Swimming Pool Terms to Know

Pool Having Two Umbrellas With Rocky Hill View Infront

If you are getting started on the pool building process and are confused about terminology, you are not alone. When you work with Pools by Design, we make sure that we keep you informed. The swimming pool terms in this article can help you better understand the different aspects of design and construction. Of course, if you have any questions, we are always happy to help.

Pool Construction Terms

Constructing a new pool can be stressful when you don’t understand what your contractor is talking about.

Here are some basic construction terms that you may encounter as you meet with your pool designer and builder:

Aggregate – Covers the interior of the swimming pool walls and is made from decorative particles and colored plaster
Backfill – The soil used to fill the area around an inground pool shell
Bond beam – The top portion along the perimeter of an inground pool that is reinforced to resist horizontal forces
Capacity – The number of gallons of water the pool holds
Coping – The cap on the top edge of the hot tub or pool wall that provides a finished edge between the pool structure and the deck
Deck – The area that surrounds your swimming pool
Grout – A type of concrete used to connect masonry, seal joints, and fill spaces between materials used in the pool
Rebar – Metal rods that are used to add strength to concrete and are formed into a cage to hold the shell of an inground pool
Walls – The interior of the swimming pool up to the coping

Parts of the Swimming Pool

Once your pool is built you will need to know how to identify the different parts of your pool or hot tub.

Automatic Pool Cleaner – A device that vacuums and cleans your pool of debris automatically
Drain – Installed at the deepest end of the pool and often connected to the pump for circulation and filtration
Filter – Keeps the water clean by recirculating it through a cartridge, sand, or diatomaceous earth
Heater – Controls the water temperature in your pool
Motor – Controls the circulation system of the pool
Overflow System – Helps to control the water level of the pool by removing excess water
Pump – Controls the flow of water throughout the pool or hot tub
Skimmer and Skimmer Basket – A device that is connected to the suction line of the pump and holds a basket designed to trap debris in the water
Weir – Regulates the flow of water from the pool into the skimmer

Pool Maintenance Terms

Regular pool maintenance is very important in order to keep your pool running efficiently.

Some common pool maintenance terms are:

Algae – Small one-celled plants that can turn your pool green, yellow, or black; can be controlled by keeping the right level of circulation and chemicals in the pool and can be removed by regular pool brushing
Backwashing – Reverses the flow of the water through the filter and out of the pool to clean the filter
Bromine – A popular substitution for chlorine in your pool
Calcium Hardness – The sum of all calcium dissolved in the pool water and can determine how hard your water is
Chlorine – Sanitizes the pool and comes in two forms, regular or stabilized, which has cyanuric acid in it that helps to keep it from getting burned off by the sun
Clarifier – A chemical added to your pool that brightens and cleans the water and works by making small dissolved particles into bigger ones that can then be removed by the pool filter
pH – Determines if your pool is acidic or basic and can affect how well your chlorine is working; below 7 is acidic and above 7 is basic, but the optimal pH in a pool is 7.4 to 7.6
Scaling – Sharp ridges on the floor and walls of the pool due to high calcium
Shock Treatment – Adding a high dose of chlorine to the pool all at once to kill algae and bacteria
Test Kits – A tool you use to test the balance of chemicals in your pool water
Total Alkalinity – Helps keep the pH of the pool from moving up and down drastically
Total Dissolved Solids – The sum of all materials that are dissolved in your pool water; the higher the TDS the harder it will be to keep your water balanced

We Help You Understand the Pool Building Process

At Pools by Design, our experienced designers and builders will help you understand all of the important swimming pool terms. As an experienced luxury pool builder, we can help guide you through the process of building the pool of your dreams. Pools by Design will make sure that your pool or hot tub has the right design and that you have the right tools and information that will set you up for success.