Five Must-Have Pool Accessories for the 2023 Swim Season

The weather’s heating up, and so is swim season (Woot woot!). Your fabulous inground fiberglass pool is looking good–sparkling clean and ready to welcome the whole gang. Yeah, you have all the features you need in your fiberglass pool to let the good times roll … But, how about this year, you take the luxury and fun to the next level with some awesome pool accessories?And, in case you haven’t heard … Thursday is the new Friday, so don’t wait ‘til the weekend to start having fun. Get your weekend started early, and check out our list of the must-have pool accessories for the 2023 swim season, and make your backyard summer living even more of a blast! 1. Basketball float. Why not combine two of the kids’ favorite Indiana summer pastimes? With a fun-sized, floatable goal that’s accessible from all sides, this accessory is a safe alternative to an installed goal near the concrete edge of the pool. Plus, it’s an activity that lasts for hours and leaves them exhausted so that you don’t have to worry over how to keep them entertained during their school-free summer. 2. Canopy island inflatable lounge. Summer is meant to be enjoyed by […]

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Five Cool Swimming Pool Lifestyle Ideas

Enhance your swimming pool area with these top outdoor summer living features It’s hard to beat outdoor living. Food tastes better when it’s eaten outside, fresh off the grill. And there’s just nothing like the feeling of falling into bed at night, relaxed and tuckered out from spending a whole day in the sun. Once you have found the perfect fiberglass pool, you can add some features into that mix that will turn your outdoor living area into an over-the-top, backyard paradise you’ll never want to leave. Where and how do you start creating your lifestyle around your inground pool? Awesome backyard living ideas abound on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. Still, that can be a little overwhelming. So let’s narrow the possibilities with some great backyard living ideas that will enhance your swimming pool area and help make your backyard the perfect place for friends and family to hang out all summer long! An outdoor kitchen. If you love to cook and entertain outdoors, a simple grill might not be enough. Adding an outdoor kitchen lets you cook your entire meal outside and chat with your guests while they enjoy the pool. Depending on how much space you have, think […]

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Five Fun and (Almost) Free Swimming Pool Games for Kids and Families

Summer swim season is almost here! Are you ready to have a blast in your inground pool? Yeah you are. You enjoy soaking up rays on your awesome fiberglass pool tanning ledge, swimming laps to get fit and strong, and throwing epic beach-themed parties. Pools are made for games and fun. And, you can buy lots of pool accessories and toys. But, you don’t always have to spend money to have fun. Sometimes you can use what you already have, make up your own rules and play all day. However, you must always keep the rules of pool safety in mind! So, make sure all the games you’re dreaming up encourage safe play. Here are five ideas to get you started. Duck races Get some bathtub rubber duckies at the store. Divide your swimmers into teams and have them each choose a name for their team. Get out one duck per team, and write a team name on the bottom of each one. All players start at the same end of the pool. Drop the ducks in the water and yell “Go Duck Go!” The teams must move their duck to the other end of the pool without using their […]

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May Fiberglass Pool Dealer Spotlight: B&B Pools, Indianapolis

Each month, we enjoy learning more about a member of the Thursday Pools fiberglass pool dealer family for our dealer spotlight. This month, we chatted with Bill McGraw, owner/operator of B&B Pools in Indianapolis. B&B Pools is based on Indy’s south side. They install both fiberglass pools and vinyl liner pools throughout the greater Indianapolis area in Marion County, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Johnson County, Morgan County and Boone County. Some of the communities in which they’ve built pools include: Indianapolis, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, Carmel, Southport, Homecroft, Beech Grove,  Martinsville, Mooresville, New Palestine, Franklin, Brownsburg, Avon and Plainfield. Tell us a little about yourself and your business. Well, we’re a pretty small operation. It’s just me, my son John, and our one other crew member, Quirino. Nobody can pronounce that, so we just call him Memo. The three of us do the pool installation, and we have a team of subs that do the concrete and electrical work. This is my 40th season in the pool business, but I’ve been out on my own for seven years. My son, John, has been working next to me since he was 15 years old, so that’s 20 years now. I hope he’ll […]

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Environmentally Friendly Pools: Why Fiberglass Leaves Behind the Smallest Footprint

Today, pool buyers are increasingly more eco-conscious and ask questions like, “Can a pool be environmentally friendly?” and “What is the most eco-friendly pool type?” Traditionally, swimming pools have not been very sustainable. However, advancements have made it possible to reduce their environmental impact. Still, some types of inground pools have a greater environmental impact than others.  Fiberglass pools are often considered the most environmentally friendly pools for their  long-term durability and lower energy and chemical use. Even the manufacturer can make a difference.   The Role of Long-Term Durability The long-term durability of fiberglass pools makes them more sustainable by significantly reducing the need for repairs and replacements, which have considerable environmental consequences. Vinyl liners, for example, typically require replacement every five to ten years, contributing to landfill waste. Additionally, vinyl-liner pools’ foundational steel panels can rust and leach chemicals into the groundwater, harming the environment. Gunite pools reinforced with steel mesh or rebar also present risks as they can corrode over time, leaching chemicals and rust. Maintaining gunite pools requires acid washing, which can also release hazardous substances into the ecosystem. Concrete and vinyl-liner pools also have inherent environmental drawbacks due to the high carbon footprint of cement production […]

