Tag: filters

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.

Decisions regarding in ground pools

In life we all face those somewhat tough decisions when we have to chose between spending more now to save money later.  It may be a choice between a car that costs less but gets poor gas milage or a car that costs more but gets great milage.  In the world of in ground swimming pools the choice may be between a basic pool with just a pump, filter, heater, and chlorinator, or a higher end pool with a Paramount cleaning system, a pump, filter, heater, UV sanitation, ozone sanitation and chlorinator.  Obviously the higher end pool with all those bells and whistles will likely cost a bit more than the basic pool but you have to realize that over time you will easily be spending more money on chemicals to keep the pool clean than you would have spent on those products initially.

An in ground swimming pool almost always represents a significant investment.  There are so many things that can be added onto a pool initially that would be beneficial in the long run.  There are many things that cannot easily be added after the pool has been installed.  I want to stress that these things cannot be added EASILY because in reality with the right tools and funds just about anything is possible.  However adding something to a pool after it has been installed will likely cost much more than it would have been to add it initially.

In my personal opinion if you are thinking about having a vinyl liner in ground pool installed and are concerned about the cost of maintaining that pool in the long run then I would absolutely suggest going with these few extras initially.  It is one of those things where if you can swing it up front then you should absolutely go for it.  It may seem like you are already spending a lot of money on your pool but you should think of it as an investment.  This pool will bring you and your family a lot of good times for years to come and if you treat it right it will be completely capable of lasting long enough for your grand children to enjoy as well.  One of the things that a lot of new pool owners have trouble with is maintaing the pool.  Keeping the chemicals just right can be a challenge for some, and is in reality a very important part of owning a pool.  Not only can improperly treated water cause problems for swimmers but it can also cause major problems for the pool itself.  Another thing that you should keep in mind is that if the chemicals become too out of whack in your pool then you will be spending even more money to correct the issue.

This is something that can be avoided with having the right products on your pool from the get go.  Basically having a Paramount cleaning system in your pool will allow you to do very little work in regard to physically removing dirt and debris from the pool.  Having a UV system plumbed into the system will help to kill much of the bacteria in the pool.  The Ozonator will inject the water with oxygen to help keep it clean.  At that point all you would need is a little residual chlorine in the pool for sanitation in case one of your kids has an accident in the pool.

Another thing that you could get at the time of the installation to help save money down the road is an automatic pool cover.  There are several reasons that these benefit a pool.  However the way they will help you save money is by keeping the heat in the pool.  Around here, in the early part of the season as well as the end of the season we have warm days and cool nights.  Let me tell you that a cool night can suck the heat right out of the water.  Having the ability to close the pool each night will help to lock that heat in.  This will save you money by drastically reducing the amount of time that you need to run your heater or heat pump.

As I said before most of these things will need to be installed at the time of the pool installation and will add some cost to the overall installation of the pool, but in the long run you will save on the amount you spend on chemicals and in electricity or gas.

For more information on vinyl liner in ground pools and general pool information please check out my other posts.

Paramount Pool Products – Swing Sweep System – Technology at Work

Technology seems to be the theme of many of my blog posts.  The reason for this is that we are a technologically advanced society and we want instant gratification.  There are technological advancements being made in every field across the board.  The swimming pool industry is no different.  Many companies are coming up with new ideas of how to make owning a swimming pool even more enjoyable and less work to maintain.  Why are they doing this?  It is because that is what we want as consumers.  We don’t want to buy something that requires maintenance every week.  We want something that doesn’t require a lot of work or money for that matter to maintain.  One of the leaders of swimming pool innovation is Paramount.  This is a company that has taken innovation to the next level.  When everybody else was doing the same thing that they have always done in the past, Paramount was thinking about how they can make things better.

Typical Main Drain

Let’s look at the main drain for a minute.  For years the inground swimming pool main drain has remained the more or less the same.  Granted there has been some slight modification to its design for safety reasons, but overall it remained the same.  That is until someone at Paramount realized that it could be dramatically improved.  Going back to the old style of main drain you have to realize that it was designed to move water to the pump/filter/heater.  That is all well and good but that is all that it did.  With Paramount’s innovations they have taken the main drain to a whole new level.

