Tag: Paramount cleaning system

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.

Costs of maintaining an in ground pool

There are more and more people buying in ground swimming pools these days.  There are several ideas as to why this is.  Some say that it is due to the economy beginning to bounce back.  Some say that more and more people are buying into the whole staycation idea and investing in their own back yards.  Regardless of the reason the fact remains that people are buying in ground pools.  I will go out on a limb and say that most of these people probably have not owned a pool before and really have no idea about what they are getting themselves into.

People seem to have this mindset that owning a pool requires a lot of work.  However let me be the first to tell you that this is not always the case.  The way I see it, owning a pool is like owning a car in that it can require a lot of work, but depending on how you use it and take care of it you might find that owning a pool does not require a lot of work.  Along with the work, people feel as though a pool will cost them a lot of money after the initial installation.  I will be the first to admit that there is some inherent cost that goes into pool maintenance.  However, keeping with the car analogy the cost of pool maintenance is similar to the cost of car maintenance.  You will have to fill up with gas, change the oil, rotate the tires, and check the fluids.  With a pool you will have to occasionally add chlorine,  maybe put some algaecide in from time to time, sweep it, and regularly test the water.  If you stay on top of the regular pool maintenance then you will likely not have an issue.  That being said you will not have to keep dumping a lot of money into it.  Also, like a car if you just let it go on and on without doing anything to it then you will start running into problems.  If left alone long enough these problems can turn into expensive repairs.  So to say that owning a pool requires a lot of work and money is a bit of an embellishment.  A standard pool will require a little bit of work, and yes you will have to put some money into it from time to time, but the idea that it is a money pit is not entirely true.  You just have to stay on top of the little maintenance that will keep your pool healthy.
Paramount’s Swing Sweep System
As technology has improved, so has the concept of in ground swimming pools.  In today’s world a person could purchase a system with their pool that will make their pool virtually maintenance free.  There are a number of products on the market that will allow you to not even worry about adding chemicals to your pool as well.  Basically with the right products plumbed into the pool’s filtration system a pool is capable of keeping itself clean.  In addition to those products, we as consumers have the luxury of having a pool that will keep itself free of debris such as dirt and leaves.  I have written about this topic in the past so if you are curious as to what products I am referring to please check out the three part series I posted titled How to have a vinyl liner in ground swimming pool clean itself.  Within those posts you will learn what products are available to make your pool virtually maintenance free.
Granted to have a “maintenance Free” pool you will have to spend a bit more.  It’s like this.  If a standard pool with a main drain, skimmer, and returns is like a basic car with a tape deck, crank windows, and those pull up locks, then a maintenance free pool with all of these technologically advanced products would be like a high end luxury vehicle with blue tooth, wifi, heated seats, power windows, GPS, and so on.  Obviously the high end car will cost much more than the standard everyday car.  Similarly if you were to spend more money on the pool and the products going into it then you will end up with a much more luxurious pool.
For more information on how to cut down costs of owning an in ground vinyl liner pool, or general swimming pool information please check out my other blog posts.

Equipment I Will Need for My Vinyl Liner In Ground Pool

Thinking about getting an in ground swimming pool?  Then I will first recommend that you get a vinyl liner in ground pool.  There are other types of in ground pools that you can get but in my opinion the vinyl liner in ground pool is the best bang for your buck.  I am not going to get into the reasons that I feel this way at this point but if you would like more information on why I personally feel this way please check out my blog post titled “Why My Vinyl Liner In Ground Swimming Pool is Better Than Other Types of In Ground Pools” or “Types of Swimming Pools and Which is the Best”.  These two posts go into detail about the different types of swimming pools and the pros and cons related to each.  The reason for this post today is to let you know what type of equipment you will need on your swimming pool.

