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It's a plain fact: Nothing cools the affection of a new owner faster than confronting an under-equipped swimming pool's need for lots of routine maintenance. He or she doubtless wanted the watershape for the good times it would provide; vacuuming the walls and floors and skimming leaves off the surface were definitely not part of the conceptual bargain. That's why, as this video relates, it's so important to include some form of automatic cleaning system along with the pool right from the start. Yes, there are
In any given project, it's almost certain that we'll figure out a new way to nick or tear some spot on the 45-mil EPDM liners we use in our ponds. Sometimes it's a sharp edge on a heavy boulder we're jockeying into place; other times it's the random sort of harm to be done by shovel blades, knives, screwdrivers, awls and other tools you can't get away from on a job site. The great thing about EPDM liners is that repairing nicks and cuts is
Golden Goggles Awards: Which Swimmer Was Named "Female Athlete of the Year"?
If you've spent any time at all looking through the ARTICLES section of WaterShapes.com, I'm certain you'll have noticed that we've been busy: At this point, nearly 1,500 articles have been uploaded to the site, all of them configured in easily searchable .html format. This treasure trove of information has been broken down into topical groups to make the process of navigating everything
Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck Swimming Is All the Rage for Some in Kabul, Afghanistan
While I was in Las Vegas at the International Pool|Spa|Patio Expo, a young gentleman I'd never met before approached the booth and asked, "So what's the difference between Essential and Platinum Reflections?" "That's simple," I replied, pointing out that Essentials in the twice-monthly WaterShapes EXTRA newsletter are articles I see as being must reading for anyone who
In large parts of the country, pool owners are happy that there's no need to winterize their watershapes the way it's typically done across the northern states: No need to shut down systems, draw down the water level and cover things up tight from October until March or April. In lots of warmer places, however, there's a benefit to adapting a component of those seasonal northern practices for the worthy purpose of keeping leaves in Texas or Florida or California from
In large parts of the country, pool owners are happy that there's no need to winterize their watershapes the way it's typically done across the northern states: No need to shut down systems, draw down the water level and cover things up tight from October until March or April. In lots of warmer places, however, there's a benefit to adapting a component of those seasonal northern practices for the worthy purpose of keeping leaves in Texas or Florida or California from
I've often seen rock placement described as an "improvisational art" by others who've written for WaterShapes, and I couldn't agree more. Once the liner's in place and it's time to dress it up with everything from large boulders to tiny gravel, I get the sense that this is less a construction task than it is an exercise in creative manipulation. You'll see some of that creativity on display in the two videos linked below, but what you'll also see is that experience really does count: In setting rocks in place, you end up handling and rotating and flipping and fine-tuning the positioning of dozens or hundreds or even
I've often seen rock placement described as an "improvisational art" by others who've written for WaterShapes, and I couldn't agree more. Once the liner's in place and it's time to dress it up with everything from large boulders to tiny gravel, I get the sense that this is less a construction task than it is an exercise in creative manipulation. You'll see some of that creativity on display in the two videos linked below, but what you'll also see is that experience really does count: In setting rocks in place, you end up handling and rotating and flipping and fine-tuning the positioning of dozens or hundreds or even