What are step jets?
A step jet circulates water across your pool steps to keep debris off them. It does the same job as a step return, with the addition of hydrotherapy.
Your pool steps are the entryway of your pool. They see the most traffic of anywhere in it, so they collect more dirt and debris than the rest of the surfaces.
A step jet circulates the water across that area, which keeps the steps from becoming a gathering place for dirt and rubbish, and makes cleaning simpler.
Step jets and step returns
- Both step returns and step jets do the same primary job. They circulate your water to keep your steps clean.
- The only difference between the two is that a step jet adds hydrotherapy, so you get the relaxation of a jet as well as the circulation.
- A step jet can be fitted in place of a standard return, and both come in a range of colors to match your step.
- Steps are available with or without jets, but jets are recommended because of the way they keep the area clean.
Circulation and algae
Algae is no more or less likely with one type of step than another. But if your water is not balanced and your general circulation is poor, your steps are often the first place a bloom shows up.
That is worth knowing when you are weighing up jets against plain returns. Keeping water moving across the steps is the point of the fitting.
More on pool steps
- Our guide to inground pool steps covers the full range of step options and how they differ.
- Steps can pick up scratches during shipping or installation, and our guide to repairing thermal plastic pool steps covers how to deal with them.
- Browse our inground pool ladders and steps, including vinyl-over steps and bolt-on steps.
Still need help?
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