Pool equipment: all about water treatment, elements and accessories

Regardless of location, business sector or target audience, every pool facility needs to have water in optimal clean conditions. This means that water treatment systems are an essential part of pool equipment. Beyond cleanliness, they also help extend the life of all pool components and accessories , and provide energy savings for the operators.

When deployed correctly, water treatment equipment is seamlessly integrated together, ensuring water recirculation (this is the case of pumps). Water recirculation systems can also be combined with reutilization systems , which can help reusing the water for sanitary purposes or filter backwashing.

Disinfection systems remove impurities and potential harmful contaminants from the water. They are key to keeping the water within safe operating parameters. On the one hand, filters perform a mechanical cleaning. On the other, chemical disinfection operations are performed manually or by various systems (including Saline chlorination, Neolysis, Freepool2 ), and they involve adding products to the pool, such as chlorine tablets, flocculation products, etc. For temporary competition events, there is also a great plug-and-play solution called Nefrona, which quickly provides all necessary water treatment operations during the necessary period.

All these processes and related parameters can be controlled and automated through smart control systems such as Fluidra Connect and displayed at the facility screens with the InnfoPool solution. These applications provide peace of mind and create a modern smart pool.

Regarding water temperature, there is pool equipment intended to regulate it, as well as tools to control the air temperature and its humidity. Air and humidity is controlled through dehumidifiers that also disinfect air with UV, while water temperature can be controlled and maintained at the desired or required temperature through efficient heat pumps .

Finally, all the physical and functional elements of a pool must be cleaned and maintained as well. From the pool basin itself to the surrounding accessories and elements that we will see next, all of them can be cleaned manually or with automatic solutions. Automatic robot cleaners are an excellent option for daily cleaning, sweeping the swimming pool basin without any additional effort. However, small areas beyond their reach and other pool surrounding elements must be cleaned manually with special disinfection products and tools, always taking into account the materials they are made from.

Each swimming pool will have certain pieces of pool equipment: ladders, handrails , lighting, etc. Some swimming pool elements, however, could be found only in specific settings or for particular purposes.

For example, ornamental or leisure elements such as waterfalls and massage jets can be added to swimming pools in hotels, sport clubs or wellness facilities. These can enhance the pool’s appeal, while providing additional relaxation options for users. In resorts, water parks and leisure centres, other pool equipment include slides for the whole family to enjoy, especially in themed spaces.

Lastly, another element present in both sport and leisure pools is a pool cover. This is a great accessory for keeping water temperatures constant, thus helping pool operators save energy and costs when the pool is not being used. A thermal pool cover can even absorb the sun’s rays during the day. All covers are also excellent safety features, since they prevent accidental falls.

Any venue that hosts competitions needs to comply with World Aquatics (former FINA) requirements and feature a number of specific swimming pool accessories. The four main categories of this type of pool equipment are as follows:

• Marking elements for providing visual cues to swimmers:

• • Competition lane ropes, which demarcate pool lanes and reduce waves created by the swimmers. They must include floats with specific dimensions and a stainless steel hook. There are green, blue and yellow colours for specific lanes. Lane ropes can also be used to demarcate water polo fields.
  • Backstroke turn indicators: posts and flags must be installed at specific points in the pool.
  • False start signage: either a false start rope or recall spans the width of the swimming pool to alert swimmers in case of a false start.
  • Stowable storage reels are placed under podium platforms and serve as anchors and storage for lane ropes.

• Competition functional elements :

• • Starting block platforms ideally made from stainless steel and plastic grating, on which starting blocks are placed;
  • Starting blocks. Used to jump into the water, they have specific distance requirements. They are made from stainless steel with a polished finish and must feature anti-slip material;
  • Turning panel suspended between two lane ropes, to make turns more comfortable;
  • Diving platforms and springboards;
  • Sparger is a special accessory for diving training that helps soften the diver’s landing into the water by releasing air bubbles from the bottom of the pool;
  • Water polo balls and goals.

• Timing elements are essential equipment for competitive swimming, diving and water sports:

• • Semi-automatic wired or wireless equipment with manual activation;
  • Fully automatic systems with an integrated touchpad;
  • Anti-slip touchpads;
  • High-resolution camera systems for open water competitions can help monitor the finish line;
  • Input terminals for judges on diving and synchronised competitions, connected wirelessly to the timing network and the evaluation computer;
  • Shot clocks for water polo.

One last side of pool equipment focuses on optimizing, or better using, the available space. They can create a more versatile environment and ensure that facilities are used to their full potential during and after a competition.

Some examples are:

• Movable bulkhead divides the pool into different spaces or lengths, creating more options for use. A vertical underwater structure moves lengthwise across the pool floor to form a physical barrier. It moves by means of two mechanical flywheels, which can be manual or automatic.

• Movable wall is installed at a fixed point on the pool floor dividing the pool into two parts. In rest position, when the wall is not in use, the wall is completely flat in a recess on the pool floor. In a newly built swimming pool, the wall is integrated in a structural recess, so it’s not visible in its resting position.

• Movable floor makes it possible to use one single pool to simultaneously host several activities that require different depths of water. For example, it allows one section of the pool to be used as a lap pool, while using the other for leisure activities or rehabilitation exercises. The system is based on a mobile platform submerged in the water that changes the height of the pool floor. If needed, the floor can be moved right up to the surface, in which case it will effectively act as a pool cover.