Frequently asked questions

About EWAC Pools

Who is EWAC Pools?

EWAC Pools B.V. is part of EWAC, a family-owned stainless steel engineering company in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands, founded in 1988 by Frans Legdeur and led by his son Eric Legdeur since 2005. The team and its experience come from EWAC; the pools and equipment come from Myrtha Pools. As the authorised Myrtha dealer for the BeNeLux, we handle advice, sales, installation, after-sales, service and maintenance.

How are EWAC, EWAC Pools, EWAC Medical, EWAC Marine and EWAC Industrial related?

They are the activities of one family company, working from the same building, workshop and engineering team in Heerhugowaard:

• EWAC Medical develops and builds hydrotherapy pools and movable pool floors for rehabilitation and care.
• EWAC Pools supplies and installs Myrtha stainless steel pools for sport, leisure, hospitality and wellness.
• EWAC Marine builds pool and water systems for superyachts, on a project basis.
• EWAC Industrial makes custom stainless steel parts and equipment for industrial clients.

What connects them is stainless steel, water and the knowledge of how to design, weld and install it so that it lasts.

How much experience does EWAC have?

EWAC has worked in stainless steel since 1988. At EWAC Pools that experience goes into advice, installation and service; the products themselves are made by Myrtha Pools in Italy.

Which area do you work in?

The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Our team works from Heerhugowaard and speaks Dutch, English and French.

Is EWAC certified?

EWAC B.V. holds ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certificates (LRQA) for its engineering and its medical products. Myrtha pool components are made in Myrtha’s ISO 9001-certified factory in Italy.

Myrtha Pools and Myrtha Wellness

Who is Myrtha Pools?

Myrtha Pools is an Italian manufacturer of modular stainless steel pools, founded in 1961 in Castiglione delle Stiviere. Myrtha builds around 1,500 pools a year and has pools in more than 70 countries, and its technology has been used at the Olympic Games since Atlanta 1996, most recently Paris 2024.

What does Myrtha do, and what does EWAC Pools do?

Myrtha designs, engineers and manufactures the pool: panels, buttresses, gutters and accessories, produced in Italy. EWAC Pools is your partner in the BeNeLux: we advise, prepare the proposal, coordinate the design with your architect and Myrtha’s engineers, install the pool on site and remain responsible for service and maintenance after handover.

What is Myrtha Wellness?

Myrtha Wellness is Myrtha’s range for wellness and spa areas: hydromassage pools, cold plunge pools, Kneipp paths and relax pools, built on the same stainless steel system. See Wellness features.

Why work with a local dealer instead of directly with Myrtha?

A pool is built on site. You get one Dutch-speaking point of contact who knows local regulations, coordinates with your contractor and installers, and is nearby for service and maintenance for the lifetime of the pool.

Stainless steel pools

What is a Myrtha pool made of?

The walls are PVC-laminated stainless steel panels, bolted together and to a base frame and supported by stainless steel buttresses. The floor is a concrete slab covered with a reinforced PVC membrane. No structural welding is done on site. More in New pool construction.

How long does a stainless steel pool last?

Myrtha gives 25 years’ warranty on the stainless steel structure and 10 years on the PVC laminate. The PVC layer is the part that wears; it is expected to last around 20 years and is then renewed without touching the structure. See Maintenance and lifecycle cost.

Is it more expensive than a concrete pool?

It depends on the project. In an independent UK study the Myrtha variant was about 20% cheaper to build, but that was one case with UK prices. We compare on total cost: build time, closures, maintenance and lifetime. Read Stainless steel or concrete?

How long does installation take?

According to Myrtha, its system shortens construction by about six weeks for a 25-metre pool and eight weeks for a 50-metre pool. Panels are prefabricated, there is no curing or drying time, and the pool can be installed at any stage of the building works.

Can the pool be tiled, and can it be built outdoors or on a roof?

Yes. Overflow edges and pool surrounds can be finished with ceramic tiles, which are glued directly onto the stainless steel. Myrtha pools are built indoors, outdoors, on upper floors and on rooftops; one metre of wall weighs about 70 kg. See Pool design for architects.

