Overview of Swimming Pool Equipment



Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009

by Michael Peterson
InTheSwim

When you invest in a swimming pool, you want to make sure that your pool keeps looking like new. You also want to make sure that the water is clean and your swimmers safe. In order to achieve these goals, it's necessary to have certain pieces of swimming pool equipment on hand to help you maintain your pool and to create a safe and enjoyable swimming environment. While there are practically endless options when it comes to available pool supplies, some of the most important types of equipment for swimming pools include filters and pumps, cleaners and skimmers, heaters, covers and safety equipment.

Every swimming pool, whether above ground or in-ground, should have a plumbing system consisting of a pool filter and a pool pump. The purpose of the pump is to pull water in from one or more suction ports and to circulate it through the filter so that contaminants and debris can be removed. The pump then returns the clean water to the pool through the return ports. As the clean water is propelled back into the swimming pool, the pump also serves to circulate the water within the pool. This is beneficial in the sense that it helps to distribute chemicals throughout the water. Swimming pool pumps are essential for keeping pools safe for swimming and should therefore be at the top of every pool owner's list of necessary swimming pool equipment supplies.

Filters work hand-in-hand with pool pumps and are also vital to proper pool maintenance. The three main types of pool filters are cartridge filters, sand filters and diatomaceous earth (DE) filters. Each category uses a different filtration medium but they all serve the same purpose -- to remove debris and potentially harmful contaminants from the water before it is returned to the swimming pool. As the pump propels water through the filter, microorganisms and debris particles become trapped in the cartridge, sand or diatomaceous earth, allowing only clean water to pass through and continue on through the circulation system. Along with pool pumps, filters are absolutely essential equipment for swimming pools as they help to keep the water free of potentially dangerous pollutants.

While pool equipment such as filters and pumps work to remove invisible contaminants as well as some visible debris from the pool water, it's also important to have other swimming pool equipment supplies on hand to keep your pool sparkling clean. For instance, every pool owner's inventory of swimming pool equipment should include pool cleaners and skimmers. Pool skimmers are available as wall skimmers and handheld skimmers and are excellent for collecting and removing leaves and other large debris that tend to stay near the surface of the water. Other cleaning equipment for pools includes stain erasers, scrub brushes and pool vacuums. Available in manual, automatic and robotic models, pool vacuum cleaners allow you to keep the floor and walls of your pool clean and looking like new.

In order to extend your swimming season or to simply make swimming more comfortable, particularly in cooler climates, you may wish to add a pool heater to your collection of swimming pool equipment. Pool heaters can increase and maintain the temperature of your pool water and offer a number of excellent heating options. For example, this category of pool equipment is available in gas, heat pump and solar models. As their names suggest, gas pool heaters are powered by gas while solar pool heaters use the sun to create heating energy. Heat pump heaters capture heat from the ambient air and transfer it into the pool to increase the water's temperature. While different models vary in price, all top-quality pool heaters will allow you to enjoy a comfortable and longer swimming season.

If you do not wish to use a pool heater but still would like to raise the temperature of your pool or at least prevent heat loss during the night, solar pool covers provide a great alternative. Now a very popular type of equipment for pools, solar covers feature thousands of tiny air bubbles which help to transfer energy from the sun into the pool water. Solar pool covers also act as insulators, preventing heat loss through evaporation. At the same time, they also prevent chemical loss through evaporation, allowing you to save money on both heating and chemical costs.

Last but certainly not least, safety equipment for swimming pools should be an important consideration for all pool owners. While pools provide an excellent environment for fun and recreation, they can also be extremely hazardous, especially for young children. In order to prevent tragedy, pool owners should seriously consider purchasing and installing safety swimming pool equipment such as pool alarms and pool safety fences. Safety fences provide a barrier around the pool, preventing children and pets from accessing the pool. As for pool alarms, this type of safety swimming pool equipment will detect water displacement, triggering an alarm when objects as small as the equivalent of an 18-pound child enter the water. As a result, safety pool equipment supplies not only provide extra security, they also provide peace of mind.

Michael Peterson is an experienced specialist in pool supplies and products. He describes different types of swimming pool equipment and explains its importance. His quick guide will help you prepare a list of necessary in-ground or above ground swimming pool equipment for ongoing pool maintenance.

This Article has been viewed 60 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.