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THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS September 16, 2020 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
Given what I do for a living, it's fortunate that I have a deep and abiding love of water. I enjoy being in, on and near it. I even like water in the forms of mist and fog. I must declare, however, that living in the Pacific Northwest for more than three years in the early 1980s put me off a similar love of rain and, more specifically, led me to loathe
There’s no way around the fact that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are nasty stuff. They smell bad, they are highly flammable, they damage the atmosphere and they can be acutely toxic to human and other living beings. At the same time, however,
The following is the text, somewhat altered for this audience, of a letter I’ve sent a number of health departments in the course of working on projects for our clients. There is no doubt that the recent wave of legislation, codes and standards regarding suction entrapment has caused confusion – not just in the pool and spa industry, but also among lawmakers, inspectors and contractors as well as pool and spa owners. These mandates, however well intended, have all too often been confusing or contradictory and frequently reflect neither
I wasn’t surprised when Jim McCloskey suggested that it was high time for us to produce a Green Issue of WaterShapes: I’ve known him for more than 20 years and have long admired his dedication to environmentalism, recycling and keeping the planet healthy for his children and everyone else’s children as well – beliefs I wholeheartedly share. I was, however, caught a bit off guard by
If you've ever designed or installed commercial swimming pools in the United States, it's likely you're well acquainted with just how strange certain health department standards (and the officials who enforce them) can be. I've discussed this topic before, of course, but it's come back to mind in powerful ways in light of a couple recent experiences I've had - incidents that illustrate the issue to near-comedic perfection. Before I climb into these oddball scenarios, let me observe first of all that, in most cases, commercial codes are based on methods rather than results - and never the twain shall meet. Second, it's my observation that the restrictions we face in our country are, as a rule, far more
Some might say we're enduring the curse of living in interesting times; others might opine that the planet's just plain gone crazy. However you look at it, when you stop to consider what's been going on in the world, in our country and in the economy and how all of that relates to our watershaping corner of the universe, it's easy to see that important trends and even greater forces are constantly sweeping around us. So much is happening that it's often difficult to figure things out, but the most important observation I can make is that not all the news is gloomy - far from it. For a great many watershapers, in fact, business has thrived in recent times and expanded in new and exciting directions. That's so true for some that it's fair to say that there's been little or no time left for reflection. But I would argue that finding time to
The triennial publication of the National Electrical Code is an event of critical importance to any contractor or subcontractor performing electrical installations or repairs. First published in 1897 and produced since 1911 by the National Fire Protection Association, the NEC is now enforced in all 50 states and also serves as the basis for codes in several foreign nations. As has been the case with all editions published to date, the 1999 edition of the code is designed to ensure "the practical safeguarding of
Life’s Absurdities