Swim Suite: Swimming Pool Accessories

Nothing like taking a splash in your private pool to refresh yourself in the hot summer after slogging it out the whole day! As a pool owner, it is but natural to be aware of the different swimming pool accessories available. In fact, the key to having a great pool is to get a bunch of high quality pool accessories. Whether you are talking about water filters, dosing pumps or Ro purifiers, good quality machines can make the task of maintaining a clean pool easier. There are numerous of such products available in the market. While you can still use old school machinery, the newer technology and equipment offer a much better output in lesser time. Read on for a guide on the latest accessories in the market you can use for your swimming pool and how to select these.

Filters: The modern filters are built in fiberglass with the latest engineering technology. The winding design in the fiberglass equipment allows extra resistance and strength against damages due to corrosives and chemicals. These are the most recommended type of filters for water treatment in swimming pools. These are meant to carry out the basic activities of filtering (i.e. vacuuming and filtration), backwash (cleaning by reverse flow), automatic rinsing (to clean the filter after use) and recirculation of water. The fiberglass filters are available in many designs like top mounted, side mounted, cartridge filter, commercial filter etc.

•    Motor Pumps: The latest technology in motor pumps is the centrifugal motor pump. These ensure high levels of performance to maximize water turnover rate. Designed for effortless repairs and maintenance, the centrifugal pumps are easy to install and use.

•    Cleaning Equipment: These include leaves skimmer, wall brushes, water testing kits, suction heads, telescopic poles etc. Commonly available in all hardware stores, these are used for daily maintenance and cleaning activities. There are many varieties of cleaning equipment available in the market; however it is recommended that you purchase the good quality ones which will last you for a long time.

•    Underwater lights: You need to be extra careful while selecting underwater lights for your pool. It is extremely important that the wiring is water proof and the materials used are non corrosive to ensure safety. Remember that the lights are not just meant for beauty, but have a basic purpose of providing adequate light at nighttime. It is strongly recommended that you get a proper diagram and a plan drawn for light installation in your pool. Among the various products available, the LED lights are considered to be the safest and most economical in the long run.

The above mentioned tools are some of the basic ones required for installing a swimming pool. There are other above ground swimming pool accessories that you can install like heaters, ladders and alarms. Among heater, solar powered ones have become very popular as these are eco friendly and also reduce your electricity bills substantially. Although many of these swimming pools accessories have do – it – yourself installation instructions, it is strongly recommended that you call in experts to install and test the equipment for safety purposes. Whether you choose to go for an in ground or above ground pool, remember that swimming pool accessories that you choose to install will make a marked difference in your pool’s look and performance.

photo credit: Clintus McGintus

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

How to Maintain Your Swimming Pool Accessories

Overview
If you are looking for a good way to keep your swimming pool accessories maintained, then this article should help you. The best way to keep your swimming pools accessories in good shape is to have an effective way to clean and store them when they’re not in use.

Cleaning your Swimming Pool Accessory
When you’re not using your swimming pool accessories, it’s important to keep them clean. Cleaning them will have several important benefits. First and foremost is that this will help to extend their useful lifetime so that you will be able to get the most enjoyment from them.

Just as your above ground swimming pool has a liner that has been treated to withstand the effects of pool chemicals, your pool accessories will also be affected by those chemicals. So when you know that they won’t be in use for an extended period, be sure to rinse them off and make sure that they’re dry before being put away.

Cleaning them off before storage for the night or the week or the off season will also benefit you and your pool. When you go to use then the next time, they will still be clean, and so should introduce the minimum of foreign particles and bacteria to your pool, which will help keep the pool clean as well.

Storing Your Swimming Pool Accessory
The next best thing to do to help maintain your swimming pool accessories is to make sure that you have a covered storage area for them. When you’re not using them, if they’re not baking out in the sun, they will last much longer if they are not exposed unnecessarily to extra UV rays.

Plus as mentioned above, if you store them in a cabinet or locker, they will have less dirt and dust collecting on them when they are not in use. And having a place to keep your swimming pool accessories will help to keep the pool area looking clean and inviting, so that when you come home after a hard day at work, you will know where your favorite pool accessory is and you can jump right in.

