Features: Pools

by Kathryn Howard March 2018

Pool rails serve an essential purpose in the backyard: to ensure safe entry and egress from the water. But as important as they are, Larry Williams noticed something: In terms of design, they are often overlooked.

“When my parents were building their dream home, the builder encouraged them not to put in a swimming pool handrail because it would take away from the beauty of their yard,” Williams says. “When my mother got older, she was unable to get in and out of the...

by AQUA Editors March 2018

There are many different ways that package pool dealers use digital media to market their products. One company, MGK Pools in Lowell, Mass., has developed an innovative tool that empowers customers to essentially design their own pools. Called Pool Package Builder, the program is accessed on the company website, where potential buyers can peruse and select the features they want.

The page was introduced just last year, but according to company founder and owner, Michael Gordon Kern,...

by Kathryn Howard March 2018

One of the hardest aspects of swimming is learning when to breathe during each stroke. AMEO, a German company, has unveiled a product that may help: the Powerbreather, a redesigned snorkel.

Powerbreather's design is simple: two tubes wrap around the swimmer's head, where they inhale fresh air from...

by Eric Herman February 2018

For all of the innovation and creativity that has come to define the fiberglass pool industry, size has remained a limitation. Manufacturers point out that, after all, you can only ship shells up to a...

by Kathryn Howard February 2018

Philadelphia is full of carefully hidden secrets, one of which is a set of abandoned swimming pools underneath the Fairmont Water Works.

Originally built in 1793, the Fairmont Water Works has almost a century and a half of history before the swimming pools were constructed. The Water Works made...

by Kathryn Howard February 2018

With virtual reality becoming more and more common, its use as a tool for things other than entertainment is still being explored. One such use is exposure therapy, which exposes an individual to a phobia in a safe environment.

Take swimming, for example. One in five Swedish children are anxious around the...

by APSP Recreational Water Quality Committee (RWQC) January 2018

It’s hard to talk about bromine without mentioning chlorine, its main complement in leisure water sanitizing. Bromine is in the same chemical family as chlorine, and functions in much the same way. Bromine, like chlorine, is a sanitizer and oxidizer that destroys organic contaminants in pools and spas.

Bromine dominates spa sanitizing, and chlorine dominates pools, for practical reasons, among them chlorine’s sensitivity to high pH spikes (common in spas) and the fact that chlorine...

by Kathryn Howard January 2018

When you're going to the airport, you can always count on seeing a few things: a humdrum newsstand; bland, yet overpriced food and drinks; and stressed-out passengers.

Travelers passing through the Dominican Republic, however, can enjoy a far more luxurious experience: swimming on the airport's...

by AQUA Editors January 2018

Organizers of the World Aquatic Health Conference invite industry pros to save the date for this year’s event: October 10-12 at the Charleston Marriott in Charleston, S.C.

The WAHC is an educational conference designed to help aquatic industry professionals discuss, learn and network with like-minded people. Each year, attendees report having gained new information and valuable connections that directly benefit their field of...

by Cailley Hammel December 2017

What does the future hold for backyard design? As it turns out, it’ll likely have something to do with the color purple.

Last week, Pantone announced its new Color of the Year: Ultra Violet. This “dramatically provocative and thoughtful shade” was chosen for its complexity, counterculture sensibilities (Prince was an early pioneer of Ultra Violet, after all) and mystical qualities. As Pantone writes on its...