Want to make a pool more active than passive? Then add a waterslide!
Waterslides can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. They’re meant to be fun, and they are, because they make for a unique way to get into a pool. Are you ready for that kind of splash?
VistaPro Landscape & Design enhances pools for all sorts of yards in the DC-Maryland-VA region. What should you know about waterslides?
Waterslides Can be a Late Addition
Did you know you can add a slide “later on?” Even after you’ve added a new pool and the landscaping around it, a couple years later you could add the slide into the mix. Or you can have it installed when “everything else is done.”
Find a Suitable Location
You’ll want to figure out the best location for the slide. Obviously, the slide needs to empty out into water where no one will get hurt– so it has to be “deep enough” for that sort of thing. You’ll also need space on your pool patio to accommodate the slide– typically about 7 x 15 feet. This shouldn’t be a problem. Meanwhile, you get to choose the slide model that fits the look and feel of your pool. Some people like their slides to be “hidden” by rock formations, while others want it to “stand out” so every single kid sees it and can’t wait to climb up the ladder and slide down that slide.
A Working Plumbing Line
One thing that makes a pool slide different from one at the local playground is that it uses water from the pool to make a wet surface to slide down… therefore a plumbing line running from the filter system to the top of the slide needs to be run and utilized.
Face it Towards the Crowd
Also, it makes sense to face the slide toward where people congregate. That way, even if no one is using it, there’s water running down it serving as a nice water feature to look at from the patio. Also, having the slide face where people sit is a good way for adults to keep an eye on kids sliding down the slide– and makes for good pictures, too.
Once someone slides into the pool, the exit point should be located nearby– so ideally place the slide somewhere near a step, bench seat or ladder.