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THE THURSDAY POOLS TRIFECTA

Multiple layers of strength create an incredibly durable composite pool. There’s nothing quite like a really great artisan-crafted sandwich, layered with quality ingredients. Every ingredient has a purpose and makes the end result better. It’s stacked just right from one end to the other. Sounds fabulous, right? You know what else is fabulous? A new fiberglass pool with a shell that’s hand-crafted like our sandwich example. Let’s take a look at how we do it. Gathering the best ingredients Thursday Pools was one of the first ISO 9001-certified manufacturers in North America. This means we have completed a rigorous certification process in which we’ve agreed to meet strict international quality standards related to both raw materials and production methods. Thursday Pools worked closely with the PINKTANK™ at Owens Corning to assess our pool shells’ structural needs. Their high-quality fiberglass is sourced exclusively in North America and undergoes rigorous quality assurance tests to comply with stringent ISO 9001 manufacturing standards. The 1-2-3 Trifecta of Strength First, we create a mold to ensure consistent shape and dimensions. Once molded, a pool visits the gel station, where the top gel coat of the pool’s surface is applied. During this process, we constantly check […]

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May Fiberglass Pool Dealer Spotlight: Pool People, Lancaster, Ohio

Each month, we enjoy learning more about a member of the Thursday Pools fiberglass pool dealer family for our dealer spotlight. In March, we chatted with Dan Dodds and Jarrod Dodds, the father and son duo who operate  The Pool People of Ohio, along with Dan’s brothers, Pat and Jay to hear what they had to say about inground pools in Columbus, Ohio. Located 30 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, The Pool People of Ohio serve communities south and east of Columbus, including: Lithopolis, Carroll, Logan, Circleville, Amanda, Baltimore, Pickerington and Canal Winchester. Tell us a little about yourself and your business. My [Dan’s] dad, Thomas Dodds, started this business in 1952. At the time, it was a remodeling and construction business. I joined the business in 1980. Dad and I went to a remodeling show where we ran into some people from Imperial Pools out of New York. They manufacture vinyl pools. It seemed like getting into inground pools in Columbus, Ohio, might be the next logical step for us to expand our business. And, it turned out to be a great decision. Our business is truly a family affair, with both of my brothers, son Jarrod, and daughter […]

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Another Thursday Pools Expansion Reflects Their Relentless Commitment to Quality, Innovation and Safety

The 40,000-square foot expansion means shorter turn-around times, improved employee safety, even better quality control and room to keep creating amazing innovations and durable fiberglass pools! https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWAEQtscxXE Indiana’s Thursday Pools manufactures the world’s best and most durable fiberglass pools, and they just keep finding ways to get better. They’re relentlessly committed to quality, safety and innovation. They are in the process of completing a 40,000-square foot expansion of their fiberglass pool manufacturing facility which will increase their total facility space to 100,000-square feet. The expansion increases production, storage and employment capacities and will help Thursday Pools create an even safer working environment. “We started out with 20,000 square feet. We just added 40,000 square feet onto our facility two years ago, but we’re still growing,” said Bill Khamis, Thursday Pools CFO. “We’ve made a commitment to continual improvement through our ISO 9001 certification, and this expansion is the next step to advance and improve our business, on many levels.” Faster turn-around times Thursday Pools’ business is rapidly expanding. With more than double the total facility space, their team will be able to manufacture more fiberglass pool shells, resulting in shorter lead times during high season. So, when you’re ready to […]

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How Our ISO 9001 Certification Shows Our Commitment to Quality

What does the word “quality” mean to you? The dictionary defines it like this: “The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something.” We really like that last part … “the degree of excellence of something.” For us, that something is fiberglass pools. At Thursday Pools, we’re so committed to having the highest degree of excellence in our fiberglass pools that we invited the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO (that sets standards for excellence) to check out what we’re doing and rate us on it. And they’ve given us their seal of approval. ISO 9001 is an international standard that specifies the requirements for a quality management system. The mission of the ISO is to “provide specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.” In order to be ISO 9001 certified, a manufacturer must allow a third-party organization to come in and routinely audit their organization to ensure they are following the standards set forth. Thursday Pools is the only pool manufacturer in North America with its ISO 9001 fiberglass certification, and we do it voluntarily. […]

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Ask the General: Cartridge Filters vs. Sand Filters; Which is Best for Your Pool?

Dear General- We’re getting a new fiberglass pool this summer! We’ve chosen our fiberglass pool design and our add-on features. Now, we’re wondering what kind of filtration system we should get. We’ve heard pros and cons about both cartridge filtration systems and sand filtration systems. We want what’s best for our pool long-term, but of course we’re excited about low pool maintenance too. What guidance can you give us? Signed- Figuring out filtration in Fairfield Dear Figuring in Fairfield- Great question! If you’re a regular reader of my articles, you’ve heard me talk about sand filtration already. Cartridge filters are great too. There’s no one system that’s superior to the other, and I’ve used both over the years. But, let’s see if we can filter through some more details and help you choose what’s best for you. Let’s first take a look at how they work. Sand filters Sand filters work quite simply by pushing your pool water through sand that catches the dirt and debris and returns clean water into the pool. You clean your sand filter by backwashing it. This means running water backwards through the filter until the filter is clean. Sand filters are a pretty popular […]

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