Swimming Pool Accessories Guide

We mightn’t have a “sales policy” – but we definitely have a policy when it comes to providing a construction specification for swimming pool finishes and equipment.

All of our pools are quoted with a minimum spec that includes:

For Pool / Spa combos:

  • Designated Jet pumps and plumbing  – Flo Pro Info Sheet
  • Blower grids in floor of spa operated by 6 Amp blower ( pls note we fit 8 x 25mm outlets in spa floor not one or two)
  • Large capacity 420MJ gas heater – Info Sheet
  • Full width spillways – where possible – Example Image
  • Fully tiling

If customer’s request we can exclude any of the above items – but as a general rule we think every pool should have all of the above items as a minimum specification when constructing a pool. Many companies will exclude some of the above items and get you to purchase them as an option to add to their base pool specification – so remember to compare apples with apples. Our base specification is often the premium spec of many companies.

We use Astral pool equipment and Zodiac pool equipment.  Zodiac & Astral have offered us Platinum dealership status. As such have given us great pricing which we can pass onto customers. Zodiac make a wide range of pool equipment  and have bought out a couple of American Super Premium equipment suppliers including Jandy, Clearwater and Caretaker to provide a comprehensive range of pool products. As such our customers only have to deal with one company for pool equipment warranty and ongoing service requirements should it arise. Also there is great complementarity between the whole of Zodiacs pool equipment range  – for instance the Jandy Ilink pool control system can change the colour of the pool lights in your pool from your hand held smart phone or tablet. This might seem like a first world excess, but the same was probably said of remote controls for TV’ s in the 80’s. There are a number of reputable pool equipment suppliers within the pool industry  – we know Zodiac are one of them. And we don’t want to over simplify any argument on this subject by saying they are the best. At the very least they have a product range that is as comprehensive as any of the other equipment suppliers, robust and backed up by great after sales service and warranty. Be wary of any alternate claims as to a standout pool equipment supplier by other  pool builders. Many such claims are often baseless and usually sponsored by which equipment supplier is offering the cheapest prices to the said builder.

We often option the following items over and above the items described above:

 Here are the reasons why we recommend the pool equipment and finishes listed above:

Variable speed filtration pump – the Zodiac Epump  offers energy savings of approx. $100/ 3 months of use on your electricity bill, in addition they are super quiet  in economy mode, the lower water velocity through the filtration bed affords removal of finer particulate matter and they also have built in run dry pump protection. View Brochure.

Auto Dosing and testing Salt Chlorinator – With built in PH control and acid dispensing as well as variable chlorine output and testing these salt water chlorinators ( Zodiac Tri Chlorinator Range ) mean you will rarely need to bother with chemical reagents and manual testing kits. These chlorinators don’t save you money – but they do save you time and confusion. 

Multi Coloured LED niche lights – min 2 in each pool – Led lights are brighter, more durable and way more energy efficient than the old Halogen globe lights of yesteryear. The fully concealed niche housings are easy on the eye and almost impossible to damage by pool users. Zodiac make a great multi coloured light which can be colour selected through ilink control systems. 

Fully tiling – When customers ask us why we will only fully tile – we just point out that nearly every commercial pool in Australia is fully tiled. Why? Because tiles are more durable, smoother, less chemically reactive and colourfast than all of the quartz renders, pebble linings and painted finishes on the market (if your budget doesn’t stretch to tiles we will fit waterline tiles and fine pebble interiors where required – but we still like tiles a lot).

Fully automated stand-alone solar heating – Nothing determines use of a pool more than water temperature. In Melbourne if you have a pool and a house with a roof  you want solar heating. Its cheap to run and terribly effective in the period from Late October to early April. We use and recommend Sunbather solar heating systems.

Large capacity sand or cartridge filters – correctly paired to high flow hydraulics lines and pumps will allow long term removal of suspended particulate matter in the water without the need to constantly clean the filter. Zodiac have a great range of Filters with super durable fibregalss spun spheres and bolt on (never leak) multiport valves. 

For Pool + Spa combos

Designated Jet pumps and plumbing – A 2.0hp jet pump with high flow plumbing lines can run upto 6 jets  in a spa effectively. Filtration systems can’t run jets in spas at the level of effectiveness customers expect from their spa jets.   

Blower grids in floor of spa operated by 6 Amp blower ( pls note we fit 8 x 25mm outlets in spa floor not one or two like some builders. Fitting only one or two often creates a volcanoe like effect.

Large capacity 420MJ gas heater – Large capacity spa heaters allow quick turn around times for heating spas in the middle of winter ( usually 20 mins to heat to 38 degrees). The Zodiac heater we use has stainless steel burners for added durability and robust construction. 

Infloor cleaning – we don’t view infloor cleaning as a necessity – it works well. But is really expensive as a frontup cost anywhere from $9- 15K. In addition its really expensive to run in terms of the electrical energy it uses approx. $1000/ year ( – which is a lot of money seeing all it does is remove the debris on the floor of the pool). We recommend robotic pool cleaners instead. Nevertheless we are only too happy to install infloor cleaning systems.

Robotic pool cleaners – every commercial pool in Australia is cleaned by a robotic pool cleaner ,as such the technology is proven, durable and highly effective. These fully automatic robots remove the debris from the bottom of your pool, silently each week when you drop them in the water. They cost approx. $1.5K ( for a really good one), and  use only  a few dollars worth of electricity for the year. They represent really great value for money and the technology is getting ever cheaper  – unlike infloor cleaning which seems to defy the trend for manufactured items to be cheaper buy now than in the past. We prefer to advise customers on which robotic pool cleaner they should buy – as there are many pool online pool equipment suppliers who sell these cleaners at 5% over cost price on the internet. The $75 we could make buy retailing them at the same price  – would hardly cover our pickup and handling charges. Especially since there is very little specialist knowledge required to install these cleaners. Zodiac Pool Cleaner Brochure

Zodiac Jandy Pool/Spa control systems – If you want to control nearly all of the functionality of your pool and spa at the touch of a Smart Device – then the Zodiac Aqualink is what you need. This product has been the best on market  – for the last 15 years  – and the only reason you didn’t use it and used a competitors product was that it was too expensive. Now and since Zodiac bought out Jandy  – the price has less than halved  – now we sell fully installed Aqualinks for the price we use to pay to buy them from the wholesaler 3 years ago. Not a necessity  – but definitely if you have the spare cash life gets heaps easier with an Aqualink to control your pool / spa combo equipment  (

Auto fillers – Waterco Auto Filler Brochure.