Features
Hydrofloors, The Hidden Pool Feature Homeowners Love
One of the coolest inground pool features these days that has taken social media by storm are Hydrofloors. These incredible movable pool floor systems enable you to achieve the ultimate hidden pool. Hydrofloors were first introduced to the pool industry back in 2007. Since then they have slowly been gaining traction with builders and homeowners alike.
Movable pool floors have been around for decades. If you’ve ever seen the pool from ‘It’s Wonderful Life’, you’d recall a memorable scene involving a dance floor opening up to a swimming pool. Technology has certainly come a long way since George Bailey took the plunge. These movable floors vertically rise to fill in the pool area with usable space within minutes.
What Are Hydrofloors?
Twinscape Group is the pioneer behind this revolutionary technology that is enabling homeowners to reenvision their pool area as a dual-purpose space. It is now possible to go from an indoor gym to an indoor pool in an instant using Hydrofloors. The movable swimming pool floors can be lowered to varying depths. It can also be elevated to ground level to be utilized as a flat-top surface.
The James Bondesque pool feature isn’t just becoming more popular with luxury homeowners. Hydrofloors are also becoming a big hit with aquatic centers. The ability to raise and lower the pool floor makes it possible to hold infant swim classes at 10 am, an adult lap swim at noon, and a swim meet competition at 3pm all in the same pool.
Transforming the pool to different depths happens all by pressing a single button. Hydrofloors also have applications for creating better therapy pools. Slip-resistant, movable pool floor systems can be easily adjusted. This allows swimmers of any physical condition to enter and exit the pool with greater ease. Hydrofloors eliminate the need for slings, hoists, and access ramps.
Movable Pool Floors Are Attracting More Pool Builders
Builders like Paolo Benedetti of Aquatic Technology out of Morgan Hill, CA, have become a big fan of Hydrofloors. They enjoy the ability to do multiple depth floor systems that can accommodate popular finishes (i.e., tile, glass-mosaic, and even marble). That is accompanied by Hydrofloors’ enormous load capacity. Hydrofloors surpass a home’s conventional floor strength rating of 55 lb/ft when lifted.
Benedetti recently shared one of the most recent projects he completed. This incredible over-the-top luxury inground pool exemplifies what can be achieved in the backyard with Hydrofloor movable pool floor systems.
What is also remarkable is that a Hydrofloor pool is a 100% safe pool cover that can convert into a usable patio space within minutes. This provides the versatility to create unique pool environments that are multi-use spaces. That is perhaps the most appealing aspect for pool builders.
How Do Hydrofloors Work?
A series of cables and a pulley system with a water-based hydraulic cylinder comprise much of the technology behind Hydrofloors. Locking pins that automatically slide in the pool shell walls help achieve an incredibly high load capacity (250 kg/m2). Buoyancy packs are installed underneath the structure, which floats the pool floor to the surface. The floor is pulled down with a cable and pulley system with water-based hydraulic cylinder to the desired depth. Water passes slowly enough so that the water percolates above the floor to quickly drain away from a small gap around the perimeter.
Separating The Fantasy of Movable Pool Floors From Reality
There have been plenty of moving pool floor system videos being shared on social media lately. Some of these time-lapse videos are incredibly entertaining to watch. Quite a few of them show pool floors that disappear within seconds. Realistically you’re looking at around 8-10 minutes for a complete transformation from patio to pool.
Let’s also set realistic expectations about market penetration on these systems. While the videos are becoming popular on social media, and homeowners might be wondering if they can have one of their own; this is still a pool feature reserved for the elite. The movable pool floor system alone can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars; which can be pricey – even in terms of luxury inground pools.
How Much Does a Hydrofloor Pool Cost?
Each square foot of the movable floor system can cost anywhere from $300 to $550. This makes movable pool floors a unique but very expensive pool feature. Construction costs considered, a hidden pool with a Hydrofloor can cost millions, according to Alan Crownover of Paradise Pools and Garden. Crownover is a San Francisco-area pool builder, who’s designed at least one Hydrofloor pool so far. He said the starting price for similar projects would run someone about $2 million.
Crownover is working on another exciting Hydrofloor project. This one involves a private yacht that wants to land a helicopter on the roof. He is planning a dual-purpose landing pad/pool. The owner will be able to convert into a swimming pool and back again whenever guests drop in. Truly a unique project that we can’t wait to see get off the ground (no pun intended).
Luxury Pool Feature With a High Price Tag
The high cost associated with this particular pool feature puts it out of reach for all but the most affluent homeowners. Real estate agents have reported an uptick of homes with hidden pools hitting the market in recent years. However, this doesn’t indicate they’ve become more affordable yet. Most regular inground pools typically start at around $50,000. The starting price for a Hydrofloor is $230,000. This makes this a unique pool feature that you’ll still find in only a finite amount of residential homes.
