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Topic: Options & Accessories

Kid-Friendly Features for Your Swimming Pool

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When purchasing an inground pool, how a pool is going to look and fit in your backyard isn’t the only thing you need to consider. You also need to think about features that are kid-friendly. Don’t worry; there are plenty of features that your kids will love, but will also complete the aesthetic of your backyard.

If you invest in the right places, you can create the perfect and relaxing outdoor living space of your dreams. And you can also have the fun place-to-be for all your kids and their friends. Here are some features that can help you achieve both.

Thursday Pools Wellspring with Round Spa

Spas

After a long game of Marco Polo, there’s nothing better than relaxing in the spa, regardless of how old your kid is. Kids, big and small, love spas and they are very easy to add to your backyard. You do need to choose one that flows with the aesthetics of your pool and backyard. Also, make sure there’s always an adult around to supervise.

WaterfallsThursday Pools Side view of water fall

Waterfalls are a great water feature to add to your pool that will complete a perfect touch to your yard. They look beautiful and add a relaxing sound to your backyard paradise. Kids will love to play with the falling water, no matter the size of the waterfall. Everyone in the family will enjoy hanging out in a swimming pool with waterfalls.

Thursday Pools pool with tanning ledge and spaTanning Ledges

Tanning ledges are not just for you to bask in the sun all day. They are also ideal for families with young children. Tanning ledges are essentially shelves on the edge of the pool where children can splash and play all day. They also make for an easy entrance into the pool for children of all ages.

Any of all of these features make great additions to anyone’s swimming pool. Are you ready to add any of these kid-friendly features to your swimming pool? Contact an Independent Dealer today.

Should I Buy A Cover For My Pool?

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Pool covers are common in areas where pools have an “off-season” or when they close during the winter months. If you expect to winterize your pool for some time, we recommended that you buy a pool cover. Keeping your pool covered Inground Poolduring winter months will protect your pool and make getting your pool ready for use easier. If a pool is left uncovered, the leaves and debris will not only be a hassle to remove in the springtime but will break down over the winter months and cause havoc on water chemistry and possible staining.

There are three basic types of pool covers: tarp covers, safety covers (both solid and mesh) and automatic safety covers. Tarp covers are tarps that are made to fit over your pool and rest on top of the water. They are secured by being weighted down. Often, they are weighted down with water tubes (vinyl bags filled with water).

Safety covers are available in mesh and solid. Safety covers are anchored to the perimeter of the pool deck using grommets and steel springs. These are made to suspend freely and fit snugly over the pool. Mesh safety covers allow water to filter through the cover into the pool. The solid safety covers do not. Any pool cover that holds water must be accompanied with a cover pump. Cover pumps continually keep the water pumped off the top of the pool cover.

fiberglass pool covers
Automatic safety covers are built into a set of tracks that run the length of the pool and when closed rests on top of the pool water. An automatic safety cover provides all the benefits of a safety cover in 60 seconds or less. Not only are they perfect for the wintertime, but they will protect your pool on a regular basis.

Pool covers that meet ASTM safety cover standards are considered safety covers as well. When installed and used correctly, safety covers prevent children from accessing the pool water. Pool safety covers can be seen as one layer of protection. Thursday Pools supports the idea of providing multiple layers of protection to prevent drownings in pools or hot tubs. You should never rely on only one means of protection, and there is no replacement for constant adult supervision. 

Our Thursday Pools fiberglass pools will fit with any type of pool cover. Find all our fiberglass pool designs here!

Top 5 Features to Look for in a Fiberglass Pool

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Fiberglass pool designs are packed full of fun built-in features. Each fiberglass pool design offers you different features and benefits. Here are some top features and why you might want to look for them when selecting a fiberglass pool design for your backyard swimming project.