Reaping the Benefits
Keeping your swimming pool accessories clean takes a bit of effort, but the benefits are definitely worth it. You keep your accessories in good shape longer. Your pool stays cleaner. And your pool area is more inviting.  Doing the maintenance regularly will keep your enjoyment level of your above ground swimming pool high.

photo credit: Stig Nygaard

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

10 Reasons to Own Above-Ground Swimming Pools

Overview

There are many reasons to own above-ground swimming pools. This article will delve into the top list of reasons that would make you want to own one.

10 Reasons to Own an Above-Ground Swimming Pool

1. Bring the Family Closer Together
   Above-ground swimming pools are a great place to get together as a family. Starting with your young children and teaching them to swim to having pool parties at all their birthdays, your pool can be the place where you make your family memories.
2. Relaxation
   Swimming is the perfect way to relieve the stress of your afternoon commute. Coming home and jumping into above the ground swimming pools is the best way forget a hard day at the office for many people.
3. Social Events
   Pools make a great place to have a block party for the neighborhood kids in the summer, or for an after-hours get-together for the office. Birthdays and extended family gatherings are always great events to have around the pool.
4. Limited Space
   If you live in the city, or just don’t have that big a lot, then you definitely should think about this kind of pool. There are many brands of pools that come in very small sizes, such as intex above ground swimming pools or pools by Atlantis. Sizes start at 12′ around.
5. Physical Fitness
   Swimming is one of the best exercises for overall fitness. It’s low impact and is a high calorie burner. It’s also a cross-body coordinating activity. Such activities are supposed to help reduce the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s.
6. Privacy
   One of the best things about having your own pool is that you don’t have to share with anyone else if you don’t want to. If you’re the kind of person who values alone-time, then having a pool in the back yard surrounded by a privacy fence can be the perfect oasis to get away to.
7. Do it Yourself Option
   Do you enjoy building major projects yourself? Above-ground swimming pool kits are readily available. And there are lots of resources on the web to help you if you get stuck at some point in the installation process. You might also want to ask your dealer if they provide phone help before you make your decision.
8. Improve the Look and Feel of Your Home
   This can be true if you take the time and make the investment in additional swimming pool accessories such as above ground pool decks and privacy fences.
9. Costs Compared to Inground Pools
   The construction costs of inground pools is substantially higher than the cost of discount above the ground swimming pools. There’s no excavation expenses. Less room is needed, and your pool can be set up much more quickly.

10. Beat the Heat in the Summer
    Do you live in the US in the lower 48? Chances are that it’s hot in the summer. There’s nothing better than jumping into the pool on a hot day to cool off.

Conclusion
Owning a pool is easy to do and there are tons of places to find above ground swimming pools for sale. These 10 reasons are some of the best reasons to get one.

photo credit: DrBacchus

Pool Floats for Everyone

Okay, you’ve got your pool and you’re really excited to use it. So now it’s time to think about your swimming pool accessories, specifically pool floats. What are they, who can use them, and why would you want one?

Pool floats are quite simply anything that floats in your pool and supports you or a member of your swimming party at the surface of the pool. And they come in all shapes, sizes and special uses. There are your basic floats such as a donut shaped float, and loungers. And there are your specialty floats such as loungers, floating four person bars and toddler and infant floats. (Please drink responsibly when swimming!)

Surprisingly, there are even accessories for your pool floats to keep in mind. You might want to have on hand a good air pump for those floats that are inflatable, and perhaps a patch kit if they spring a leak. And if you like to stay organized, you might want to get set some place to keep all those swimming pool accessories such as a pool organizer or cabinet.

And there is a wide range of uses for pool floats besides just aquatic antics! There are tons of floats for toddlers and infants that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You might find some zoo animal or bull dozer shaped floats for kids to play with. You can also find arm floats and life preservers for the little guys to keep them safe during their pool time.

For adults who are looking to exercise, there are pool floats that can help you do just that. There are arm and leg weights for pool walking or jogging. And for those lucky enough to have a lap pool, look for hip and ankle fins that helps in resistance training.

The main reason why someone would want to use a pool float is to enhance the swimming pool experience, whether you have an above-ground swimming pool or an inground swimming pool. And one of the best parts of having your floats is that they are mostly fairly portable, so you can take them with you on vacation when you know you’re going to have the opportunity to go for a swim.