Twinscape Group is definitely setting the bar in movable pool floors when it comes to finding exciting and innovative new ways to conceal a swimming pool. They are also pushing the envelope with movable benches, pool covers, and submersible walls and bridges.
Inexpensive Hidden Pool Projects
Want a hidden pool but can’t afford a Hydrofloor system? You might want to try the DIY approach. You can try and build your own. Gil Klar, an Israeli electrical engineer, spent three months and around $10,000 building his own hidden pool. One that is quite similar to the sliding dance floor shown in “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
Photo Credits: Twinscape Group
In the realm of robotic pool cleaners, the Beatbot AquaSense Pro emerges as a game-changer, setting new standards with its advanced features and cutting-edge technology. As the world’s first all-in-one intelligent robotic pool cleaner, the AquaSense Pro promises a comprehensive cleaning experience that extends beyond the pool floor. With its innovative design, technological prowess, and a suite of unique features, this cleaner is a standout in the competitive pool-cleaning market.
Design and Features
Beatbot has hit the mark with the AquaSense Pro’s engineering. Equipped with nine motors, 20 sensors, and onboard AI, its design is not only sleek but also robust. The unit itself weighs in at 24 pounds, conveying a sense of durability and reliability. The device’s intuitive onboard controls, featuring four modes and power buttons, make it user-friendly and accessible to both pool maintenance novices and seasoned professionals.
The AquaSense Pro boasts 5-in-1 cordless cleaning capability, covering the pool floor, walls, waterline, surface, and incorporating a built-in water clarifier system. The AquaSense Pro employs the AquaGlide™ Simulated Flight Propulsion for surface cleaning, ensuring it glides effortlessly to tackle debris and residues. The ClearWater™ clarifier dispenser is another innovative addition, distributing clarifying agents evenly to enhance overall water clarity.
Main Features
- World’s 1st 5-in-1 Cleaning: Clarification/Surface/Waterline/Floor/Walls Powered by 9 Motors.
- Best Intelligent Path Optimization Powered by Quad-Core 1.8GHz Processor.
- Industry-Exclusive Intelligent Return to Starting Point and Surface Parking.
- Powerful Wall Cleaning with Brushless Main-Pump Motor up to 5500 GPH Suction.
- Effortless Cleaning Control with the Beatbot APP and OTA Software Upgrades.
- Award-Winning and Eco-Friendly Cordless Submarine Propulsion Design.
- Superior Cleaning Efficiency and Coverage with 2×2 Independent Roller Brushes.
- Extreme Safety and Reliability with 15 Certifications, including ETL, CEC, and IP68.
- Ultimate Convenience with Cordless Charging Dock for Plug-Free Operations.
- 9.5 Hours Surface Cleaning and 5 Hours Floor Cleaning with 10400mAh Battery.
Performance and Cleaning Prowess
The AquaSense Pro’s performance is commendable, showcasing systematic cleaning that starts with mapping the pool. Utilizing advanced sensors, including two ultrasonic sensors, the cleaner calculates the optimal cleaning path with exceptional accuracy. Its intelligent mapping capabilities allow the robot to navigate efficiently without getting stuck, offering a seamless cleaning experience.
During a full cleaning run, the AquaSense Pro adopts an S-shaped pattern for the floor and walls and an N-shaped pattern for the walls and waterline. This strategic cleaning approach ensures thorough coverage, leaving no area untouched. The automatic return feature, coupled with water purge capabilities, adds convenience to the cleaning process. Remarkably, the AquaSense Pro parks itself at the pool’s surface upon completion, eliminating the need for manual retrieval from the pool bottom.
Charging and Convenience
Beatbot has revolutionized the charging process with an innovative dock design. Instead of a traditional plug and cable setup, the AquaSense Pro docks on a charging station where exposed electrodes charge the battery. This not only simplifies recharging but also aids in draining excess water, contributing to the device’s overall efficiency.
Intelligence and Versatility
Equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, the AquaSense Pro provides seamless control through its dedicated Android and iOS app. Users can effortlessly switch between cleaning modes, making it a convenient and versatile tool for pool maintenance. Designed for various pool types, including in-ground and above-ground, and supporting multiple surfaces such as concrete, fiberglass, vinyl, and ceramic tile, the AquaSense Pro proves its versatility.
Affordable Alternative
For those seeking a more budget-friendly option without compromising on performance, Beatbot offers the AquaSense model. While it lacks some of the luxury features of the AquaSense Pro, it remains a reliable and efficient pool cleaner. With three cleaning modes and intelligent path optimization powered by a Quad-Core 1.8GHz processor, the AquaSense is a practical alternative for pool owners who prioritize cost-effectiveness.
Should You Buy the Beatbot AquaSense Pro?