 

Heat Pump
Heater

To start we need to identify your expectations of your swimming pool.  Are you the type of person that does not like to add additional chores to your list?  Are you like me and find that doing certain light chores is more relaxing?  The reason we need to ask ourselves these questions is to figure out how much you want to do as far as maintaining the pool.  Also if your pool is in an area that gets a lot of sun you may decide that you don’t want a heater or heat pump on the pool.  In my opinion though if you are spending the money to have a pool installed then you may want to go ahead and get the heat pump or heater anyway just in case.  It is better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.  So this brings me to my next point.  Heater or heat pump?  The difference is that a heater uses natural gas or propane to heat the water and the heat pump uses the air temperature outside to heat the water.  There are some drawbacks and benefits to each one.  For instance a heater has the ability to heat the water quickly and in lower temperatures.  The downside is that the heater costs more to operate each month.  A heat pump is electric and does not require a gas line to be ran so the initial install will be a bit cheaper for you.  Also running the heat pump costs significantly less than a heater.  The downside of this is that a heat pump will not heat the water in lower temperatures and it generally takes longer to heat the water.  However once the water is up to the desired temperature the heat pump will kick on and off to maintain that temperature.  For more information on heat pumps and heaters please check out my blog  titled “Gas Heater V.S. Heat Pump.

Once you get that figured out you will have to decide on if you want an automatic pool cover installed.  For this decision you may want to check your local codes that regulated swimming pools in your area.  For instance here in indiana it is state law to have either a auto cover or fence around your pool.  That may be the case in other states as well or there may be a variation of that law.  Ideally if you have the means, it is a good idea to have both.  A fence is a good safety measure to keep unwanted guests out of your pool or neighborhood kids.  The automatic pool cover will do the same thing and in addition to that will help keep the cost of heating the pool and chemical cost down as well.  I am big on safety and I feel that having two or more barriers to get past is safer than just one.  many auto covers require a code or key to operate and a fence will help prevent children from gaining access to your pool area.  For more information on swimming pool safety please check out my blog posts with “Safety” in the title or visit http://www.poolsafely.gov/ which is a government website dedicated to keeping pool users safe.

Now you will have to decide on how much time you want to spend on maintaining the pool.  In recent years some pretty dramatic steps have been taken to lessen the amount pool owners will have to spend on maintaining their pools.  I have gone into great detail about this subject in several of my blog posts.  However just to recap, Paramount Pool Products have a number of products that will keep the cost and time of maintaining a pool down considerably.  Their Swing Sweep system is a wonderful in floor cleaning system that will literally clean debris out of the pool for you.  In addition to that it promotes better circulation of both water and chemicals.  That alone will help keep the cost of heating the pool down.

If that is not something you are interested in then you might be thinking about an cleaning robot of some sort.  If this is the case I would most definitely recommend Jandy’s Polaris 9550 Sport.  This product comes with pre programed cleaning patterns as well as the ability to control it with a handheld motion sensing remote much like that of a certain video game system.  This is something that could turn a chore into a fun activity for the kids.

 

There are also a few other products by Paramount that I would recommend in addition to the Swing Sweep system.  Their Clear O3 and Ultra UV can be used in combination to dramatically reduce the cost of pool chemicals for you the pool owner.  If you were to use these items in conjunction with the Swing Sweep system and Venturi skimmer than you could potentially have a maintenance free swimming pool and could then use all of your spare time to just enjoy the pool.  I have also posted about these items in the past including the Venturi skimmer for you to take a look at and I assure you                                                         that you will be intrigued.

AquaLink Z4

 

AquaLink RS One Touch

Another line of very intriguing products are Zodiac’s automation systems the AquaLink Z4 and AquaLink RS.  Both of these systems allow you to sit back and let the pool take care of itself.  The RS system is a little more complex as far as what it can do but both of these systems are designed to be user friendly and allow you the pool owner to make certain changes to the pool at the touch of a button.  One of the coolest things is that you can now hook up these systems to the internet and access them from your mobile device.  Out of town? Forget to turn down your heat pump?  Leave the water feature on?  Just pull out your phone and turn it down, or turn it off without burdening a neighbor to go over and do it.

These products are all things that are available today.  for more information look at my other posts, or go to the websites http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/,  http://www.zodiacpoolsystems.com/.  Talk with your builder to see if they offer these products and if not you may want to consider another company.  These products work well and could potentially create a very relaxing environment free of the stress of pool maintenance.

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.

How Much Work Does Owning A Swimming Pool Require

Owning a swimming pool can be a wonderful experience and create lasting memories for those who have them.  Just think about all the good times that can be had without leaving the comfort of your own property.  I’m talking about pool parties, backyard bbq’s, forming bonds with your family members, getting the kids outside for a change, getting well needed exercise, relaxing after a long day, or a special date night with dinner and drinks on the patio overlooking your beautiful backyard resort.  These are all things that owning a swimming pool can provide.  For some though, the requirement to maintain the swimming pool is enough to deter them from making the decision to actually get one.  This doesn’t need to be the case.

