Infinity pools are one of the trendiest luxury outdoor home features around, thanks to their striking appearance. You can sit in one of these pools and look right out over the edge and not see any end to the water at all. It’s a remarkable experience.
Infinity pools might seem wildly out of your budget range, but it is surprising just how much prices have come down. What’s more, the engineering behind them isn’t actually that difficult to understand. They might look impossible, but they’re pretty simple once you see how they work.
What Is An Infinity Pool?
Infinity pools are a class of swimming pools that do not have a traditional edge along a section of their perimeter – usually the part that overlooks a beautiful landscape.
If it looks like water goes right to the edge of the infinity pool, that’s because it does! With an infinity pool, water laps over the top of the wall and then runs down to a gulley below. Guttering then collects the water, sends it to a pump, which then feeds it back into the pool, forcing more water over the edge and resuming the cycle. Infinity pools, therefore, create a perpetual waterfall, giving you the impression that the water stops at the horizon.
Where Should You Put Your Infinity Pool?
While infinity pools sound fabulous (and they are), they’re not for your average back garden. The best place for them is overlooking a majestic view or sitting on a steep bank of land. The infinity-edge provides that iconic, uninterrupted view that you want from the poolside.
Are Infinity Pools Dangerous?
Despite appearances, infinity pools are no more dangerous than standard private swimming pools. Because of this, you should still conduct regular pool safety inspections, put up a fence around them, and avoid running around the edge. The infinity-edge itself is just another wall of the pool, but without the capstones that you find elsewhere. Obviously, you shouldn’t climb over the infinity edge itself and down onto the recirculation systems below. That’s dangerous.
Do Infinity Pools Require Additional Maintenance?
Infinity pools rely on slightly more sophisticated technology than traditional pools, which means that they often require additional maintenance. Like all pools, the infinity variety relies on a series of pumps and filters to keep the water clean. However, there’s a significant difference: regular pools don’t have a catchment basin – infinity pools do.
The main additional task for owners, therefore, is to keep this basin free from debris. You’ll need to sweep it out regularly, ensuring that the filters and drains don’t get clogged with leaves and twigs.
Where Do Infinity Pools Originate?
Infinity pools have been around longer than many people imagine. While they are a staple of travel blogs, the first pools using the design were the brainchild of John Lautner, a man who first began building them in the mid-twentieth century in California. The pools were initially called “Lautner knife-edge pools,” but the name “infinity pool” soon took off when more people experienced the sensation of infinite edge for themselves.
Hi, I’m Anna the Editor of Beauty and Lace.