Add Even More Fun with a Pool Slide

Young and old alike can have more fun with a pool slide. It’s easy to add a pool water slide during pool installation. If you’re in the planning process of installing an inground pool, and you’re even thinking about installing a pool slide, have your pool contractors figure the costs for additional plumbing and the slide itself into the bid.

If you decide you don’t want the added expense of the pool slide upfront, you can have them install the plumbing, so adding a slide later will be a snap. One important thing is to install a slide from a reputable manufacturer. We recommend pool slides from S.R. Smith. They have a wide variety of slide styles and configurations to choose from.

How Deep Does Your Pool Need to Be for a Pool Slide?

The answer depends on the slide you want to install. Slide manufacturers will spell this out in the product specifications for each slide. But here are some basics:

• For larger slides built to accommodate people 48” or taller: The water must be at least 3 feet deep.
• Slides that have twists and level out, slowing the slider: 3 to 4-foot water depth at landing.

How Much Deck Space You Need for a Pool Slide

This also depends on the specific slide you want to install. And again, the manufacturer specifications will tell you the exact footprint of a slide. That being said, most slides need about a 7’ x 15’ section of your pool deck. And of course, if you decide to go with a preconfigured custom slide with a rock surround and waterfall, that will take up more space.

Making Pool Slide Safety a Priority

No matter what slide you choose to install, you will need to make pool slide safety a priority. This starts even before you install the slide. Choose a slide with enclosed ladders, nonslip stair treads, and easy-to-grip handrails. Make sure the slide meets or exceeds the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards for pool slides.

Talk to your kids about the ground rules before deciding to install a slide, and then consider posting a sign with the rules, for all to see.

1. No roughhousing around the pool slide.
2. Only use the slide when there is at least one other person at the pool.
3. Do not go down the slide until the area at the bottom is clear of other swimmers.
4. Only go down the slide feet first. No head first sliding.
5. Adults should avoid alcohol use if they plan to use the slide.
6. Only one person on the slide at a time.

Get a Pro to Install Your Inground Pool Slide

Whenever you’re ready to install your new pool slide, call the pool contractors who built your pool, and they can easily install the slide and connect it to the supply line they put in when they installed your pool. And if yours is an existing pool where there is not an existing water supply line for the pool slide, that will require cutting into the pool deck to add a water line from the pool’s return line. Not a job for amateurs!