Bonus Points Being Earned

When I envision my backyard in the summer time I see my beautiful patio overlooking the pool where my family spend most of their time in the summer.  I see myself teaching the young ones how to swim without having to purchase a Y membership or ever leaving the backyard.  I see lunches on the patio with the family, and dinner being cooked on the grill.  I see my beautiful wife sitting in the sun overlooking the kids as they play.  I see family friends over enjoying the pool on weekends, and the kids having pool parties with their friends.  I see my wife and I sitting outside in the evening after the kids have gone off to bed, wine glasses in hand with the lights from the pool reflecting off the house as we enjoy our time alone.  Most of all I see smiles on the faces of everyone that takes the time to enjoy our pool.

Unfortunately some people do not see those things and instead they visualize themselves spending countless hours cleaning and maintaining the pool.  They see themselves spending far too much money on chemicals and they see themselves spending more time working on the pool rather than enjoying it.  To those who think this way I want to tell you that those days are over.

I have already written about how to have your vinyl liner inground swimming pool clean itself but I want to reiterate it so those of you that have not read it can get a better idea of how it is done.  First of all if you live near a lot of trees you might think that if you get a pool you will be cleaning it every day.  When the leaves fall and get blown around in the wind they will inevitably get into the pool.  This is probably true, but with the technology that is available that does not necessarily mean the you will need to get the pole and net and fish them out every day.  Sounds unbelievable right?  Well believe it because it is true.  Paramount Pool Products has created a system that will remove the debris for you, so all you have to do is enjoy your pool.

MDX-R3

They have come up with a system using a special main drain called the MDX-R3 that will suck up any leaves, bugs, or dirt that comes near them.  With the MDX-R3 you will get a secondary drain called the SDX.  This drain gets installed on the wall of the pool to provide some added safety.

SDX

So if the MDX ever gets blocked by something the SDX is capable of taking on the full suction of the pump.  This has two benefits, one is that the pump won’t run dry, and the other is that if the object blocking the MDX-R3 is a person they won’t become stuck.  As an added bonus the SDX will remove any small debris that happens to be floating by mid level.

SwingJet

In addition to the MDX-R3 and the SDX Paramount has created a special type of return jet called a SwingJet that will help to push the debris to the main drain so it can be removed.  The way it works is that the swing jet moves in a 90 degree arc and has plenty of power to push debris away.  The key is to have a few of these SwingJets strategically placed throughout your pool to effectively deliver the debris to the main drain where it is sucked up and removed.

As an added benefit the SwingJets will also circulate the water much better than a standard return.  This will allow the heater or heat pump to work more efficiently and reduce the cost of chemicals.  Now you may be wondering where the debris goes from there.

Well I’m glad you asked.  There are a couple things that can be done with it.  You can either let it be strained out by the pump basket, or you can have their Debris Canister collect it for you.  If you expect to have a lot of debris in the pool I would suggest the Debris Canister as it can hold much more than a standard pump basket.  The canister will be installed deck side where you can access it without having to leave the pool area.  You will basically just need to open a lid, remove a basket, dump it, and re-install it in the canister.  Because it holds a significant amount of debris you will find that you will not have to dump it all that often, and when you do you will see that the process of emptying the canister takes far less time than it would to sweep the pool by hand.  I’m talking a matter of seconds versus maybe an hour to sweep the pool.  So with this system you will find that you will be spending far less time if any actually cleaning the pool.  Now you might say “Okay, that’s all well and good for larger debris and dirt and stuff, but what about all the tiny little organisms and bacteria that grows in a pool?  I will still be spending a bunch on chemicals.”  Well to that I would say that Paramount has got you covered.

Clear O3

They offer two products that effectively eliminate 99% of that without requiring you to lift a finger.  The Ultra UV and the Clear O3 are two products that sanitize pool water and reduce the amount of chemicals you will need to maintain the pool.  The Ultra UV uses ultra violet light to kill those nasty little things that grow in the pool and the Clear O3 utilizes ozone to kill these types of things.  When the two products are combined with the SwingJets, MDX-R3, and the SDX you get a virtually maintenance free pool.

