A new pool is a beautiful addition to a backyard. Unfortunately, pools require a fair amount of ugly equipment to run properly. In this article, we will explain how to hide pool equipment in a variety of ways. The key to hiding pool equipment is to ensure it is still easily accessible.
There are many beautiful angles to view a beautiful pool, but one you can’t accept as a homeowner is a view that includes the pool’s mechanical set. To make sure you aren’t seeing the pool equipment from any view, a good designer will plan the equipment location as carefully as the water features or entry steps location.
How To Hide Pool Equipment With A Shed
Building a shed to house the equipment is one option. This certainly gets the equipment out of the way. However it is not without its drawbacks. That both increases the cost of the pool project measurably and adds complexity if you have a gas or propane heater which once placed indoors requires venting.
How To Hide Pool Equipment With A Fence
Alternately, you can build a fence to hide the equipment. This is probably the least expensive and lowest maintenance way of hiding pool equipment.
How To Hide Pool Equipment With Plants
In the northeast, it’s not uncommon to use thick vegetation to hide the equipment, planting some evergreens like arborvitae for example can shield the equipment from view quite effectively.
How To Hide Pool Equipment With A Retaining Wall
When the equipment is downhill of the pool you can build a three sided retaining wall into the hillside for the equipment. By doing this, you both hide the equipment and direct most of the sound downhill and away from the pool area.
If there’s a slope away from the house and the pool, you can use that to your advantage. Hydraulically pool equipment works well when placed below the water level of the pool. The pump has to do less work to move the water when it’s in a flooded condition. However, there are additional failsafes that need to be in place so that when you open the pump strainer you don’t drain the pool.
How To Handle Loud Pool Equipment
Visually it’s important to hide the equipment, but sound is also a factor. Today’s variable speed pump motors are much quieter than the old copper winding motors which used to be found on every pool. However, when working hard they all still make plenty of noise. This should enter into your designer’s plan when laying out your project on paper.
Usually the loudest a variable speed pump will be is when the spa is operating. The cacophony of the spa air blower and the pump at its max speed can be louder than you’d think. Placement of both is important to consider.
Sound attenuation blankets can be helpful for backyards where you simply don’t have the space to move the equipment far enough away from the pool. These are used often to shield sound from Air Conditioners in large buildings. They’re also around industrial equipment in close proximity to residential neighborhoods. These blankets aren’t cheap, but they do make a surprising impact on sound.
Bottom Line On Hiding and Silencing Pool Equipment
Ultimately, the pool equipment must be located in close proximity of the pool but must be hidden from view and preferably acoustically isolated as well. Your equipment is the heart and organs of the pool, keeping the water moving, free of particulates and disinfected. If you don’t want it to be seen or heard, try some of the shielding methods above.
If sound is the biggest problem on your existing pool, you have choices. The best being to consider replacing your pump with a variable speed pump. The sound difference can be huge as can your reduction in electrical consumption every month. Some states have rebates available for their installation as well.
