Pool Party Rules: Safety First, Fun Next

Usually no one says no to a party, especially one that involves a swimming pool. A swimming pool is a  great luxury that not only adds more class to your residence but also ensures a great deal of enjoyment. While swimming in your pool for an hour or two, you can not only burn excess calories but also you can get rid of the physical and mental stress arising due to your tedious work schedules. Furthermore, no other activity cools your body better than swimming does during summers.

A swimming pool also serves as a great spot for a party. You just need to make a few changes around it, such as the following:

• Set up tables and chairs.
• Place a music system and bring in  DJ if necessary.
• If alcoholic drinks are to be served at your party, have a separate table for those and see if you need a bartender.

While all of the above-mentioned tasks are pretty tedious, none of these involve modifications in any part of your swimming pool such as filter accessories and equipment. These parts, however, should be ready to serve their purpose that is to keep the pool water clean and clear.

During a pool party, you are going to have a big crowd of swimmers, which means that the level of pool water contamination is going to be higher than usual. It is thus necessary to make sure that your pool filter equipment can handle a bigger load of impurities. Have your filter serviced at least two days before the party and replace filter cartridges if necessary. You also need to implement some safety measures such as the following:

• Before you  start inviting people, consider your pool capacity. If the number of swimmers is too much for your pool to handle, the party will become a pain. 
• If a lot of children are coming to the party, ask the parents to bring life vests.
• Prepare a list of pool rules and display them for everyone to see. These rules may include instructions related to swimming after drinking, contaminating pool water or keeping children away from crucial equipment such as filter accessories. 
• Appoint a monitor or lifeguard to keep an eye on swimmers. This way you can avoid accidents during the party. 
• First aid kits and any equipment needed for emergencies should be kept handy. 

With the above-mentioned steps implemented, your pool party will be safe, enjoyable as well as memorable for your guests. 

How Exactly is a Swimming Pool Built?

Looking at the way people enjoy their swimming pools, one can definitely get tempted to have one of his/her own. The right season for building a swimming pool depends on the region. In areas where the weather is warm most of the time, people start building their pools right from the beginning of the year. In colder climates, on the other hand, the winter frost can stall the plumbing lines of a pool. People thus have to wait until spring before starting the process. Besides being aware of the climate concerns, a potential swimming pool owner should also know the basic process of building a pool.

                       

Usually, a pool owner cannot be expected to know anything apart from terms like pool filter, pleated filter cartridge, water circulation, pool pumps, vacuum and sanitizers. The pool-building process, however, has a way more elaborate explanation than any of these. Some of the major steps in the same, followed by deciding the design and hiring the contractor, have been explained below:

• In areas where the water tables are high, some pool experts conduct a test to estimate the ideal water level for the pool. The results of this test are sent over to a local authority for approval.
• An outline for the pool is drawn on the ground with paint.
• For accommodating the pool, excavation and digging are carried out on the ground within the outline. 
• A grade inspection of the project is conducted.
• Electricians, steel sub-contractors and plumbers are contacted and brought in for the job. 
• Ground bonding and steel are thoroughly inspected. This is followed by the first electrical inspection and a test for static pressure in plumbing.
• The swimming pool's steel cage is sprayed all over with gunite. It takes almost 12 days for gunite to set.
• A second test of plumbing, electrical connections and bonding is conducted.
• Equipment such as pool filter, pleated pool filter cartridge, pool pump and vacuum are assembled properly to create a complete equipment pad. Following that, a connection between the pool and the pad is made, which can take almost two to six weeks.
• Workers install the coping and pour concrete decks. Final inspection of concrete is conducted. This is followed by application of a thin layer of plaster on the gunite which should have set by now.
• The pool is then filled with water and the plaster is allowed to cure under the water for at least three days. After the plaster cures, a final inspection is conducted.

Once the above-mentioned steps are completed, the pool owner needs to buy maintenance products such as  pleated replacement filter cartridge, sanitizers, filter-cleaning solutions and brush.