Two completely different pools
Off, the deck is clean and empty. On and lit at night, the arcs are the whole show.
Deck Jets
An arc of water thrown from the deck across the open pool: invisible by day if you want it, and the whole show when lit at night.
What It Is
What is a deck jet?
A deck jet is a nozzle set flush into the pool deck that throws an arc of water across the open surface and into the pool. What you're buying is the arc itself: a visible line of water suspended in the air, usually one of several spaced evenly along a run of coping. Set in a row, they frame the pool the way a colonnade frames a courtyard.
Deck jets suit a pool with a long straight edge and open water to arc across, and they fit anyone who wants the pool to look different at night than at noon. The nozzle sits almost invisibly in the deck; when the jets are off, there is nothing to see. They're plumbed from beneath the deck, so they're planned with the build rather than added afterward.
Your options.
Laminar or standard
A glass-like rod, or a livelier stream. Laminars use internal chambers to strip the turbulence out of the water, and the arc reads like sculpture. Standard jets are splashier, more obviously wet, and cost considerably less.
Lighting
Lit or unlit. We install the LED laminar, with nine colors and five color sequences. Because the stream carries no air it carries the light instead, so the whole arc glows from the nozzle to where it meets the water.
Quantity
Typically three to five along a run. Odd numbers look intentional. Even spacing matters more than the count; irregular gaps read as a mistake.
Arc height and reach
Adjustable, up to seven feet high and eight feet out into the water. Higher arcs are dramatic and land further out. Lower arcs are calmer, quieter, and less affected by wind.
Nozzle finish
Deck-matched or contrasting cover plates. A cover matched to the deck makes the hardware disappear when the jets are off.
Why deck jets.
Sound you can dial in
Real splash for masking a road, or run low for calm.
Kids run through them
An arc across the pool is an invitation, and it gets used like one.
The hardware disappears
Nothing sits above the deck line, so there is no object to design around.
They frame the pool
Set in a row, the arcs give the water a formal, resort-style edge.
Cheap to operate
Standard jets run off the pool’s own circulation.
FAQs
The six questions we hear most about deck jets.
What's the difference between a deck jet and a laminar?
The water, not the light. A laminar strips the turbulence and air out of the stream and pushes it through a precision nozzle, so it crosses the pool as a clear, solid rod instead of spraying into droplets. A standard jet does none of that and costs considerably less. Both can be lit.
Are deck jets noisy?
Standard jets make real splashing sound, which many people want for masking traffic. Laminars are noticeably quieter, especially at lower flow, since the stream enters the water cleanly.
Will wind ruin the effect?
It can push the arc off line, and laminars are more affected than standard jets because the stream carries no air. On an exposed lot, lower arcs hold up better than tall ones.
Are the laminar lights worth it?
Mostly, but know what you're buying. You're paying for the laminar body itself, not just the light: the flow conditioning and the machined nozzle are what make the arc read like glass. On servicing, the good news is that nobody breaks concrete: the lid comes off with two screws and the assembly lifts out onto the deck. The light engine inside is sealed, though, so there's no bulb to change. When it goes, the whole engine is replaced as a unit. Ask what the light engine is warranted for.
Can the jets be re-aimed later?
Not much. Deck jets are set during construction: aimed too flat they splash the far coping, too steep and they drop short. Ask to see them running before the deck is closed up.
Do deck jets need their own pump?
Standard jets typically run off the pool's existing circulation. A large laminar array may want a dedicated pump, which is settled during design. Laminars also want cartridge filtration with real capacity behind them, because the nozzle is machined to fine tolerances and a scrap of debris turns a clean arc into a spray.
Other Water Features
Compare all five
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Book a consultation with your local Oak Wells team. We bring the design expertise. You bring the backyard.
