Guides
Swimming pool guides for Dubai property owners.
Fifty guides cover planning, repairs, maintenance, equipment and wellness rooms.
Choosing a swimming pool contractor in Dubai
A swimming pool contractor in Dubai should be judged on the written scope, not the sales presentation. Pool construction includes structural work, waterproofing, circulation,...
Pool guideHow swimming pool construction works in Dubai
Swimming pool construction in Dubai begins with the property and the approval route. The pool design then moves into structural drawings, service coordination and the plant...
Pool guideConcrete or fibreglass pools in Dubai
They suit different situations.
Pool guideOverflow or skimmer pools
Skimmer boxes set into the wall draw surface water into the filtration system. This is the conventional arrangement and the cheaper one.
Pool guideChoosing pool tiles for a Dubai villa
Tile choice affects how the water looks, how hot the deck gets and how much maintenance you sign up for.
Pool guideGlass mosaic pool tiling
Glass mosaic is the finish most owners want. Done badly it starts lifting in the second summer.
Pool guidePool tile regrouting and repair
If the tiles are firmly stuck and only the grout has washed out, regrouting works.
Pool guidePool coping and edge details
Coping is the stone or tile capping the pool wall. It takes more abuse than any other part of the pool, and when it fails it causes leaks that never show as an obvious drop in...
Pool guidePool waterproofing before tiling
Concrete is not waterproof. It is porous, and water passes through it under pressure. A pool shell without a membrane will lose water through the structure, and it will keep...
Pool guidePool resurfacing and replastering
After that the surface goes rough, algae roots into the texture and no amount of chemical treatment keeps it clear.
Pool guideSwimming pool leak detection
Losing water does not automatically mean a leak. In Dubai, evaporation is high enough that many owners chase a leak that does not exist.
Pool guideWhy your pool is losing water in summer
Wind matters more than most people realise. It strips the saturated air layer sitting just above the water and replaces it with dry air, which restarts the evaporation process.
Pool guidePool crack repair
Not all cracks matter.
Pool guidePool pump repair and replacement
The pump is the part that fails most often, and in Dubai it fails faster than the manufacturer's expected life because of heat.
Pool guideVariable speed pool pumps
A single speed pump runs at one output whether it needs to or not.
Pool guideSand filter or cartridge filter
A tank of graded silica sand or glass media. Dirty water passes down through the bed and clean water leaves through laterals at the base. When pressure rises, you backwash,...
Pool guidePool filter backwashing in Dubai
Backwashing reverses the flow through a sand filter and carries trapped dirt to waste. It is a cleaning process for the filter media, not a cure for every cloudy pool.
Pool guidePool chlorination methods
All of these produce the same active sanitiser in the water. They differ in what else they add along with it.
Pool guideSalt water pools in Dubai
A chlorinator cell passes current through the water and converts chloride into hypochlorous acid, the same sanitiser produced by any chlorine source. Once it does its job it...
Pool guidePool water chemistry basics
Chlorine's killing power depends on pH.
Pool guidepH and total alkalinity explained
These two get confused constantly. They are related and they are not the same thing.
Pool guideCyanuric acid and chlorine stabiliser
Ultraviolet light destroys free chlorine. Cyanuric acid binds loosely to chlorine and shields it from UV, releasing it as the free chlorine gets used up.
Pool guideCalcium hardness and scale in Dubai water
It is calcium carbonate coming out of solution.
Pool guideGreen pool recovery
A pool goes green when free chlorine drops far enough for algae to establish.
Pool guideBlack algae removal
It is harder to kill than green algae for two reasons. It grows a protective outer layer that chemicals struggle to penetrate, and it puts roots into porous surfaces, so...
Pool guideSwimming pool maintenance checklist for Dubai
A swimming pool maintenance checklist should follow the condition of the water and the plant. Dubai heat and dust can expose small faults quickly, so the checklist needs to...
Pool guideWhat a pool maintenance contract includes
Read what is actually covered before comparing two quotes.
Pool guidePool cleaning equipment you actually need
Nylon bristles for tiled and fibreglass pools. Stainless steel bristles for plaster and concrete only. Steel on a tiled pool scratches the glaze and steel on fibreglass ruins...
Pool guideRobotic pool cleaners
A robotic cleaner is a self-contained unit with its own motor and filter bag. It plugs into a socket, drops in the pool and works independently of the pool's filtration system.
Pool guidePool heating in Dubai winter
Pool heating in Dubai is mainly used when the water feels cold during cooler weather. The best system depends on exposure, cover use, plant space and how the pool is used.
Pool guidePool chillers and cooling
A swimming pool chiller removes heat from the water during hot weather. It is useful on exposed pools, dark finishes and properties where the water stays warm after sunset.
Pool guideChoosing a pool heat pump in Dubai
Choosing a pool heat pump starts with the property rather than the equipment label. Pool exposure, cover use, plant-room airflow and the existing circulation system all affect...
Pool guidePool lighting and LED retrofit
Position them on the wall nearest the main viewing point so the light shines away from you, not into your eyes. Deeper than that and the beam gets absorbed before it spreads.
Pool guidePool automation and remote control
Automation covers scheduling and monitoring the pool's systems, usually through a controller with a phone app.
Pool guidePool covers in Dubai
A cover is the highest return item you can add to a Dubai pool.
Pool guidePool safety for children
Drowning is quiet and it is fast. A child can go under in under a minute in water that looks perfectly calm.
Pool guidePool permits and approvals in Dubai
You cannot legally build a pool in a Dubai villa without approval.
Pool guideDubai Municipality pool water quality rules
These apply to shared pools, which means residential buildings, hotels, clubs, schools and any pool open to more than a single household. Private villa pools are outside the scope.
Pool guideDraining and refilling a pool in Dubai
Draining a pool is riskier than it looks. Do it wrong and the shell lifts out of the ground.
Pool guideWhen to renovate a swimming pool
Repair fixes a fault. Renovation resets the clock. Knowing which one you need saves money.
Pool guidePlunge pools for small Dubai gardens
A conventional pool does not fit. A plunge pool does, and in a climate like this it gets used more than a large pool would.
Pool guideLap pools
A lap pool is long and narrow, built for swimming rather than lounging. It suits narrow Dubai plots where a wide pool would eat the whole garden.
Pool guideInfinity edge pools
An infinity edge, also called a vanishing edge, has one wall built slightly lower than the water level. Water spills over that wall into a catch basin, then returns to the pool...
Pool guideJacuzzi and hot tub installation
A tiled concrete spa, usually raised beside the pool with a spillover into it. Built to match the pool finish. Seats four to eight.
Pool guidePool fountains and cascades
Pool fountains and cascades change the appearance of a pool, but they also change the hydraulics. The pump, pipework and controls need to support the extra flow without...
Pool guideSauna installation in a Dubai villa
Ceiling height matters more than floor area.
Pool guideFinnish sauna or infrared sauna
An electric or wood heater warms a bed of stones, which heat the air.
Pool guideSteam room installation
Every surface inside is permanently wet, which makes construction detail more important than in any other room in the house.
Pool guideChoosing a steam generator for a steam room
A steam generator should match the room build-up and the way the steam room is used. The tile finish is only one part of the decision. Insulation, ventilation, controls and...
Pool guideSauna and steam room maintenance
After each use: leave the door open to let the cabin dry, and wipe benches down.