MDX-R3

Their MDX-R3 main drain does what other main drains do and more.  It moves water to the pump/filter/heater just like the others, but this main drain also removes debris from the pool.  The special opening in the drain allows even larger pieces of debris to pass through without requiring any effort on the part of the pool owner.  Basically any piece of debris that comes in contact with the MDX-R3 is sucked up and removed from the pool.  In todays world safety is a big concern, so you may wonder what would happen if a person were to come into contact with the MDX-R3.  Well I am here to tell you that you can rest assured that the MDX-R3 is VGB compliant.  This means that it meets or surpasses all safety standards required of any main drain.  The way that it does this is two fold.  One is in its design.  It’s cover is a dome shape to help prevent entrapment by making it very difficult to completely block the flow.  The other way is by using Paramounts secondary safety drain, the SDX.

SDX Secondary Safety Drain

The SDX is Paramounts secondary safety drain that is installed on the wall of the pool.  It too is VGB compliant in its design, and it is also plumbed into the same line that the MDX-R3 is on.  Basically what this all means is that if anything or anyone was able to completely block off the MDX-R3 then the SDX is fully capable of taking on the full suction of the pump preventing entrapment.  If you do not want the SDX on your pool then another MDX-R3 would be required to be installed on the floor of the pool and at least 3 feet from the other one.  By utilizing the VGB main drain specifications and having the SDX secondary safety drain on the pool you will have enough power to remove any debris that comes close to the main drain but without having the risk of entrapment.  Now I am sure you are wondering where all that debris goes once it is sucked up into the MDX-R3.  Well I am glad you asked because that brings me to my next point.

Debris Canister

Paramount thought of this as well and what they have come up with is remarkable.  They have developed a debris canister that gets installed poolside in the deck of the pool.  Think of it as kind of a skimmer basket.  All of the debris is delivered to the canister on the way to the pump, and you will have easy access by simply removing the lid and pulling out the netting to empty it.  Being that it is poolside you don’t even have to leave the pool area to empty it.  The other option is to just let the debris collect in the pump basket.  The downside of that is you will have to leave the pool area to empty the basket and the debris canister is much larger than the pump basket so you would be emptying the pump basket much more frequently.  At this point I am sure that you find this information as compelling as I do but let me take it a bit further.  You may be thinking that this all sounds pretty good but what about the shallow end of the pool or the corners of the pool.  You are right, there is likely to be debris in these areas and typically it would not find its way down to the MDX-R3 for removal on its own.

That is why Paramount came up with the SwingJet.  The SwingJet basically a modified return that delivers the debris in the pool to the MDX-R3.  It does this by utilizing ratcheting technology and making a 90 degree arc.  Basically the SwingJet is plumbed into a valve that operates multiple SwingJets in a sequence.

 

Notice that the arcs are all aiming toward the MDX-R3

Typically there are several SwingJets per pool that work together to deliver the debris to the main drain.  The water valve automatically switches between SwingJets in a pattern.  Every time that a SwingJet activates it pops out of the wall and sprays water up to 16 feet.  When the valve switches to another SwingJet that first one retracts and changes position so that the next time it is activated it pops out in a different direction.  It does this in three different direction and by utilizing several SwingJets on the pool they will very effectively deliver any debris in the pool to the main drain.

The combination of the MDX-R3, the SDX, and the SwingJets together in one system is called the Swing Sweep system and reduces the amount of physical cleaning that a pool owner will have to do to basically none.

In addition to this technology Paramount has several other products that are geared toward reducing the amount of time and money that people commonly spend on their pools.  To see a complete list of products and descriptions visit http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/.  You can also see other information on how to make your in ground vinyl liner pool clean itself by viewing my other blog posts.  If there are any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

sweet in ground pool

Common Pool Water Problems

Having an in-ground swimming pool can be a fun filled experience bringing your family a lot of enjoyment every summer.  That being said, there are some things that you will have to do in order to keep your swimming pool clean and safe for everyone that uses it.