So for safety, skill-building, exercise and relaxation, there’s likely a float to fit your needs.

photo credit: mia3mom

The Different Types of Above Ground Swimming Pools

As I was thinking about what kind of an above-ground swimming pool I might want to get, I realized that it might be a good idea to look into the different types of pools that are available on the market currently. And I realized that this might be something that would be interesting to many people. So what kinds of materials are being used? What sizes do they come in? And what price ranges are typical for all of these different types?

One of the first basic differences is the difference between a hard and soft walled pool. Traditionally, above ground pools were made of metal, typically steel. They then have a vinyl pool liner attached to the edge of the walls to retain the water of the pool. These pools are typically cheaper than more recent designs of pool types, such as the soft walled pool. They also usually come in the round or oval shape.

Soft walled pools are pretty interesting. The material used to make them has to be really strong, since the pool liner is also the outer wall. Typically the material used is the same as that found in bullet proof vests. While being more expensive, it definitely makes it a more durable choice over the hard shell pools.

The amount of room you have for a pool will certainly determine what size of pool you purchase. The area where the pool is to be installed needs to be leveled in preparation for placement of the pool. The typical size of pool starts at 12’ round. This is a great size if you have a small level lot. If you have more room, you can start to look at rectangular pools that can go up in size as large as 32 to 40 feet in length.

There is a huge range of price difference for above ground swimming pools. If you look for cheap above ground pools online, you’ll be able to find tons of places with sale prices as low as $800-1200. If you’re looking for something that you could use as a lap pool, you could easily spend up to $8000, including all the swimming pool accessories you might need such as swimming pool chemicals, pool ladders, pool filters and pumps.

The bottom line is to balance the size you want with the space you have and still leave room in your budget for the gear you need to make your above ground swimming pool the private oasis you’re dreaming of.

Pros and Cons of Above Ground Swimming Pools vs. Inground Pools

Have you thought that you might like to have a swimming pool to beat the summer heat or to relax in after a hard day’s work? Have you thought that it’s great to dream about having a swimming pool, but the cost or the maintenance or a multitude of other factors keeps you from really looking into getting a pool?

It’s easy to come up with a list of why you might want to have a pool. You might like to be able to come home after a long hot day at work, slip on your bathing suit and start relaxing in the pool. It’s a stress reliever. It can also be a great way to get some regular exercise. And it can be a great way to have a social event such as a kid’s birthday party, or after work get-together.

Here is a list of some reasons to choose to get an above-ground swimming pool.

• Cost – Generally speaking, the cost of above ground swimming pools is much less than that of inground pools. And this cost difference can often apply  to the cost of pool accessories as well such as automatic pool cleaners and pool heaters. Sometimes if you watch sales you can even find a discount above ground swimming pool.

• Less maintenance – Maintenance is a fairly easy process at the end of the season. Simply drain the pool and cover it. You also don’t have to worry as much about your pool cracking and leaking.

• Space –  If space is an issues, and it often is in urban and suburban areas, one of the nice features about above-ground swimming pools is that that they can take up much less space than an in ground pool.

• Quick installation – Installation doesn’t require the work of a lengthy excavation. You’re up and running quickly, and with the lower costs it’s easier to think about getting a larger variety of swimming pool accessories like above ground pool decks and pool slides.

Here are some drawbacks of above ground swimming pools to consider that might make you lean towards an inground pool:

• Depth of pool – These pools generally are not as deep and are always the same depth.  There won’t be a deep end to jump into.

• Size issues – Part of what keeps the costs of an above-ground swimming pool down is that the size is generally smaller. This means that there won’t be as many people in the pool at the same time. If you’re planning on entertaining a lot with your pool, then this would be something to take into consideration.If you’re hoping to have a lap pool, definitely remember that this is a limitation for these pools.

• Easier to damage – Since they are above ground, you’ll want to make sure to minimize the likelihood of running into the outside of the pool. You’ll want to consider pool designs that include swimming pool decks that wrap around and guard the outside of your pool.

Whichever way you go, just remember to brainstorm your list of likely uses, and I hope that this list helps to get you started!