Frankly, it makes no sense if you are spending more time on pool maintenance than you are in enjoying your pool. If you are spending more time skimming leaves and vacuuming debris than swimming and lounging, there is something wrong. Pool owners that haven’t gotten pool covers can find that they are in fact spending an inordinate amount of time maintaining their pools. If you get an impermeable pool cover, such as a solar pool cover, you can reduce a lot of that maintenance.

With the solar pool cover, you’ll find that it’s never been easier to lighten your carbon footprint. When you use a solar pool cover during cooler months, the cover itself will retain heat by preventing evaporation and even actively heat your pool through the sun’s rays hitting the cover. Suddenly, you don’t have to use your pool heater as much.

A solar pool cover can also save you money. If you don’t yet have a pool heater, you don’t really know how much it costs to heat a pool. Trust me, it’s likely more than you want to pay. Plus, it can be disheartening to watch your money just float away in the form of steam above your pool. With a solar pool cover, you can harness free energy from the sun whenever you want it and don’t have to bother with paying for electricity or gas to power your pool heater. And do you want to know yet another way solar pool covers will save you money? They generally cost less than a pool heater, so if you’re trying to decide between the two, the choice should be clear.

Solar pool covers have been saving savvy pool owners time and money (and the planet) ever since they were invented. Don’t you think this is a cause you can get behind?

The Original Post is Located Here: Why Getting a Solar Pool Cover Might Be the Best Decision You Make for Your Pool

Lounge chairs are great for any ages, but especially for those who are seeking a tan. You can find lounge chairs for the patio around the pool that are made with numerous materials, styles, and price ranges. You can even find ones that float in the pool.

A pool slide is sure to delight children of all ages. Be attentive to safety with this pool equipment. For example, make sure to place a pool slide in front of deep enough water. Also, bolt a pool slide down to your patio so that no mishaps can take place.

A family or group of friends can really come together around sporting activities. To this end, it can be a great idea to add a basketball hoop to the side of the pool or even find one that is free-floating in the pool. If you have a pool of the appropriate depth, you could also install a volleyball net across your pool.

If you have children of your own or will have some visiting your house, there’s nothing that can replace a good supply of small pool toys. These can include a snorkel set, dive rings, and numerous similar toys.

The Original Post is Located Here: Some Items That Can Make Your Pool Even Better

A robotic pool cleaner will take a load off of your schedule, to be sure. Cleaning the bottom of the pool can be time-intensive and labor-intensive. Sure, building insane arm muscles can be great, but wouldn’t you want to do that swimming in your pool and not just by tending to it? Most pool owners who clean their pools themselves say that it takes the fun away from the pool. If you get a robotic pool cleaner, this fun can be yours again.

To save effort and time, some pool owners turn to a pool cleaning service for help. For those with unlimited income, this can be a great solution. Frankly, it is not a viable option to most pool owners because of the huge expense involved.

A robotic pool cleaner can give you the best of both worlds. Chances are that you can take care of skimming and pH balance on your own (two things pool services would generally help with). A robotic pool cleaner will just take away the hardest work from your schedule, leaving you with money in your pocket and a wonderful pool in your backyard.

The Original Post is Located Here: Some of the Benefits of a Robotic Pool Cleaner

Having a pool pump that is truly intelligent can be a real asset. It turns well-programmed and designed pool pump can save you money, save itself, and even save your life. The Pentair IntelliFlo pool pump is exactly the pump I am talking about when it comes to innovative ideas and execution. Let’s take a look at how good this pool pump from Pentair really is.

I’m sure you would say that saving money would be important to you as a pool owner. After all, you’ve already spent a lot of money building a pool and you will continue to spend much in maintaining it. The Pentair IntelliFlo pool pump is designed with features that save pool owners an average of 40% over conventional pool pumps. The Pentair IntelliFlo runs at low speed for longer intervals than the average pump, which in the end consumes less energy. Pentair IntelliFlo pool pumps truly fight to save you money, even to the point of adjusting the water flow rates continually.

The sharp looking digital display of the Pentair IntelliFlo will tell you exactly what you need to know, while the programming takes care of everything in the background. So even if you want to be more hands-off about monitoring your pool pump, that doesn’t mean that the Pentair IntelliFlo will be slacking off as well. In fact, the Pentair IntelliFlo will take actions to protect itself from overheating, freezing, and power surge, all without you leaving your house.

But when it comes down to it, is there anything better than a pool pump that is intelligent enough even to save your life or the lives of your loved ones? One of the leading causes of pool drownings is when children especially get caught by the suction caused by pool pump operations. The Pentair IntelliFlo pool pump has been designed withe the Safety Vacuum Release System, which senses when a large object is caught and releases pressure so that whatever it is has a chance to escape.

The Pentair IntelliFlo may be a little bit more money than most other pool pumps to begin with, but it will be a worthy investment for your pool, wallet, and family.

The Original Post is Located Here: The Strong Points of the Pentair IntelliFlo Pool Pump

There are some common sense things that you can do that will make your hot tub cover last a long time. While it’s not as big an investment as a hot tub, the cover still is not an insignificant expense, and it would be a real shame if it didn’t last as long as it could, all because you mistreated or ignored it. Below are some simple steps you can take to make your hot tub cover last a long time.