  1. Benches and Seats. In-pool benches and seats are an excellent way to enjoy your swimming pool. Benches bring a perfect conversation area into the pool. Most folks just want to chill when they hit the water; these offer a great way to do that. In fact, some of our customers have lovingly referred to them as their beverage bench. They enjoy winding down at the end of a long day with their favorite beverage in hand. Toddlers love to stand on them and waddle back and forth and try their chances at jumping into the deeper part of the pool. Benches and seats are generally down about 18”-22” from the top of the pool, so the water depth will be 14”-18”.
  2. Benches And Seats Multiple Points of Entry and Exits. Having multiple entries and exit points has several advantages. More design freedom with the pool and patio layout is one big advantage. If you can only access the pool at one corner, then that naturally limits the position that the pool can be in. Multiple entries and exits are also ideal for those who may tire quickly while swimming, like young kids and our furry friends who like to take a dip.
  3. Entry And Exit Points Tanning Ledge. Tanning ledges and sunshelves in fiberglass pools offer luxury living at its finest. If you are looking to bring home that resort vacation, tanning ledges are a great way to recreate that experience in your backyard. Tanning ledges can vary in depth, our standard for a tanning ledge is 12” from the top of the pool which equates to about  6”-8” of water depth. Outfit the tanning ledge with ledge loungers, and bubblers, grab your favorite beverage and enjoy!
  4. Tanning Ledges Wading Area. When you are looking for a full body submersion or a great place for toddlers to splash and play, a fiberglass pool design with a nice wading area might be a feature you want to consider. Wading areas are similar to tanning ledges but offer more water depth. Water depth of a wading area is 14”-18” of water. Take a look at our new pool designs that offer wading areas that feature both a tanning ledge and a wading area.
  5. Wading Area Swim Lane. A swim lane is an unobstructed space in the pool that can be easily used to swim laps back and forth in the pool. While you may not be looking to join the swim team, you may find that you enjoy a few vigorous strokes to exert pent up stress and energy. You will certainly fill invigorated enough once you hit the water.

Top Five Pool Options Every Inground Swimming Pool Buyer Should Consider

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The market for inground swimming pool options is enormous and can be overwhelming, but there are only a handful that every inground pool owner should consider. Here are some important swimming pool options that you should consider and why. We have also included some budget saving tips.

  1. pool optionsAutomatic Pool Covers. Automatic pool covers do more than protect your loved ones and pets; they make owning your own pool easy. Automatic safety covers protect your inground pool from water evaporation loss which aids in keeping heat and chemicals in; helping you keep pool chemicals and heating costs down. They also aid in keeping debris out allowing you more time for fun and frolicking rather than vacuuming or skimming leaves. For those folks who winterize their pool, it can double as your winter cover which allows you to avoid the hassle of dragging out the water tubes and tarp or strapping down your safety cover. Who doesn’t want to avoid that hassle? As a side note, most pool companies charge less for winterization when pool owners have an automatic safety cover.
    Pool Budget Saving Tip: Adding on an automatic safety cover when purchasing your inground pool options is a large expense and often is not in the budget. In lieu of a complete purchase, ask your pool builder about prepping for a future automatic safety cover install. Many times pool builders can set the box and tracks laying the groundwork for a future install that will be easy and more cost effective than a retrofit.
  2. Heater. For those of us that don’t live in the sunbelt, we are always looking for ways to extend our swim season. A heater is a great way to do that. Yes, they can be costly to run especially gas heaters, but you likely will only run the heater in early spring and late fall. Electric heat pumps are more efficient and less expensive to operate, but they are slower to heat and have a higher initial cost. If you decide to go with a heat pump, they offer a chiller option that you might consider.
    Pool Budget Saving Tip: Heaters are easy pool options to add on later and don’t necessarily have to be installed at the time of your inground pool purchase. Just be sure that you leave enough room in your equipment area. The heater must be a minimum of 8 feet away from a window so plan ahead.
  3. Inground pool lighting. Inground pool lighting can elevate the entire mood of your backyard patio area and provide safety for late night swimmers. This is one of those inground pool options that if you are considering it, now would be the time to opt for it. In-pool lighting is difficult to add on to an inground pool later and will cost you a lot more after the fact.
  4. pool optionsWater Features. The sound of moving water is mesmerizing and provides health benefits such as stress relief and relaxation. The best part about adding a water feature as one of your pool options is it allows you to enjoy the pool without even being in it. Adding a water feature to your inground pool can be as simple as a deck jet or as elaborate as a custom waterfall. Water features that circulate the pool water are not easily added on later and should be planned for during the construction phase of your project.
    Pool Budget Saving Tip: If it isn’t in your initial “pool options budget” to add a water feature, ask your pool builder about pre-plumbing and stubbing up for a future water feature addition.
  5. pool optionsSlides and Sports. Slides and water sports can bring out the competitive spirit in any family and raise the fun level. The options for inground pool slides have grown tremendously over the last decade. Extreme slides such as SR Smith’s Turbo Twister® or Inter-fab’s X-Stream® are some popular pool slide choices. Because all pool slides operate using a water line installed during construction, they are not easily retrofitted to existing pools. There are a lot of options for on deck applications for inground pool sports like volleyball and basketball; the best most unobtrusive pool options require an anchor socket to be installed in the deck during construction.
    Pool Budget Saving Tip: You can pre-plumb your pool with a water line for a slide to add later on but it does take some planning. You will want to decide what slide you will want in the future and make sure that you have the footprint large enough on your patio area to accommodate it along with the proper size plumbing line. You will also want to make sure that it meets the slides safety requirements for depth and entry.  You can hold off on purchasing the basketball and volleyball units, but I would strongly recommend at least having the deck anchors installed.