Perimeter overflow spas: collection, operating modes and acceptance checks
A dry spot on one edge wastes the even sheet a perimeter overflow spa is built for. Record whether the rim is flush or raised, and where the spilled water is held, before that edge is formed.
A perimeter overflow spa spills over the whole rim into a slot or trough, and the collected water is filtered and returned. Premier Paradise's gallery, read on 11 October 2026, splits that rim into two builds: flush with the deck, water entering a thin slot, or raised above the deck. California Pools & Landscape, read the same day, describes a hidden trough or catch basin that catches the spill and sends it back, and says the supply can be the pool or a hidden reservoir. Fill the three records below with the designer before the rim height is set: rim type, where the water is held, and what is reviewed with the system off, circulating, occupied, and with jets running. Edge tolerance, vessel volume and pump duty stay on the project drawings.
Is the rim flush with the deck or raised?
Write flush or raised before the finish is chosen. Premier Paradise's gallery, read on 11 October 2026, describes a deck-level rim as water entering a thin slot between the spa edge and the deck, and a raised rim as water held above the deck. The page calls the deck-level surface a mirror effect and the raised form a floating water effect. Those are that builder's names for the look.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Arrangement | What the gallery states | What to write down |
|---|---|---|
| Flush with the deck | Water enters a thin slot between the spa edge and the deck material. The page calls this a mirror effect. | Slot location and the deck material, from the drawing |
| Raised above the deck | The rim sits above the deck. The page calls this a floating water effect. | Lip height above the walking surface, from the drawing |
| Round plan | On a round spa, the same gallery says water spills over the entire circumference. | That the slot or trough follows the whole rim |
Water sent over one side into a swimming pool is a different edge. Use the raised spillover spa checklist for that drawing. This page stays with a rim that spills into a slot or trough.
Takeaway: Name flush or raised on the drawing before the finish is chosen.
Where does the collected water go?
California Pools & Landscape, read on 11 October 2026, says the spill falls into a hidden collection trough or catch basin, is filtered, and is sent back. The same page says water is pumped into the spa from the pool or from a hidden reservoir. Record which supply the drawing uses. This page publishes no reservoir volume.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Field | Write this | Why it is on the record |
|---|---|---|
| Catch | Slot, trough, or catch basin, and where it sits | That page treats the trough or catch basin as the place the spill is collected |
| Holding vessel | Pool, hidden reservoir, or the vessel named on the drawing | The page names the pool or a hidden reservoir as the supply. The drawing picks one. |
| Return | Where filtered water re-enters the spa | Farley wrote on 18 May 2016 that return water has to avoid ripples if the surface is meant to stay glassy while that system runs |
| Grate and debris | Who clears the channel, and the interval the designer sets | The reads describe an even sheet. They publish no cleaning interval. |
Mike Farley wrote in WaterShapes on 18 May 2016 that the finished top edges of the perimeter-overflow spa in that column had to be dead level. He said his crew worked toward one thirty-second of an inch so the flow stayed even and the rim had no dry spots. Use that number only when the designer adopts it for this project. It is his stated goal for that system, read with the column on 11 October 2026.
Takeaway: Name the catch and the holding vessel on the same drawing.
What should be reviewed in each operating mode?
Review four conditions on separate lines. A still rim with the system off does not describe the sheet with circulation on, and a quiet surface with the jets off does not describe the surface with jets running. Farley tied a glassy top, while that system was running and while it was off, to slow even flow and a return that does not throw ripples. He published no jet-on result.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Mode | Watch | Leave this off the pass line |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Water level against the edge with circulation stopped | A photograph taken while the pump is running |
| Circulating, unoccupied | Sheet or slot flow around the whole rim, and the path into the catch | A glassy surface. The 18 May 2016 column ties that look to slow even flow and a quiet return on the system he described |
| Occupied | Where water goes when people displace it | A bather-load number. None of the three reads publishes one |
| Jets running | Whether the sheet stays continuous | A mirror-flat surface. The 18 May 2016 column includes no jet test |
Common mistake: Using one still-water photograph as the review for the jets.
Takeaway: Write a separate note for off, circulating, occupied and jets.
What does the designer fill in before the rim is formed?
The project's designer or builder fills in this sheet. Centaur Spa Journal publishes the sheet and does not design or build the spa.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Line | Who fills it | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Rim: flush slot or raised lip, and round or not | Designer | The drawing names one arrangement |
| Catch and holding vessel | Designer | The catch is named, and the supply is the pool, a hidden reservoir, or another vessel on the drawing |
| Level method | Designer or builder | The tolerance they will build to is written, with how they will check it |
| Four operating modes | Person who will run the startup | Off, circulating, occupied and jets each have a note and a date |
Takeaway: The sheet is done when each line has a name and a date.
When this record does not apply
This record sets no edge tolerance, surge volume, reservoir volume, pump duty or suction layout. Those stay on the project drawings and in the code that project adopts.
Jets running stay on their own line. The 18 May 2016 column does not show a glassy surface surviving the jets.
Commercial public-pool rules sit outside these three reads. A hotel or community spa still needs the code adopted for that site.
Frequently asked questions
What are the disadvantages of an overflow pool?
The three pages read on 11 October 2026 tie an even sheet to a level rim and a collection path that has to stay clear. They publish no cost, no cleaning-hour figure, and no comparison with a skimmer spa. Dry spots and a blocked catch are the failures those pages describe.
Methods and sources
Three public pages were read on 11 October 2026 from a cached US English desktop search for perimeter overflow spa, captured on 11 October 2026. Builder pages are cited as what those companies wrote. The WaterShapes column is cited as what its author wrote about one system.
- Premier Paradise, Perimeter Overflow Spa Gallery. Read 11 October 2026. Flush slot, raised rim, and a round spa spilling over the whole circumference.
- California Pools & Landscape, Perimeter Overflow Spa. Read 11 October 2026. Hidden trough or catch basin, filtration and return, supply from the pool or a hidden reservoir.
- Mike Farley, #23: Perimeter-Overflow Spa, WaterShapes, 18 May 2016 Read 11 October 2026. Level edges, his one thirty-second of an inch goal for that system, and a quiet return if the surface is meant to stay glassy while that system runs.
Takeaway: Keep Farley's leveling goal attached to the 18 May 2016 column unless the designer writes the same tolerance onto this drawing.