Pool Water Design – Creating “Gourmet” Water

I’m always thrilled when one of our prospective clients decides they’d like to experience our SRK HydroZone 3® pool water for themselves. It’s happened quite a few times over the years and literally without exception, when someone takes a test dip in one of our pools, they insist on having the same water quality in their pool.

Time and time again, our clients have told us they did not know pool water could look so beautiful and feel so refreshing until they tried swimming in one of our pools. While the immediate impact may seem almost like some kind of magic trick, the truth is it’s the result of decades of disciplined study and application. Fact is, you cannot achieve artisan pool water quality without the hand of a System Design Specialist, or as I titled my first book, a Water Quality Professional.

It’s a discipline that only exists in practice. It’s not a formal profession, per se, at least not yet. But it is one that is gaining popularity. Much of our experience over the years has been in commercial and public pool settings, largely because businesses and institutions that own and operate pools have so much at stake when it comes to pool water quality. The health and safety of their patrons depends on it.

In recent years, applying our system-design expertise in the residential market has been increasing significantly. Because we both build and service pools, we have developed a keen understanding for how the decisions made during the design and construction processes directly impact the serviceability and, indeed, the consumer experience throughout the life of the pool.

In our line of work, we have seen a lot of swimming pool treatment systems that are just plopped in without much thought. I don’t think most people realize what they can have, or even that there is a higher level of water treatment available. Pool owners have been forced to settle for some extremely limited options and then it comes as a big surprise to find out that saltwater systems or chlorine-feeder systems are not your only options.

GOURMET POOL WATER

While pool-system design is not the proverbial rocket science, there is still quite a lot to it. The HydroZone 3 system combines ozone, UV and chlorine treatment and within this scheme there are multiple variables and components.

Not only are we dealing with size and output of the three core treatment systems, there’s a range of devices required for proper implementation. With devices such as static mixers, flash reactors, CO2 gas feeds and pool water and environment monitoring sensors, you have to know how to apply all these technologies and how they all work together to create superior pool water quality.

But that’s just part of the picture. We carefully integrate efficient hydraulics with properly sized and configured plumbing, variable-speed pumps, upsized filters, efficient heat sources and automatic covers. Everything we touch in the pool design is aimed at creating the best possible aquatic experience for our clients. From the lighting design, to the ergonomics of the interior steps and benches, it’s all part of the art and the craft of creating the world’s most enjoyable pools.

I’ve personally invested 30 years of trial and error to figure it all out. With swimming pools and spas, there is no formalized training program that teaches you how to master system design, there is no four-year degree. People who can do what I do have developed that skillset by investing in the learning process. After all these years, I’m still learning and experimenting to prefect upon perfection.

The big difference in what our company does, versus most people who design and install pools and spas, lies in our practice of designing each system specifically for the client’s needs. There is no one size fits all. We base our calculations on a variety of client-driven factors, including how often you will use the pool, who will use the pool, your preferred activities, your preferred water temperature, pool location and environmental conditions. Within each of those factors there are multiple variables that come into play that influence the system design.

In many cases, we’re brought in to try and fix an existing system that someone else has installed that isn’t performing as advertised. We see it all the time; pools with inadequate turnover rates, chemical distribution, filtration capacity, too few skimmers and ineffective chemical treatment systems tend to have water quality issues.

Most of the time, we can work with an existing system, but the amount of retrofitting required to create our high level of pool water quality will vary depending on what the original pool system did or did not do. Most of the time, we are able to dramatically improve the functionality and resulting water quality.

EXCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

When we have the opportunity to design and build a pool from scratch, we are able to create a system that is durable, efficient and effective. The only “speed bump” in those situations is the budget.

And make no mistake, our pools are not for everybody. HydroZone 3 pools are expensive compared to standard pools. What we do is analogous to building a custom-made, high-performance sports car. Every detail is handcrafted and made to the customer’s precise needs and specifications.

That’s the only way we work, and we do it for the most discerning and demanding clients who want and expect only the best. It is true that we tailor the system to meet budgetary concerns, to an extent, but for many of our clients, the cost is a secondary concern compared to their desire for the best pool water.

Once our pools are installed, we maintain them to utter perfection, so the client never has to think about it. Instead, they know with confidence that each and every time they go in the water, it will provide the same level of pleasure and satisfaction they discovered the first time they took a dip in one of our pools.