Besides being fun, relaxing, and beautiful, a swimming pool in your backyard has a variety of health benefits. The only downside is bulky and often unsightly equipment that keeps your water warm and clean all year round. Learning how to hide pool equipment is essential to keeping curb appeal without losing the pool’s advantages.
Great pool companies can offer a variety of creative ways to hide the machinery that comes with pools of all sizes. It’s up to you to choose the best option that suits the property design and your budget.
Let’s take a closer look at hiding pool equipment with style without breaking the bank.
Why You Need to Learn How to Hide Pool Equipment
Did you know that there are over 10 million residential swimming pools in the U.S.? This means that millions of homeowners need advice on how to hide pool equipment without ruining the curb appeal.
While the main reason to hide pool equipment is to prevent your yard from looking like a Home Depot aisle, there are a few other reasons behind finding a way to cover pipes, pumps, and heaters.
Weather Elements
Pool equipment is susceptible to weather elements such as strong winds and rain. Water can ruin costly pumps, heaters, and other machinery within hours. When moisture enters the equipment, it doesn’t just affect its components, it can turn some of the elements into an electrocution hazard.
Strong winds can also damage your equipment by carrying around heavy debris. Tree branches can easily puncture the pump and cause unrepairable damage. Replacing any part of your pool equipment can be costly.
Extensive heat is another serious problem. If you leave your pool equipment exposed to the hot Californian sun, plastic and rubber components will get damaged. Meanwhile, exposing the pump to direct sunlight could cause the motor to overheat and break down.
Related: How Much Does it Cost to Maintain a Pool
Safety
If you don’t find a way to hide your pool equipment, it can become a hazard to your household members. Children and pets can:
- Unwittingly touch equipment components that are exposed to direct sunlight. This could cause serious burns.
- Bump into the pool equipment when playing games. This could turn the equipment on or off at the most unexpected moment and lead to a breakdown.
- Touch malfunctioning equipment and get electrocuted.
A common source of electrical shock that occurs in and around swimming pools are circulation motors, pool cleaning machines, heaters, and timer controls. By making them accessible to children, pets, and guests, you could be putting them in danger.
To ensure safety, it’s imperative to cover pool equipment and post appropriate warnings if necessary.
Convenience
If you decide to build a pool equipment shed, you can use it to store pool supplies such as vacuum cleaners, sanitizing tablets, brushes, and more.
If you are a fan of quiet weekend mornings by the pool, a roaring pump is hardly something you are ready to tolerate. When you hide the pool equipment, you don’t just deal with the aesthetic appeal, you minimize the noise.
6 Ways to Hide Your Pool Equipment
Hiding pool equipment is an essential part of your yard maintenance. To ensure safety, convenience, and aesthetic appeal, you can take advantage of these effective methods.
1. Build a Shed Around Your Pool Equipment
If there is sufficient space in your yard, an extra shed is always a nice thing to have. The size of the shed depends on how much space you are willing to give up.
When playing around with the idea of the shed, consider different materials:
- Vinyl – this long-lasting option that can resist moisture damage. You get to choose from a huge variety of colors and benefit from almost non-existent maintenance.
- Metal – metal has an industrial look, but it’s environmentally friendly (76% of it is recycled) You can paint a metal shed any color you like and enjoy its impressive 80+ year lifespan.
- Wood – wood looks expensive and beautiful and fits into virtually any design. However, it requires more maintenance than other options do.
The best part about the shed is the ability to lock it. So, you don’t have to worry about children and pets facing the potential dangers of pool equipment.
2. Install Walls
One of the easiest ways to hide your pool equipment from sight is to install a couple of walls around it. Depending on the location of your equipment, you may only need two or three walls. A wall obstructs the view and deflects the sound.
You can choose the most suitable wall material for your needs and maintenance preferences. Many homeowners opt for wood since it does the best job of dampening the sound. It’s also highly aesthetically appealing.
If you want to add something unusually creative to your yard, consider privacy glass panels. While more expensive than other options, these walls can definitely add some zest to your yard design.
3. Consider an Underground Bunker
Wondering how to hide your pool equipment without ruining your landscaping? The perfect way to do it is to place it underground. Whether you already have a pool or just planning to build one, it’s possible to find a place below the ground for heaters, pipes, and pumps.
An underground bunker offers perfect protection from the weather elements, keeps the equipment out of your sight, and makes it hard for children and pets to access any of the machines. Since the equipment is in an enclosed space, it stays clean. This makes servicing it easier.
You can always ask the pool company about underground bunker options for your yard. Experienced pool technicians can make sure that the equipment is easy to access, service, and manage.
Related: Top Things to Know When Building a Pool
4. Tweak Your Landscaping
Rocks, bushes, flowers, and other elements of your yard environment can do an excellent job hiding pool equipment. Here are a few ways to do it:
- Place decorative stones around the equipment. You can find two to three feet high stones for these purposes.
- Plant ornamental grass. This type of grass can grow to be higher than your pool pump and heater. You can install a fence between the equipment and the grass to separate them and deflect some of the noise.
- Plant shrubs (e.g., boxwoods) and small trees. This works the same way as ornamental grass does. Just make sure you leave sufficient distance for trimming and other maintenance.
If you are ready for some work, consider hiding the equipment by using the hill-and-valley approach. It involves digging a valley for the equipment and using a hill to hide it. Hills with beautiful flowers don’t just improve your landscaping, they can deflect the pool pump noise.
5. Settle for a Box
Pool equipment boxes are generally a cheap and easy way to hide your pumps, heaters, conduits, and pipes. A box serves to protect the equipment from the elements and to keep children and pets away.
Depending on the material you choose, such a box can deflect some of the noise. It’s possible to find an aesthetically appealing option that fits into your yard design perfectly.
Pro tip: If you want a simple pool equipment box to look creative and unusual, consider making it at least four feet tall and planting a decorative ivy plant next to it. With time and proper care, ivy can climb the walls and make your pool box look truly extraordinary.
6. Use Privacy Screens
Privacy screens are readily available at your nearby home improvement store. They are usually made from vinyl. However, you could find metal and wooden screens as well. The main advantages of pool screens include:
- Cost-effectiveness – they are the cheapest and easiest way to hide your pool equipment.
- Integrity – vinyl screens are highly durable, weather-resistant, and easy to maintain.
- Variety – you can choose from a variety of styles and colors to ensure a perfect fit for your yard.
The disadvantage of privacy screens is that they don’t offer much protection from the weather elements or pump noise. However, they do an excellent job keeping pool equipment out of your sight.
Related: How Much Does It Cost To Maintain A Pool?
Hiding Pool Equipment Is Easier Than You Think
Leaving pool equipment out in the open isn’t just visually unappealing, it’s dangerous and costly. It’s important to cover pumps, heaters, and pipes to prevent accidents, simplify maintenance, and minimize noise. The best way to hide your pool equipment with style is to consult the professionals. California Pools have been working in the local market for over 75 years. We know exactly how to hide pool equipment in the most appealing, creative, and cost-effective way possible. Contact us today for a free consultation.