Renovating an existing pool

Can our existing concrete pool be renovated?

In many cases, yes. With Myrtha RenovAction a new stainless steel pool is built inside the existing shell: rails and panels against the old walls, a new PVC membrane over the floor and a new overflow gutter. The shell itself stays in place.

How long is the pool closed?

That depends on the size and the condition of the shell. Examples from Myrtha projects: a 50 × 20 m pool in Lausanne was renovated in seven weeks, and a pool in Andalo reopened 60 days after work began. We give a realistic planning after a survey of your pool.

Can we change the pool during the renovation?

Yes. It is the moment to add a shallow zone, recessed steps, a movable floor or bulkhead, or to convert skimmers to an overflow gutter. Competition dimensions can be preserved.

When is rebuilding the better choice?

When the shell has serious structural damage, when the building itself is at the end of its life, or when the new layout differs too much from the old pool. We say so clearly. See Renovate or rebuild?

Are there examples in the Netherlands and Belgium?

Yes, for example the Twentebad in Hengelo, Saint-Servais in Namur and the Marcinelle leisure centre. Since 2006 there have been more than 35 Myrtha pools in the BeNeLux.

Movable floors, medical pools and accessories

What does a movable floor do?

A movable floor changes the depth of (part of) the pool in minutes, without draining it. One pool can then be used for lessons, aqua fitness, lane swimming and clubs, and can be closed at deck level when there is no supervision. See Movable pool floor.

Who makes the movable floors and bulkheads?

That depends on the size of the pool. Movable floors for smaller pools are designed and built by EWAC in Heerhugowaard, the same floors EWAC Medical supplies to hydrotherapy pools worldwide. For large public and competition pools we work with Myrtha. For you there is one point of contact either way: EWAC Pools advises, installs and maintains the floor.

Do you also build stainless steel pools for medical use?

Yes, through EWAC Medical: hydrotherapy pools and modular pools for hospitals, rehabilitation centres and physiotherapy practices, with accessories such as underwater treadmills, movable floors and hoists. See ewacmedical.com.

Which competition equipment do you supply?

Movable bulkheads, removable headwalls, Track-Start starting blocks, backstroke start systems, the Water Polo Visual System, the Virtual Trainer and air safety cushions for diving, approved by World Aquatics where applicable. See Competition equipment.

Can a pool be made accessible for everyone?

Yes, with beach entries, stairs and ramps, Soft Floor, hoists and a movable floor. See Leisure and access.

Water quality, air quality and sustainability

Why does an indoor pool smell of chlorine, and what can be done?

The smell comes from chloramines, which form when chlorine reacts with substances swimmers bring in. Good ventilation, water treatment, showering before swimming and extraction at the source help. Read Ventilation and air quality and Myrtha Breathe.

How is the water circulated?

Myrtha recommends Strahlenturbulenz: water inlets in the walls only, without piping under the floor, validated with CFD simulations. See Strahlenturbulenz.

Is a stainless steel pool more sustainable?

In construction, yes: about 50% lower embodied CO₂ than a concrete pool, according to a study commissioned by Myrtha. In operation, energy use is similar; savings there come from the building and installations. See Sustainability.

Process, cost and service

How does a project start?

Send us the basics: new build or renovation, dimensions, location, intended use and timing. For a renovation, also the year of construction and the main issues. We then plan a survey or meeting and set out the options.

Can you give a price indication?

Yes, once we know the main dimensions and scope. The price depends on size, depth, overflow type, finishes and accessories. We are glad to compare the total cost with a concrete alternative.

Do you work with our architect and contractor?

Yes. Myrtha designs in Revit and we coordinate the interfaces with your architect, structural engineer, installation adviser and contractor, with one point of contact for the pool.

Do you offer service and maintenance?

Yes: inspections, maintenance, repairs and, in due course, renewal of the PVC layer. We also maintain existing Myrtha pools in the BeNeLux that we did not build ourselves.

How can I contact you?

Via the contact page. Our general phone number and e-mail address are listed there and at the bottom of every page.