In terms of cleaning performance, the AquaSense Pro excels, effectively removing both visible and invisible debris. The two-layer filter basket captures particles as small as 150 micrometers, showcasing its thorough cleaning capabilities. The dual sets of brushes, strategically placed at the front and back, work simultaneously with different speeds and directions, providing precise control and extensive coverage. This not only enhances the cleaning power but also eliminates the need for frequent manual scrubbing of pool surfaces.
PROS:
- Diverse 5-in-1 pool cleaning capabilities
- Extended battery life with up to 9.5 hours of continuous runtime
- Smart MemoryPark feature for easy retrieval from the pool surface
CONS:
- Requires periodic charging
- Unable to identify new debris in previously cleaned sections
- Possibility of larger debris floating away during surface cleaning
If you’re in search of a technologically advanced robotic pool cleaner that delivers on its promises, the AquaSense Pro is undoubtedly worth considering. Dive into innovation and let the AquaSense Pro redefine your pool maintenance experience.
Pool Service
Orenda (a HASA Company) and Skimmer to Revolutionize Pool Maintenance with New Partnership
Skimmer, America’s most widely-used pool service platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Orenda Technologies (a HASA Company), a trailblazer in water treatment solutions. This collaboration aims to enhance the user experience for pool professionals by integrating the Orenda Calculator™, with its Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) and dosage recommendation engine, into Skimmer’s software.
The inclusion of Orenda’s LSI calculator and dosage recommendation engine within Skimmer’s platform marks a significant milestone in pool service technology. The LSI serves as an impartial measurement of water balance, specifically gauging calcium carbonate saturation. By assessing whether the water is aggressive/corrosive, balanced, or scale-forming, the LSI plays a pivotal role in ensuring optimal water chemistry.
This, combined with Skimmer’s easy-to-use, all-in-one software will give tens of thousands of pool pros access to water quality insights right in the Skimmer app.
“Partnering with Orenda and HASA aligns seamlessly with our commitment to providing pool professionals with cutting-edge tools,” says Jack Nelson, CEO of Skimmer.
Integrating the Orenda Calculator™ into Skimmer empowers our customers to make informed decisions that directly impact water quality and customer satisfaction,” says Nelson.
“We are excited to integrate with partner software that helps pool professionals up their game, and that can expand upon the app we have built. Skimmer is a powerful tool that helps thousands of pros improve their business every day. This integration allows for us to help those same pool pros even further. With this partnership, Skimmer users will be able to save chemistry results and history, which is something our customers have asked of us for years. This partnership makes that possible,” says Eric Knight, VP of Pro Marketing at HASA/Orenda.
The integration is slated for launch in the coming months, promising a user-friendly experience that streamlines pool maintenance. This collaboration underscores both companies’ dedication to innovation and customer-centric solutions within the pool maintenance industry.
For more information on the Langelier Saturation Index and its impact on water chemistry, visit Orenda’s blog at https://blog.orendatech.com/langelier-saturation-index.
About Skimmer:
Skimmer is America’s most widely used pool service platform. The company is on a mission to modernize the pool and spa service and repair industry through easy-to-use software and best-in-class support. Over 25,000 pool service professionals servicing 500,000 pools in North America use Skimmer to get organized, get paid faster, and grow their businesses.
About Orenda:
Orenda (a HASA Company) is at the forefront of revolutionizing water treatment solutions for pools, emphasizing the importance of proper water chemistry and sustainability. Through its advanced technology and expertise, Orenda helps optimize pool water quality by empowering pool professionals with industry-leading products and educational resources.
About HASA:
HASA, Inc. is a leading producer and distributor of high-quality water treatment products used to sanitize and maintain water systems, including swimming pools, water tanks and containment vessels for recreational, industrial, and municipal end markets. Founded in 1964, the company operates out of facilities in California, Arizona, Washington, Nevada and Texas. Over its 60-year history, HASA has established a strong reputation for supplying superior products through excellent logistics and distribution capabilities. Additional information about HASA is available at www.hasa.com
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Jes Ellacott
In the realm of opulence and architectural innovation, a unique project has emerged, blending the world of high-end automobiles with the tranquility of a residential swimming pool. Nestled in the waterfront properties of South Florida, a cutting-edge pool, dubbed the “Lambo Pool,” has been crafted to showcase a homeowner’s Lamborghini in a mesmerizing aquatic display. This extraordinary venture was a collaboration between Foxterra Design, Custom Pool Systems, and Jonny Nalepa, a distinguished pool professional and aquatics engineer from Smart Aquatics.
A consultant on projects throughout the Sunshine state, Nalepa’s burgeoning firm Smart Aquatics recently had the opportunity to collaborate on numerous high profile projects, the latest was completed several months ago and has already begun turning heads.