For more information on how to have a virtually maintenance free pool take a look at my 3 part blog post titled How To Have Your Vinyl Liner Inground Swimming Pool Clean Itself.  Also check out Paramount’s website www.paramountpoolproducts.com

How To Have Your Vinyl Liner In Ground Swimming Pool Clean Itself – Part 2

This is part two of my “How To Have Your Vinyl Liner In Ground Swimming Pool Clean Itself” series.  In part one, I gave details on how Paramount’s in-floor cleaning system works.  In this post, I will discuss how adding a Venturi Skimmer will aid that in-floor cleaning system.
To begin, I want to give a bit of background information to explain how a Venturi Skimmer works.  The Venturi Skimmer utilizes the natural phenomenon known as the “Venturi Effect”.  This phenomenon occurs when a fluid that is moving through a pipe is forced through a narrow section.  The result is a decrease in pressure and an increase in velocity.  That is the best explanation without getting too technical.  It was named after the man who discovered it, an Italian Physicist named Giovanni Batista Venturi.  So, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into how it applies to swimming pool skimmers.
I have been in the swimming pool industry for almost ten years, and I have never seen a pool without a skimmer, because a skimmer plays an important role in the cleaning process of the pool.  It is a part of the filtration system in which water is pulled from the pool by the pump, sent through the filter which removes fine particles of debris and other small thing that you wouldn’t necessarily want in your swimming pool.
 Then the water is either sent through the heater, or heat pump if you have one, and returned to the pool to start the cycle over again.  In addition to that, the water that passes through the skimmer is strained of all the larger debris that might be floating on the pools surface, such as leaves, sticks, grass clippings, fuzz, and the occasional frog, toad, newt, etc.  Without a skimmer all of that stuff would remain floating around in the pool until it is physically removed by you, the pool’s owner. The skimmer also allows you to sweep the pool.  Whether or not you have a pool, most people have seen an image of the typical “pool boy” with a long pole in his hand, cleaning the pool.  What he most likely is doing is sweeping the pool.  For that, he takes a long, specially designed hose and attach it to the port in the skimmer that is pulling the water to the pump.
The other end of that hose is attached to a vac head which is also attached to the pole in his hand.  This allows him to effectively remove dirt and debris that has settled on the pool walls, and floor without having to physically enter the water.  That is the basic function of a skimmer, and it requires the suction of the pump to do so.  With the Venturi Skimmer, it is a little different.
To begin, let’s look at a plumbing diagram.  You can see that it functions like a standard skimmer, because it draws water from the pool to the pump.  This process will remove the debris from the surface of the pool.
However, unlike a standard skimmer, some of the water coming back to the pool from the pump is sent back through the bottom of the skimmer through the narrower Venturi tube and back to the pool.  This action creates an additional cycle, bringing water in through the mouth of the skimmer and sending it directly back to the pool.  What this does is double the amount of skimming power without increasing the energy usage. Another benefit of this type of skimmer is that you could actually shut the suction from the pump to the skimmer completely off.
 This would allow the full suction of the pump to go to the main drains, and because the water being returned to the pool through the skimmer the Venturi action would still take place, allowing the skimmer to still effectively remove debris.  This would assist the in-floor cleaning system that relies on the main drain to remove debris from the pool.  By having full suction to the main drain, it would maximize its cleaning ability, and you would still get the benefits of the skimmer removing debris from the surface.  On top of all that, this type of skimmer works very well with low flow, variable speed, or two speed pumps.  Regardless of what setting those pumps are set to, the Venturi action still allows for exceptional debris removal by the skimmer.
To see this type of skimmer in action, check out this Venturi Youtube video, and other related videos.
You can also get more information specifically about Waterway’s Renegade Venturi Skimmer here Waterway Renegade Venturi Skimmer
pool diagram

How To Have Your Vinyl Liner In Ground Swimming Pool Clean Itself – Part 1

Information for this post was found at http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/

In a previous post, I stated that technology has provided consumers with better, more reliable products.  That is undoubtedly a true, and although it’s almost 2015 and we still don’t have flying cars, hoverboards and time machines available to us, it would be difficult to argue that the products that are available to us aren’t any better than those we had available in 1985.  The same is true about swimming pool products.  Products that are available today may very well have been considered to be products of science fiction to some during the 80’s.  From robots that clean our pools, to special lights that kill bacteria, it seems that today’s technology allows for a virtually maintenance free swimming pool.  Today, I want to talk about in-floor cleaning systems; a system that has made the need to vacuum your pool practically obsolete.  While this concept may have seemed like wishful thinking at one point in time, it is available today.  The advantages of having an in-floor cleaning system are immense.