To start, there absolutely needs to be a filtration system/pump to circulate and help clean the water.  The pool cannot sit with the water not moving.  That would cause the water to become stagnant and makes it more welcoming for nasty bacteria, fungi, algae and microorganisms to come and thrive in the pool.  In addition to that, the stagnant water would be a perfect spot for other critters to live.  Insects, worms, mosquito larva and other creepy crawlies would love to have a place to take over and call their own.  In addition to having a filtration system keeping the water moving and clean, there are things that a filter just

wouldn’t be able to remove from the water.  For these types of things, there would need to be an adequate amount of chemicals in the water to maintain a proper balance in order to kill off these unwanted pests.  Sometimes, this is not the easiest of tasks, but with a little effort and once you get the hang of it, it becomes more tolerable and I find pool maintenance to be somewhat therapeutic.  Don’t look at it as if it were a chore, just look at it as a chance to get away for thirty minutes to an hour.  Put on some comfortable clothes and get some music playing and just relax, go out, sweep the pool, add some chemicals, and take your time to enjoy being outside for a bit.  You will find that there are some common pool water problems, and you will also find that there are products that you can get to take care of those problems. So relax, KEEP CALM and CLEAN YOUR OWN POOL.

I will give you some inside information on what some the common pool water problems are and what you can do to take care of them.  You will find that it is not as difficult as you may think.  Let’s say you go out and find that your:

 

pool water is starting to turn a greenish color.  This is caused by a free floating green algae, and it is not very difficult to treat.  For this, you will need to shock the pool with pool shock, and add a product called algaecide.  The amount you will need is dependent on the size of your pool, and typically the bottle will have some instruction on it.  However if you are still not too sure, many pool supply companies will test your water for free and let you know what products to add and how much to add.
Pool has a yellow dust on the walls and floor.  This is another type of algae called mustard algae, and again can be killed by shocking the pool water with pool shock, and adding algaecide.

Pool has black spots on the walls and floor.  This is a type of algae called black algae.  This type of algae is a bit more difficult to kill.  To remove the spots effectively, you will need to treat it with a specially formulated type of algaecide for killing black algae.  This type of algae has a hard outer layer that acts as protection, so for best results, srub the affected areas of the pool with a brush.  That will allow the algaecide to penetrate the algae’s hard outer layer to more effectively kill it.
Pool has a pink slime on the walls and floor.  This is not an algae, in fact it is a form of bacteria that is commonly found in coastal areas, and is brought to the pool by a swimmer who has been to one of those areas.  For this, you will need to give your pool water a double shock. Use 2 lbs. of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water in the pool.  Allow the shock to work for 48 hours then add an all in one algaecide at 6 oz. for every 10,000 gallons of pool water.

Pool water is cloudy or smoky looking.  This can be due to a few things.  One is that there is poor circulation, in which case you would want to backwash your filter, and clean the skimmer baskets and the pump basket.  If that does not help, then it could be one of the following:  improper water balance, high total dissolved solids (TDS), excess organic waste, or high total alkalinity.  For these issues it would be best to take a water sample to your local pool supply store and have them test it.  They would be able to identify what the problem is and tell you how much and of what chemicals you would need to put into your pool to fix the issue.
Pool water burns your eyes.  This can be caused by the PH being too low or too high.  You will want to check the PH and adjust it to be within the range of 7.4-7.6.  Also, check the amount of sanitizer in the pool. If there is too much, you will want to check the setting on your chlorinator and maybe dial it down a bit.  You can let the pool sit until the amount comes down or, if you want fast results, you can add a neutralizer.

These are just some of the common pool water problems that you may have to deal with from time to time.  However, if you make pool maintenance a regular part of your weekly schedule, I think that you will find that you can easily stay on top of it and prevent these things from occurring.  If you do have to deal with any of these problems, just relax. The treatment will not be that difficult and once your pool gets back to normal you can take pride in the fact that you solved the problem.