Whether you’re building a new pool or remodeling an existing pool, there’s a lot to think about when it comes to design. Interpreting design terms can feel like learning a new language, and it can be challenging to know what buzzwords to use when searching for inspiration. We’re launching a new blog series that will walk you through popular design styles. We’ll also give you tips on incorporating elements of each design category into your poolscape.  

For all of the diverse design options available in today’s fire features, they all have some things in common – namely the need to observe basic operation and safety measures.

The vast majority of products on the market, certainly those sold by our company, Pebble Technology International (Scottsdale, AZ) and most other manufacturers, are extremely safe. They have been thoroughly tested through safety standards-setting organizations such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and others.  Many of the safety standards are then adopted and recognized by local and regional governmental regulatory agencies.

CSA is the big player on this front, as they compare products to all available industry standards from ANSI, NEC, NFPA, etc. Gaining CSA’s seal of approval is not easy or inexpensive. It’s an extensive process that involves testing the safety of these products in all types of conditions, particularly rain and wind.

At this point, it’s fair to say that after decades of development and regulatory oversight, fire features are very safe products by design. While the operation and safety of fire features has been optimized by manufacturers and regulatory organizations, mistakes still can and do happen. One cannot overstate the importance of following published guidelines. 

Depending on where and how a feature is installed, and especially by whom, you can unwittingly create a hazard in the form of a gas leak or other potential problems. That’s why it is of the utmost importance to have the installation performed by licensed professionals for each trade which is integral to a fire feature installation such as electricians, plumbers and /or gas line professionals. It’s just that simple.

We do see problems with some installations, but they are relatively few and far between. Most of the problems we’ve seen involve lack of pre-planning with items such as gas line positioning and electrical conduit locations. Problems also arise by simply not following basic installation instructions per our installation manual.  

With so many different trades involved in the construction of a backyard or pool environment by the time the final connections to a fire feature are made, the trades that installed the gas line and wired the electrical are usually long gone. Therefore, the importance of constant project management and oversight cannot be overstated to ensure that the work prior to final connection is correct.