Spa spillover length for waterfall

8 years ago

Our spa was just installed. Clearly the design is flawed as the spillover water is hitting the travertine coping below. (See photo, video upload not allowed)

To rectify this, the contractor wants to cut back the coping below. My issue is that with the length of the current spillover, the waterfall looks good for a few inches and then pounds against the wall tile instead of a being a true waterfall going directly down into the pool with a sheer waterfall effect.

How far out should the waterfall edge extend to give me a true waterfall effect and not hit the tile wall? And rules of thumb?

Thank you!

Featured Answer

mmilos

8 years ago

The edge detail on the waterfall matters too. The stone edge is too rounded so it's causing the water to "hang on" too long and slip back towards the face. A sharper/squared edge will throw the water more out into the pool without the lip having to extend far.

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Comments (9)

PRO
Designer Drains
8 years ago
One of our partners came across this same issue hitting against a wall, not for a pool but an indoor waterfall. We had to create an extender made of stainless so the water would flow further away from the edge. Your contractor should be able to extend it out further.
Elaine
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you for your reply!
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PRO
Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
8 years ago
Just be careful when extending that edge and how sharp you make it. I still vividly remember cracking my head open on my friend's pool waterfall just like that one when I was a kid.
Elaine thanked Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
PRO
Accu-Flo Systems, LLC.
8 years ago
That design is meant to have much more water flowing over that spillover. Another option would be to change your valve settings and see how much more water you can direct into your spa to give the waterfall more flow and projection over that spillover. Its not always the best for water circulation, depending on the current hydraulic design, but see how much more flow you can get away with.
PRO
Mystic Pools, LLC
8 years ago
The spill stone should extend out a minimum of 2" and it should be pitched back slightly to the spa to allow the water to build up and allow a better spill. We've doing it this way for 20 years.
Setting the stone level or pitching towards the pool is wrong.

The edge of the stone cannot be rounded/bull nosed or it will roll back towards the tile face. It must square at the edge to allow the water to drop straight into the pool.

I would have set this spa during construction, closer to the pool. The interrupted coping stone on the pool looks unfinished.

A custom spillway of brass, stainless or copper can be custom fabricated to provide a sheeting water fall. Custom Cascades is a brand we've used in the past. The stone will have to removed to install this.

And yes, with it extending out, a bather can hit their head.
Elaine thanked Mystic Pools, LLC
HU-111966467
2 years ago
tilt the 'granite' towards the hot tub. This will allow the water to 'shoot' out of the spillover.
latifolia
2 years ago
@HU-111966467

Five years too late.
Gina Marie
last year
Hi can someone tell me How can we waterproof the actual spillover part in a liner spa it flows great but mason never did one before and it is leaking slowly on the sides. All help appreciated he said it needed to be siliconed again 🤷‍♀️