Swimming Pool Built to Showcase a $250K Lamborghini
“The Lambo Pool” project, as Jonny Nalepa affectionately calls it, was brought to life through the vision of entrepreneur Alex Moeller, a passionate car enthusiast and homeowner in Davie, Florida. Moeller’s desire was to seamlessly integrate his prized Lamborghini Aventador SVJ into his backyard, an idea that prompted him to engage the expertise of Foxterra Design.
Foxterra Design, led by the innovative duo Justin and Nate, known for their wild and incredible designs, took on the challenge of creating a pool that would not only house the luxurious vehicle but also serve as a breathtaking water feature. The project was further brought to fruition by Custom Pool Systems, the builders responsible for transforming the conceptual design into a tangible reality.
Jonny Nalepa, in his role as a consultant, played a crucial part in transposing Foxterra Design’s conceptual renderings into a working set of construction drawings that Custom Pool Systems used to physically build the pool. With the Lamborghini being a high-value asset, Nalepa and his team took meticulous steps to prevent any potential damage. This involved extensive research, including reaching out to Lamborghini to obtain precise measurements and specifications for the vehicle.
Technical Challenges Bringing The Project To Fruition
“With a vehicle that’s probably over $250,000, we wanted to make sure that we didn’t damage the car by making the water too deep or when the car is driving over the perimeter overflow there,” said Nalepa, “I mean, there’s a slot with a gutter underneath, so we have a cantilevered condition. We got to make sure this thing’s going to work right.”
“This one happened to be on a grass edge, but we also had to make sure that we could support the vehicle going over this perimeter overflow as many times as the client wanted to move it, ” explained Nalepa.
“We took Foxterra’s design and we developed it to make sure that we met all the setbacks and the codes and everything for Miami. We did our due diligence and were pretty thorough. We looked up the actual model, make and model of the vehicle. We measured the height of it. We measured the width of the wheels, because there are some bubblers in that area where the car is parked. So we don’t want the car to drive over the bubblers, or at the very least, if the car does drive over them, we don’t want them to crack because most pool fixtures are plastic,” said Nalepa.
Going The Extra Mile To Research
In his detailed explanation, Nalepa mentioned, “We contacted Lamborghini, and we got all the specifications. We confirmed what the max slope was. The car can go up and down and left and right. And we wanted to make sure that we had enough water to overflow this feature so that you could visually see that it’s a water feature.”
“We had to modify what our typical perimeter overflow detail is,” explained Nalepa, “there’s a gutter beneath, in this case, a stainless steel overhang. It’s like an L bracket almost that overhangs a gutter and comes almost right up against the pool structure. So all you see is a little strip, but in the area where the car goes over, we didn’t want to have a full overhang of six or eight inches.”
“The car is pretty heavy, and you never know what’s going to happen,” said Nalepa, “someone could park it and stop. The back wheels could be sitting on that overhang, so we had to account for that and beef up the structure on that side.”
Thinking Around Corners
The way this was done is pretty ingenious, according to Nalepa. “We removed the drop piping from that entry area and wanted to make sure that the structure was robust enough so we got rid of all the PVC plumbing that goes in a typical perimeter overflow edge condition. Doing it that way we could increase the structural integrity of the concrete. We kind of made it a minimal gutter where the overhang is only a few inches.”
“We went through a couple of different iterations, by the way, before we landed on that one. In the end, it’s kind of a simple solution to achieve the look Foxterra was going for,” said Nalepa.
Despite the difficult technical challenges, the Lambo Pool was a resounding success. Nalepa expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We were excited to work on this project, but it was definitely a challenging one.”
“Lambo Pool” Collaboration Rolled Out a Winner
One of the standout moments for Nalepa was the opportunity to drive the Lamborghini onto the feature, a surreal experience for any car enthusiast. Reflecting on the uniqueness of the project, he remarked, “It’s so far out of something that you can dream up, the fact that Foxterra was like, ‘Let’s put it in the pool.’ Most people may have just parked it next to the pool or something like that, but they went for it.”
Custom Pool Systems also knocked it out of the park on this project. “The perimeter overflow is impressive. There are no dry spots. They did an incredible job executing and building this project. There’s a level of craftsmanship that you can see a mile away. It looks and feels expensive and that’s through material selections and just the way the mitered edges are and devils in the details kinds of things,” said Nalepa.
The Lambo Pool stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts of talented professionals in the fields of design, construction, and aquatics engineering. It exemplifies the intersection of luxury, creativity, and meticulous planning, resulting in a truly extraordinary fusion of automotive and aquatic excellence.
Want to learn more about the Lamborghini Pool? Listen to our entire conversation with Jonny Nalepa on the Pool Magazine podcast.
Photo / Video Credits: Jimi Smith Photography
Designer: Foxterra Design
Builder: Custom Pool Systems
Aquatics Engineering: Smart Aquatics
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