Home with Dean Sharp

Home with Dean Sharp

Listen to Home with Dean Sharp on Saturdays from 6 AM to 8 AM and Sundays from 9 AM to 12 PM on KFI AM 640!Full Bio

 

Big Changes in Pools

On July 19, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy will begin implementing sweeping changes to rules governing the production and sale of pool pumps. It is a sea change in the industry, and just one of many recent changes in the way we design and maintain pools.

Variable Speed Pump Replaces Single Speed Pump

The pump is literally the heart of a pool’s circulation system. It’s also likely the largest energy consuming appliance in your home—three times as much as the refrigerator.

The vast majority of pools have energy gorging single speed pumps, but this will no longer be the case for the future. With variable speed pool pumps You can control the pump's speed, dialing it up when needed—to power water features or spa jets—or down when your pool is not in use.

Fiberglass Coatings Replace Plaster

Have you ever wondered why boats and surfboards are made of fiberglass?

Fiberglass is light, flexible and strong which makes it the containment material most resistant to the corrosive effects of water.

Plaster is a form of cement. Which means it is porous and susceptible to staining, mottling, etching, scaling, and can harbor algae in its pores. Fiberglass pool coatings are non-porous, are not susceptible to plaster issues and are super easy to clean with a much lower disinfectant content in the water.

But fiberglass MUST be installed properly (sprayed, not applied mats) and most resurfacing companies have not yet invested in the gear to do it the right way.

Saline, Ozone and UV Replaces Chlorine

Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant but can irritate skin, bleach hair, and is dangerous to inhale. Contrary to popular opinion … if pool water has a heavy chlorine smell it needs more chlorine, not less. The odor is chloramine, which is the combination of chlorine with ammonia from body fluids like sweat, oils or urine. “Chlorine” smelling pools are pee pools.

Table salt is chemically known as sodium chloride. Passing salt water through can electric current splits the molecule into sodium and chlorine. A saline cell can produce as much as a gallon of natural chlorine a day. A saltwater pool has 1/16th the salt content of the ocean, 25% of the salt in a teardrop.

UV and Ozone generators are used in combination to breakdown and kill organic materials. They still require some chlorine, though not a lot.

Salt System - $400-$2000, installation $300-$500

UV/Ozone System - $1000-$3000

Automatic Cleaning Systems Replace the Pool Guy

The newest kind of automatic pool cleaning system is "in-floor cleaning." They involve low-profile fixtures that will pop up automatically to drive all debris down to the drain and out of the pool, much like an automated sprinkler system works.

A robotic cleaning system is basically a Roomba for your pool. An automated cleaner/sweeper that travels around your pool as it cleans.

App Automation gives you complete one-touch control of your pool and spa environment. It allows your pool pump, light, spa, water testing and chemical disbursement all via smart phone control.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images


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