Are your inground pool jets not working the way they’re supposed to? Is your pool’s water circulation poor? If you find your pool dirtying quickly or you’re purchasing chemicals more frequently, it could be a problem with how your pool jets are positioned.
Contrary to what you may believe, there is a right and a wrong way to position your pool jets. In this post, we’ll cover the best way to position your pool jets for maximum circulation and other things you can do to improve water circulation and filtration in your pool. Read on to learn more:
The Best Way to Position Pool Jets
Let’s start by discussing the best way to position your pool jets.
The best position for pool jets is at a slightly downward angle, with all jets pointing in the same general direction. Don’t point the jets in the direction of any built-in skimmers. Doing so helps ensure that any water that isn’t normally pulled in by the skimmers is allowed to circulate properly and enter the pool’s filtration system. This is especially true for any deeper water.
It’s not enough to place the jets at a downward angle; they should also point in the same direction. This helps increase the power and circulation within the pool, keeping the water flowing in one general direction. Think of it as a pool current or vortex.
When all your inground pool jets are correctly positioned, your water should look calm. Keep in mind that calmer water often translates to better underwater circulation, turning over more water and sending more of it through the filtration system. This results in cleaner overall water and better water quality for longer.
Aside from cleaner water, other key benefits of proper pool jet positioning include:
- Less overall heat loss: Rough water surfaces lose heat faster than calm water surfaces. If your pool has a heater, this can also help you save on energy costs.
- Less evaporation: Calmer water surfaces also mean that less water evaporates from your pool.
- Reduced chemical off-gassing: A more stable water surface is also a more balanced water surface, meaning fewer chemicals will be lost through off-gassing.
- Reduced overall maintenance: Even with jets in the right position to circulate more water through the filtration system, you’ll still need to occasionally skim the surface of your pool.
Properly positioned jets will reduce this maintenance task and better draw debris into your skimming tool.
Other Pool Jet Positions (and Why They’re Not Advised)
Now that we’ve covered the proper pool jet positions, here’s a look at the positions you’ll want to avoid:
- Directing pool jets to the water’s surface: This helps create rougher surface water, which also accelerates heat loss, water evaporation, and chemical off-gassing. Many pool owners do this to create a “spa-like” effect. In reality, it can increase utility and chemical costs and cause debris to break up and dirty your pool faster, potentially resulting in a need for more frequent cleaning.
- Pointing jets at each other: Do this, and you’ll essentially cancel out any water circulation that you’d be receiving from any of the pool jets.
- Pointing the jets away from each other: This might offer some circulation in the hard-to-reach areas of your pool, but it won’t do a very good job of circulating water in the main part of your pool. Remember, there are always going to be those hard-to-reach “dead spots” in your pool (i.e., behind the ladder, near the steps, in corners, underneath skimmers, etc.) that you’re likely going to have to occasionally clean by hand. Prioritizing them over the middle of your pool, where most of the water needs to be circulated, isn’t a wise idea.
Optimizing Pool Circulation and Performance with the e360 System
If you really want to step up your pool jet game, consider the advanced e360 pool circulation system. Purposefully designed to maximize the efficiency of today’s variable-speed pumps, the e360 consists of the Q360 water valve and strategically placed thermal contour jets that work together in tandem to improve pool circulation. This keeps your pool cleaner for longer and helps you save on utilities and chemicals every month. Pool owners can also add an optional HydroFusion Drain and Abyss Canister to enhance dirt and debris removal.
Some of the key benefits of the e360 system include:
- Reduced pool costs, especially on heating and chemicals.
- It can help extend the swimming season by pushing warm water down and better circulating heat throughout the pool. This helps you enjoy your pool for longer each year.
- It eliminates the need for floor water returns.
Contact Blue Square Manufacturing Today
Contact Blue Square Manufacturing today for more information on how to properly position pool jets and to learn more about the e360 advanced pool circulation system to optimize jet placement and water circulation.