pool

Iridescent Perfection
In my career, I've applied lots of fine finishes to swimming pools, spas, fountains and other types of waterfeatures.  Most often we work with glass tile, but we also keep our hands in a variety of ceramic or porcelain tiles, various mosaics and, generally, what most would call classy, top-flight materials.   No two projects are ever quite the same, but the procedures we follow are:  In every case, we at Rock Solid Tile (Calabasas, Calif.) end up having to work through imperfections in the concrete shells left for us by builders and their concrete crews - and that's true even if they're experienced and have
RicoRock Introduces Structural Grotto/Cave System
RicoRock (Orlando, FL) now offers builders an improved system for adding custom structural grottos and…
Hayward Offers 115V Variable-Speed Replacement Pump
Hayward Pool Products (Elizabeth, NJ) has introduced the Super Pump VS 115V, a variable-speed pump…
A Path to Enlightenment
I started out on the construction side of the pool industry nearly 20 years ago.  Back then, I probably experienced the building process a good 500 times, picking up insights into what determined the level of success of each project.   As time passed, I found myself being drawn to the design side:  I saw it as a way to put all of those insights to good use; more important, I knew it was where I could do the most good for homeowners. In making the transition, I
On the Beam
'Every single project I design and build,' wrote David Tisherman near the top of his Details column in July 2005, 'is fully, individually engineered, and I refuse to make any assumptions on my own about what might be needed in a set of plans to create a sound structure.  If any builder anywhere thinks that he or she knows enough to get by without support from a structural engineer, well, that's just asking for trouble.' 'I know what I don't know, frankly, and I sleep well at night knowing that
Zodiac Pool Systems Releases AquaLink Z4 Controller
Zodiac Pool Systems (Vista, CA) has launched the new Aqualink Z4, a pool/spa control system…
Neptune Benson Offers ProStrainer Products
Neptune Benson (Coventry, RI) has acquired the ProStrainer line from ProFlo. These lightweight, low-profile, small-footprint,…
Chemical-Free? Really?
It started a couple years ago:  More and more often, I was meeting clients who wanted great pools and spas that involved no chemical enhancement - just the water itself. These were generally people who had studied up.  They had rejected dichlor and trichlor and were opposed to any kind of cyanurate presence.  They'd considered saltwater pools until they figured out that chlorine was part of the package.  They'd looked at ozone and were concerned
The Evolving Studio
I've been working with digital design technology for nearly ten years at this point, and I have to say that the rate of change with both the software and the hardware has been rapid enough to make a casual observer's head spin.  And that's fine, because those of us who've been involved with it from the beginning have come to expect no less. In my case, however, I didn't start out with computer design.  In fact, I'd been working as
2015/4.1, April 8 — Cascade Mastery, Hydraulic Balance, Digital Pioneering and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS March 18, 2015 www.watershapes.com DIGITAL DESIGN…