Many pool professionals are challenged by the seasonality of the industry and look for new ideas that will keep sales flowing during the off-season. Performing energy audits for pool owners creates an innovative way to improve the bottom line and keeps professionals in front of their customers even during the winter months. In today’s economic climate, homeowners are seeking ways … Read More
Busting Water Maintenance Myths
There are plenty of misconceptions about water chemistry and testing floating around. Aside from the one about a dye that will detect people peeing in the pool, which can be helpful if swimmers believe it, they all impede our ability to manage water quality. So let’s do some myth busting. Myth 1: Experienced pool/spa operators can tell if there are … Read More
How to Get the Appointment
When a homeowner makes their first call to a pool/spa builder or service company, they are looking for the expert help only a trained professional can provide. Unfortunately, many of these potential customers, who are often eager to spend money on whatever they need to make their backyard getaways perfect, are met with silence. Calls are not answered. Voicemails are … Read More
Battling Biofilm in Pools and Spas
Improving water quality demands a true understanding of what is hidden in the pool and spa environment, of what is lurking beneath the surface—in piping, filters and on exteriors. For decades, pool professionals have faced a particularly tricky phenomenon, one that has created havoc since the first swimming pools and spas. It is that slimy, sticky, gooey stuff that appears … Read More
Addressing Cloudy Water Issues in Swimming Pools
Pool owners respond more intently to cloudy water than any other water-related issue due to its direct esthetic effect on the pool’s appearance. It can easily be identified by visual observation; any pool owner can recognize cloudy water and know it is an indication something requires attention. Where the difficulty lies for pool professionals, however, is diagnosing the specific problem … Read More
The Evolution of Pool Cleaners
The swimming pool cleaner has been around for over one hundred years. These devices owe their evolution to imaginative tinkerers, engineers and designers from all over the world. Like swimming pools, there is almost certainly no single inventor or single swimming pool cleaner that has been recorded in history as the first such machine. However, by tracing key patent records, … Read More
Tips for Keeping Pool Cleaners Going Strong
Automatic pool cleaners can simplify pool maintenance, but only when they are functioning properly. Thankfully, most pool cleaners work well most of the time. Occasionally, however, a pool may not be as clean as the owner would like, so it is important to know a few things about ensuring the long-term successful use of these relatively simple machines. Before moving … Read More
Differentiating Stains and Determining Treatment
Staining is a problem many pool and spa owners will contend with at some point. It is a nuisance that detracts from a pool or spa’s overall aesthetic value and can contribute to surface deterioration. Staining can be prevented; however, the conditions, which ultimately cause it to happen must be recognized first. Once an operator understands the mechanisms causing surface … Read More
Automatic Chlorine Generators
Ten years ago, less than five per cent of Canadian and U.S. inground pool owners had heard of salt chlorination; fewer still (less than one per cent) had salt chlorination systems installed on their pools. However, in the U.S. today, there are an estimated 1.3 million inground pools equipped with salt systems, comprising 20 per cent of the country’s 5.2 … Read More
The Intricacies of Automated Chemical Controllers
Proper water balance in commercial pools and spas can be the difference between a safe, attractive facility and a disastrous one. Advances in chemical automation, disinfection methods, and better education on the problems associated with water chemistry have made the aquatic facility operator’s job easier when ensuring pool and spa water is safe for bathers. Oxidation reduction potential (ORP)/pH controllers … Read More