicals sooner.

Conclusion

Take the time to look at your pool accessories’ manufacturers recommended cleaning methods. By not taking the time to properly care for your pool accessories, you’ll shorten their useful time, and cost yourself more money replacing them sooner.

photo credit: jessicafm

The Top Three Pool Accessories That Everyone Needs

Overview
Now that you have your above ground swimming pool, it’s time to think about the swimming pool accessories that you need to complete the package and make your pool into the center of relaxation and enjoyment that you dreamed about.

This article will review the top three pool accessories that everyone should have, and will also take a look at a number of additional accessories that are very nice to have.

Top Three Pool Accessories
There are several categories that the top three pool accessories come from – cleaning products, swimming pool floats and toys, and safety devices.

The most important of all pool accessories that everyone should have is a pool alarm system. These alarms vary, but all will tell you when your pool has been accessed when you weren’t expecting it to be. Even if you aren’t a parent and don’t have any pets, it still makes sense to have one in case of neighbor kids or rodents.

The second important cleaning accessory that you will add to your above ground pool accessories list is an accessory that removes leaves and debris that land in your pool. The best type of debris removers run off the suction of your pool pump so that the water is filtered through them. They range in style from ones that sit in the pool to ones that attach to the filter line before the water reaches the filter.

The third swimming pool accessory that you should make part of your set is some favorite pool floats. Whether it is a lounger for one for you to lounge on after work, or a bar set for four adults to hold a cold beverage, or a nice inflatable animal for the kids to play on, you should have a selection of pool floats to choose from for any occasion.

Other Accessories That Are Useful Too
There are a number of additional pool accessories that are very nice to have as well. These include a variety of intex pool accessories such as outdoor solar showers and safety rings, to
and floating lights.

Conclusion
Now that you’ve taken the time to investigate the particular pool accessories that you need to add to your list, you should be prepared when you find the right ones for you when you go looking for them next time online or at your local pool store.

photo credit: twoshortplanks