I am familiar with different types of these systems, but more so with the Paramount model.  That being said, I am going to focus the bulk of this post toward their in-floor cleaning system, starting with the contents of the system and their wall returns.  Paramount models have a patented wall return (SwingJet) with sweeping abilities that allow the flow from the return to move in a 90 degree arc pattern through the water.  Having that mobility provides enhanced cleaning of the walls and incidentally improves water circulation.  On pools that have a heater or heat pump, the improved circulation in turn improves heating.  This aspect of their in-floor cleaning system works by having several of these “Swingjets” working together to move the water throughout the entire pool.  So, compared to a pool without one of these systems, one would notice an equal disbursement of heat throughout the pool with the Paramount system as opposed to maybe having more warmth at the surface than deeper in the pool without the system.  It does this by utilizing two water flow zones.  One is referred to as the “Power zone” which is what cleans the walls by pushing debris away.  The other is basically an extension of the power zone known as the “Influence zone.”  There may not be as much force here as in the power zone, but there is enough to influence the water outside the power zone thereby increasing the overall circulation.
Another benefit to having Swingjets is that they can be adjusted and positioned to reach areas that a standard return would never touch.  Debris on steps, benches or near corners will no longer be a concern.  That is just the first part of this in-floor cleaning system.
So, with this cleaning system having multiple “Swingjets” working together to increase water circulation and sweep away debris, there has to be a place for the debris to go.  That is where their patented main drain comes into play.

Their main drain, the “MDX – R3” is designed to allow debris to pass through it.  That includes larger debris as well, while still offering several layers of anti-entrapment protection.

Although this system has enough power to remove large debris, it protects against evisceration and entrapment of the body, hair, fingers, toes, and limbs .  Because this main drain allows debris to pass through, there will be no more plugged main drain service calls either.
There is also added safety with the use of the “SDX” high flow safety drain.  This is a secondary drain that is to be used if the pool will only have one MDX – R3.  Basically, the SDX gets tied into the main suction of the MDX – R3, and is installed on the wall of the pool which has two benefits.  First is for safety reasons, having the SDX that far from the MDX – R3 makes it virtually impossible for a swimmer to cover both drains at the same time and become trapped.  If one drain is blocked by a swimmer then the other drain is able to take on the full flow of the pump allowing the swimmer to move on without any trouble.  The other thing is that having the SDX on the wall is that it then acts almost as a skimmer as well, and will remove any small debris that happens to be floating by at the mid level of the pool.
Last but not least, Paramount offers an optional debris canister.  This again works with the in-floor cleaning system and acts as a debris storage container.  With debris being swept down by the Swingjet returns, and the MDX – R3 main drain removing that debris along with the SDX removing some, it will need a place to go.  Without a debris canister, all the debris removed by the in-floor cleaning system will go directly to the pump basket.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, as the pump basket will trap the debris and keep it from entering the other elements of the filtration system. however with the debris canister installed between the drains and the pump, all the debris will be contained before it gets to the pump.  The containment canister is also capable of storing up to 400% more than what most pump baskets can so the frequency of cleaning out the canister compared to cleaning out the pump basket would be far less.
I know some people that had the Paramount in-floor cleaning system installed and have never needed to vacuum their pools.  This system has proven to be effective many times over, and with very little maintenance involved it is ideal for those who don’t want to spend their summers cleaning the pool every other day.  Now, with this in-floor cleaning system they can spend their summers with friends and family in a stress free, and clean pool.  This technology can also be coupled with their Venturi Skimmer for better performance, enhancing its cleaning ability. (See Part 2 of “How to have your vinyl liner in ground pool clean itself” on my blog) For more information regarding this post please be sure to visit http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/