Today's top pools: Low maintenance, high tech

When most people hear the words "tanning bed," they probably think of a machine with bright, hot lights that is designed to give the ultimate golden tan.

But a different kind of tanning bed is becoming one of the hottest trends in luxury pool construction, according to an area pool designer.

Popularity is growing for this type of tanning bed, according to Ben Merchant, senior designer with Premier Pools & Spas.

It is actually a shallow section of a pool that is three to four inches deep with a constant flow of water across it to keep the water cool.

"The idea comes from resorts," he said.

With people's busy lives, time becomes more valuable every day.

"Today an opulent pool should be a low-maintenance pool," Merchant said.

"We can build pools that used to take $150 per month to operate that now operate for $25 a month."

Premier Pools, along with several other contractors, does this by constructing pools that use an ozone-generation system rather than chlorine.

"The more high-tech pools are going to this type of system," Merchant said.

Ozone is 100 times more effective than chlorine at killing bacteria, according to Merchant.

The ozone generator contains a high-density, ultraviolet light that produces ozone as a byproduct. These ozone molecules form on the surface of the light and are then suctioned down a tube into a pump. The pump mixes it into the water and sterilizes 100 percent of the water.

The second half to the system is a Biostat. The Biostat contains a mineral-based material that spins free ions into the water "effectively over oxygenating the water," he said. "This keeps the bacteria from growing back."

A three-month supply of chlorine tablets is used as a backup, he said.

Other trends in today's opulent pool include shapes that have a larger radius, according to Merchant.

"Free form shapes are becoming much more popular," he said.

A lot of the more expensive pools are also beginning to feature swim-outs rather than ladders. Swim-outs are artificial beaches approximately 20 inches under water that help swimmers exit the pool or just provide a nice place to relax, according to Merchant.

"There are all kinds of reasons not to want to put ladders on a pool," he said. "The ladders are attached, they cause people to trip and make rust stains."

The popularity of fountains and lighting as water effects continues to grow as well.

"A few years ago, fiber-optics was a really big deal in our industry because people wanted to generate color in the pool," Merchant said.

Purex has recently developed a 16-color pool lighting system called Spectrum AMerlite (SAM). This prism system produces brighter colors than fiber-optics, which are now used more for perimeters, Merchant said.

It's not uncommon for a lighting system to cost $750 to $1,000, according to Merchant.

Pools begin entering the high-end range around $45,000 to $50,000, Merchant said. The most expensive pool Premier has built cost $115,000.

With high-end pools and spas, the lighting as well as all the other facets such as temperature, flow of the fountains and cleaning system is directed by an electronic control box in the house.

"The more design that goes into building a pool, the more technology that goes with it as well," Merchant said.

The typical opulent pool/spa combo takes around 35-40 days to complete. But the more complicated projects that may include details like retaining walls or kiddie pools lengthen the construction time. Bo Williams is build superintendent for Premier, which has been in business since 1967.

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