Month: April 2015

The Best Equipment for your In ground Pool

There are many manufacturers of in ground swimming pool equipment.  By equipment I am referring to pumps, filters, heaters, etc.  However they are not all the same.  Like anything else there are different levels of quality associated with them.  The brand of equipment that I have found to be the best is Jandy.  In my experience Jandy offers the best features and highest quality associated with their equipment.  They also have a very extensive selection of accessory goods ie. lights, water sanitation, automation, and pool cleaners.  One of the coolest things that is offered by Jandy is their automation systems.  This is a system that will allow you to link the aspects of your pool together to be controlled remotely without having to physically open valves, adjust your pump, or adjust your heater.

If I were having a pool built I would definitely look into what Jandy products fit my needs and lifestyle.  I don’t necessarily mind putting a little work into the things that I have, but at the same time it would be really nice to not have to worry about it.  With the right Jandy products I would be able to just sit back and enjoy my pool rather than worry about how much time I will have to spend getting the pool ready to be enjoyed.  For instance if I were having a pool party over the weekend I could simply go to my controller and adjust the heat so it is ready for swimmers.  I could also toss the robotic cleaner in for a while to remove all of the debris from the pool.  I could set the system to turn the waterfall on when my guests arrive.  I could even program the lighting to cycle through the various colors throughout the evening.

Automation:

So clearly I would want one of their automation systems.  The type of automation system that I would get would depend on the number of items I want to control.  If I only needed to control four or less items then I could go with the Z4 system.  Anything more would require me to move up to one of their RS systems.  Either way I could make sure that I could control the components that I want.

Pumps:

They have several pump options available, from single speed to variable speed.  All of their pumps are designed with efficiency in mind so I won’t have to worry about an over usage of electricity increasing my power bill.  If I were going for quiet efficiency I would choose their Stealth pump.  As the name suggests this is a quiet, powerful, and efficient pump and it is available in several models depending on my horsepower needs.  Lets say that I already have a pool and my current pump has just failed.  In this situation Jandy offers the FloPro pumps for easy replacement of existing pumps.  Several different bases for these pumps are available which change the height of the pump allowing you to install it in an existing system without having to alter the plumbing.

Filters:

They also have several styles of filters available.  They have everything from sand filters to DE (diatomaceous earth).  For me I would likely go with one of their standard cartridge filters, and I will tell you why in a minute.  Their cartridge filters are designed with efficiency in mind and will work well with their pumps and heaters.  With a cartridge filter their is no need to backwash so their are no long hoses that I would need to stretch out to the street or under the fence into the neighbor’s yard for a few minutes only to have to wrap it all back up.  In addition to that I find cartridge filters easier to maintain.  When it comes time to replace the cartridges it is a fairly simple process whereas with a sand filter it can be difficult to remove the old sand.

Heating:

When it comes to heating I will always spoil myself.  I am not a big fan of swimming in cold water.  That being said, when I go swimming I want my pool water to be warm.  Jandy offers a few different options when it comes to heating.  They offer a heat pump as well as a standard gas heater.  With the gas heaters they even come set up for either natural gas or liquid propane.  The difference between the gas heater and the heat pump is simple.  The heat pump uses the ambient temperature to heat the water, whereas the heater burns LP or natural gas to heat the water.  This means that the heater will heat the water much faster than the heat pump.  On the other hand it typically costs more to run the heater than it would to run the heat pump.  However when it comes to warm water versus cold water I am willing to pay a bit more to be comfortable.  It really comes down to personal preference.

Versa Plumb System:

With Jandy products, when you use a pump, cartridge filter, and heater you have the option of using their Versa Plumb System.  This is basically a way of plumbing the entire system allowing the best hydraulic efficiency.  They provide you with the fittings and pipe needed and it is just a matter of putting it all together.

These are all reasons why I think that Jandy has the best equipment for your pool.  They have so many options available that they are able to fit the needs of anyone.  In addition to that I know that their standards of customer service are set much higher than any other equipment manufacturer out their.

Concerns About Swimming Pool Safety –

I came across an article in Pool and Spa News that basically stated that there is too much emphasis on safety in the swimming pool.  You can check out the article by clicking on this link http://www.poolspanews.com.

I certainly see her point with this article.  There is a lot of information out there on how to stay safe in the pool.  There are also a lot of stories about tragic things happening in pools.  You will also see stories about the importance of teaching your children how to swim.  There are government web pages you can visit to get the latest information of swimming pool safety as well.  The point is that there is this enormous spotlight on swimming pool safety.  The argument is that with all of this attention on safety, it may result in a fear of pools.  It seems that with all of this attention on swimming pool safety it may make people feel as though swimming pools are dangerous.  However the truth is that with the proper precautions swimming pools can be a place of entertainment and relaxation.  I think that with all of this attention on swimming pool safety people are starting to overlook the fact that it it is just meant to be informative.  It is not a ploy to scare anyone.  It is just to make people aware.

I understand that there is a concern that people won’t want swimming pools if they think that they are dangerous.  I understand the need to inform people of the dangers associated with swimming pools.  However I think that it needs to be done in a way that won’t scare potential customers away.  On the other hand, perhaps a swimming pool is the type of thing that is enticing enough that the safety concerns are at the back of most peoples minds.  Perhaps this woman who wrote the article just happened to be talking with one of a few people that has an irrational fear of their pool.  Think about it in this light.  Alcohol is a dangerous drug.  There are known safety issues associated with drinking too much alcohol.  However people still buy it and drink it.  There are huge safety issues related to riding a motorcycle.  We hear about crashes every year.  We see bumper stickers raising awareness for motorcycle safety and yet more and more people are riding.

With all that in mind I think that there is room for both pool sales and safety concerns in the swimming pool industry.  I feel as though, if the safety concerns weren’t so widely publicized they would still exist.  I also think that people are buying pools regardless of the safety concerns.  In my humble opinion, I think that swimming pool safety awareness is an important part of owning a swimming pool.  I personally do not think that safety awareness will have an adverse effect on swimming pools sales.  The more knowledge that someone has about how to be safe in a pool, the less concerned they will be about it.  So this emphasis on swimming pool safety might actually help pool sales.