I felt like I had won the lottery the first time we were able to buy a house which had an inground pool. However, I quickly learned that I knew nothing about pool care. Several years later, I know how to care for our pool year round thanks to advice and help from my local pool contractor. I wanted to start this blog so that I could help other first-time pool owners with what to watch out for regarding their swimming pool. From signs of water leakage to how to winterize your pool, my blog posts are aimed to be educational and informative for pool care newbies.
Big Differences Between Commercial And Residential Pools
When a pool contractor says that they only build commercial pools, you may wonder what the big deal is. After all, a pool in your yard is not that much different from a pool on a commercial property, is it? Actually, there are some very big differences between commercial pools and residential pools.
Size
A commercial pool is made for dozens to hundreds of swimmers. A residential pool can typically handle a max of fifty occupants, although a more comfortable number is less than thirty. The size of a commercial pool is about three to five times that of the average residential pool because the commercial pool is in a public setting and is expected to be used by a lot of people. Only the very wealthy could afford a commercial-sized pool and have enough space in their yards for that much swimming pool.
Depths
A residential pool, at best, has maybe three depth levels; shallow, medium, and very deep. A commercial pool starts at hip height for most adults, and very gradually drops off to anywhere from twelve feet deep to twenty feet deep, depending on who orders the pool's construction and whether or not they want plenty of diving depth in the deep end. The commercial pool gives swimmers and divers plenty of room to slowly move into deeper waters without the sudden drop-off of residential pools.
Unique Building and Construction Circumstances
Commercial pools are almost always indoor pools. As such, they may not be constructed at the time of the construction of the building around them, but added at a later date. If that is the case, entire areas of a hotel, fitness club, gym, resort, spa, etc., have to be roped off to construct the pool, and contractors have to to bring all of their machines and equipment into the building to begin hacking through the floor to create the opening for the pool.
If the pool ends up being an addition outside of the original construction of the building, but still inside and under a roof in an enclosed space, then the building in which the pool is housed has to be carefully attached to the rest of the building so that no structural damage occurs as the pool and its building are finished. With a residential pool, that is never an issue, because residential pools are either outside or part of the original blueprints of a house. Contact a pool contractor, such as at Hollywood Pools And Spas, for more information.