poolnerd

Anyone building a new pool should seriously consider adding some sort of waterfeature. It is often the single element that visitors to your backyard will remember most. Also, it’s the sound and look of falling water that speaks to some ancient part of our souls, which is why so many find it so relaxing, so peaceful. And isn’t bringing a bit more peacefulness into your life one of the reasons you’re getting a pool, anyway?

A waterfeature in this context means some sort of moving water. Running, falling, cascading, squirting, spraying. Anything from a natural stone cascade waterfall, to a contemporary sheet waterfall; from a simple pottery spill-pot or hammered copper bowl, to illuminated laminar-flow deck jets. They come in many different styles, sounds and looks, but they all have one thing in common: that visual and auditory element that is so memorable to guests, so relaxing to residents.

In this post we’ll examine some readily available waterfeatures, as well as looking at some site-built alternatives. All have differing construction and flow requirements, some are suitable to a particular style of pool and backyard, while others aren’t. While reading about all these waterfeatures, start envisioning what you want your backyard to be like. Maybe visualize yourself in a lounge chair by the pool some quiet summer evening. Think about what style of waterfeature, visual as well as auditory, you’d like. But please, just get some falling water into your life.

Spa Spillways

If you have a pool with an attached spa, you’ll have some sort of flow from the spa into the pool while the system is running. Often clients will want their spa raised above the pool, to get one of the most basic types of waterfeatures out there: the sap spillway, most commonly a sheet waterfall. These usually don’t offer much in the way of that relaxing waterfall sound, but they still have that appealing visual element.

Another option for the spa spillway is a stone cascade waterfall. This costs more than the sheet waterfall style, but can provide a more relaxing, natural sound as well as an appealing visual element, if designed properly. This look would be most appropriate on a lagoon-style pool, the “old-swimming-hole” type look.

I’ve seen other imaginative approaches to spa overflows and spillways, too. Use your imagination, dream up something to suit your vision of your yard, something that suits your yard and your lifestyle.

Manufactured Options

Moving on into the realm of waterfeatures, probably the most common is the sheet waterfall. You usually hear these called a “Sheer Descent” waterfall, but that it is actually a trade name for the version manufactured by Jandy. A similar product called a Powerfall is made by Polaris; others are available as well. Around here, they usually come in lengths of 1½ to 4 ft. Other lengths can be ordered. They require a flow of about 10 gpm per foot of length. They should be placed 12-24 inches above the water surface. Multiple units can be used, but, from a design standpoint, attention needs to paid to proportion: too many waterfalls, or one that is too long, in a given space can look awkward. This type of waterfeature would look OK on most pools except perhaps the natural-looking or lagoon style, which call for more of a stone-cascade waterfall (see below). Personally, I avoid these sheer descent type waterfalls if possible because they are so common in this area. However, they are cheap, readily available, easy to install and to plumb, so if you’ve got no other options, these things are better than nothing.

Jandy makes another product called a deck jet, which come four units to a package. These are placed away from the pool –as close as three or four feet, as far as perhaps fifteen feet — and shoot an arc of water into the pool. They have a much lower flow-rate requirement than a sheer descent type waterfall, but are even more restricted on the type of pool they would look appropriate with: a more sleek contemporary style would be best, in my opinion, certainly not a lagoon-style pool.

Classic fountainheads are easily obtained and installed, too, although they may need special areas for installation, such as shallow shelves or separate basins. Often these units have a portion that must be installed at water level, which can be a trip hazard, or offer too much temptation to curious children. Styles (both visual and auditory) and flow rate requirements can vary dramatically, so be sure to do your research. Roman Fountains and Crystal Fountains are two popular manufacturers.

A variation of the classic fountain is the pop-up fountain. These are usually custom-ordered from the manufacturer. Flow requirements are modest, but installation, contrary to what is advertised, is somewhat difficult, especially if you want to keep your plumbing systems pressurized for the duration of the construction. However, since they disappear into the floor when not in use, they avoid some of the temptation factor.

Fonts are another classic waterfeature: things like lion heads or stylized flowers squirting water, or just simple spillways. These often have low flow requirements and are easily installed and relatively cheap. A classic pool style is most appropriate for this waterfeature, but some companies do make versions that would not look out of place in many styles of pools.

Site-Built Waterfeatures and Custom Touches

Going beyond spa spillways and the usual manufactured stuff, there are a whole world of possibilities. Your imagination is the only limit here. And, well, maybe your bank account, too.

Cascading waterfalls of natural rock and stone are popular, but care must be taken to not put an additional load on the pool structure, or failure (a structural crack) can be the result. And that is very, very bad. Talk to your engineer or contractor about how to beef up your pool’s structure before deciding. The additional structural requirements, not even including the stonework, can add lots of dollars to the bottom line — as in maybe thousands of dollars. Also, look at as many pictures as you can before talking to your pool contractor. For a more natural look, avoid rounded boulders. These have been tumbled smooth in some creek or river for untold years; waterfalls up in the mountains are usually composed of flatter, or sometimes more angular, stone.

Faux stone waterfalls (i.e., man-made), grottoes and slides are popular, too. Their structural requirements are the same as the natural stone falls, above. I find most of these things unconvincing, though. To me, they usually end up looking like something you’d see in the gorilla compound at the zoo, or maybe in a Fred Flintstone cartoon. Sure, some builders out there can do amazing work with fake rock, but they seem few and far between. And pricey. In addition, the site and landscaping must be appropriate. Nothing looks cheesier than a waterfall surrounded by concrete — not a plant in splashing distance — or with a wood or block fence right behind it.

Something custom-made as a waterfeature is often the best way to go. It can have a dramatic look: a simple yard, well-landscaped, with an understated yet elegant artwork/waterfeature that brings everything together. You know, the sum-of-the-parts-is-more-than-the-whole kind of principle. I tend to prefer these types of waterfeatures, since they’re not what you usually see on pools. Something different, unique. The kind of thing that can make your pool and backyard something special, someplace special.

Get Some Falling Water into Your Life

My opinion, whatever that’s worth, is that if you’re going to get a pool, you should get some sort of waterfeature with it. Sure, it’ll cost a little more (or maybe a lot). But I can guarantee that after all the construction and landscaping is done, once all the workers are gone and your yard is your own again, you’ll be relaxing by the pool some quiet evening, listening to that falling water, and your soul will be soothed. That kind of relaxing moment is what a waterfeature is all about.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 4th, 2007 at 5:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, Constuction, Design, For Homeowners, For Contractors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.