Articles
What to Know About Cyanuric Acid
04.30.2018
Pool and Spa News | By Nick Rancis | May 2016
Let’s take the confusion out of this water treatment product once and for all. A common household name, cyanuric acid now is in the toolbox of most residential and commercial service professionals who maintain outdoor pools. Since its invention in 1829, CYA has been revered as invaluable and essential to keeping chlorinated pools clean and sanitary. At the same time, scientists and lawm…
Why Swimming Is So Good For You
04.24.2018
Time | Markham Heid | March 2017
Every type of exercise has its selling points. But swimming is unlike any other aerobic workout in a few important ways. First, the fact that you’re submerged in water means your bones and muscles are somewhat unshackled from the constraints of gravity, says Hirofumi Tanaka, a professor of kinesiology and director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at the University of Texas. This…
A Public Waterpark Inside a Mall? It Could Happen
04.18.2018
Star Tribune | March 2018
As Aquatics International has reported, there is some overlap between waterparks and the great American institution of shopping malls. And it seems the two industries are getting cozier. In the latest possible marriage between shopping and splashing, the owners of the Mall of America are proposing to lease space to the City of Bloomington to own and operate a massive indoor waterpark. The pro…
Expect These Changes in Swimming Pool and Spa Drain Covers
04.18.2018
Pool and Spa News | Steve Barnes | December 2017
Ten years ago this month, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act was signed into federal law. At the time, it plunged the pool, spa and hot tub world into turmoil. Public facilities were hit especially hard, as they had one year to outfit pools with compliant drain covers. Some were forced to close when these products were nowhere to be found. Head’s up! The drain cover stan…
From Pool Schlub to Protected Pro
04.18.2018
Aquatics International | Sandy Kellogg | February 2018
Six years ago, I started out as a pool operator. I took over an outdoor, seasonal community pool, and spent several summers running chemicals around and fighting to keep chlorine in a pool in 100-degree weather. I wore the stains and holes in my clothing with pride. The way I saw it, only real career professionals have chlorine stains, which quickly develop into holes, in all their pants legs.…
Save the Date: The 2018 World's Largest Swimming Lesson
04.18.2018
Aquatics International | Nate Traylor | February 2018
The 9th annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is set for June 21. The event will take place at aquatics facilities in more than 20 countries on five continents over the course of 24 hours. The goal is to expose both kids and adults to life-saving water safety skills and build awareness about drowning prevention. Register now to receive curriculum so that all facilities are teaching the …
The Five Most Important Tips for Positioning Lifeguards
04.18.2018
Aquatics International | Rebecca Robledo | March 2018
More and more facilities are adopting leisure pools, or multi-purpose pools, whether through new construction or conversion of existing pools. It’s hard to resist such people magnets. But the very features and crowds that make them so appealing also can complicate lifeguards’ ability to meet benchmarks for scanning, zone coverage, victim recognition and rescue times. Determining th…
New Thinking: Chlorine/Cyanuric Acid in Balance
04.17.2018
Aqua Magazine | Eric Herman | October 2015
The swimming pool industry has long embraced the recommended standard for chlorine concentrations of 1 to 3 ppm or 2 to 4 ppm, depending on who's doing the recommending. The industry has also observed a recommended cyanuric acid range of 10 to 100 ppm, a range that is viewed as necessary to adequately prevent degradation of chlorine residuals by sunlight. There are, however, those who now chal…
Pool Start-Up Guidelines
04.10.2018
Horizon Pool Supply
The following procedure should be used whenever a pool is being filled for the first time, refilled following maintenance or other major repair, or when restarting the pool for the swimming season. 1. Before first filling a pool or adding substantial amounts of fresh water to the pool, either test the water using a good quality test kit or have it tested for pH, total alkalinity, calcium h…
How a Lazy River Works
01.24.2018
Aquatics International | By Rebecca Robledo | October 2017
Lazy rivers are gaining popularity among both residential and commercial clients. Over the past several years, they’ve become the norm, not only in waterparks, but also in resort and community pools across the country as aquatics directors look for ways to increase attendance. Now they’re popping up in backyards, thanks in part to a manufactured system reported to simplify design a…