The first set of advice is all about what is near the hot tub cover. Because hot tub covers are made with materials that can melt, make sure that you don’t have any heat sources near your cover. These include grills and space heaters, when in use. Also, monitor the chlorination in your hot tub so that your cover is not eaten away by the chlorine.

Be kind to the different parts of your hot tub cover. For example, use the handles only for opening and closing the cover. Many hot tub owners damage their covers simply by carrying them by their handles, which are not designed to take the stress. Also, treat the outside of your cover with a protective treatment to get the maximum use out of your hot tub cover.

A key part of hot tub cover maintenance is keeping things off the top of the cover. Whenever it snows or rains, shovel or sweep off your hot tub cover or tip the cover on its side to dump the debris off. To remove dirt and smaller debris, use a mild mix of soap and water, a soft cloth, and a gentle hand.

As you can see, taking care of your hot tub cover is not difficult, but does take some work on your part. All your effort will go a long way to keeping your hot tub cover lasting a long time and keeping your hot tub always ready for use.

The Original Post is Located Here: Tips for Caring for Your Hot Tub Cover

Are you building a pool in your backyard? Are you tired of the many downsides of a traditional chlorinated pool? It could be that a salt water pool is exactly what you have been looking for, but maybe you just haven’t known it. To explore that possibility, we’ll take a look at what makes a salt water pool different from a freshwater chlorinated pool and some of the pro’s and con’s.

Many pool owners find that the maintenance requirements of salt water pools to be far less demanding than those of chlorinated pools. With chlorinated pools, you must be continually monitoring algae growth and the pH of the water. On the other hand, with a salt water pool, all that is needed is the correct amount of salt and a stabilizer added to help keep that salt level steady. Fewer chemicals are needed to be monitored and added. This takes a load off both your time and your budget.

One small downside associated with salt water pools is salt crystallization in the pool pump. This is similar to the buildup that occurs with sand and diatomaceous earth type pool filters for chlorinated pools. To deal with buildup of any type in a pool pump, you must backwash the pump every few weeks to months, depending on what the manual says for that particular pump.

Health reasons are a major factor that pool owners cite when they make the switch to salt water or build a pool to be salt water from the beginning. The salt is much better for the skin and eyes than all the algaecides (algae does not grow easily in salt water) and chlorine that must be added to freshwater pools. Many pool owners are uncomfortable with the potential of their small children or pets accidentally poisoning themselves with these chemicals.

As long as you’re willing to perform the limited maintenance involved, a salt water pool can be a fine alternative, in terms of money, safety, and health, to a conventional chlorinated pool.

The Original Post is Located Here: Reasons That Make a Salt Water Pool Desirable for Some

When you need a important job done, there’s something to be said for getting the very best for the task. And when it comes to cleaning your pool, unless you want an inferior robotic cleaner to leave your pool messy, to pay for a pool service, or do the tiring work yourself, I would recommend getting a Polaris brand robotic pool cleaner. They are the top selling, top performing and most trusted brand of robotic pool cleaners out on the market. And the best thing is that they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Pool owner to pool owner, the most recommended brand of robotic pool cleaners are those made by Polaris. This is simply because they get the job done. They typically also have less maintenance required than their competitors. They simply are a simple choice when it comes to pool maintenance options.

The current Polaris robotic cleaners are no exception to these praises. The Polaris 9300 may be the base model, but its features are anything but mundane. It will clean walls, steps, and floor of a pool up to 20 by 50 feet. It quickly picks up even large debris with impressive suction. The upgrade model, the Polaris 9300xi has even better cleaning action with vigorous scrubbing action by means of a blade and can effectively clean pools up to 60 feet in length.

The Polaris robotic cleaners are competitively priced. But even if you’re not willing to pay the price of a new one at your local pool supply store, that doesn’t mean that you have to go without this fine tool in pool maintenance. If you look online, you can generally get good deals on new and used Polaris robotic pool cleaners. If they don’t have too much wear, older models can still be a great asset to your pool, since Polaris has been making such fine robotic cleaners for decades.

The Original Post is Located Here: Polaris Robotic Pool Cleaners – Their Benefits and How to Find One for Your Pool

If you’re building an in-ground pool, sooner or later, you’ll discover that there are a whole lot of choices you have to make, which can be quite overwhelming. And even if you’ve bought a house with a pool already in the backyard, choices don’t just disappear, especially when it comes to how to maintain your pool. Whether your pool is new or old, once you’ve decided that you would benefit from a cover for your pool, you’ll find that you have a multitude of choices in materials for your cover. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the pro’s and con’s to the major types of pool cover materials so that you can get exactly what you need for you and your pool and not what some salesman thinks he can talk you into.

-Polypropylene mesh. This pool cover material is used to make winter pool covers. The mesh is fine enough to keep out dirt and leaves, which can be particularly pesky things when they land in your pool and stay there for months. The mesh doesn’t prevent evaporation or rainwater accumulation, both which can wreak havoc on the pH balance of your pool in the long run.

-Reflective white or silver plastic. This material is used for solar pool covers. The reflective surface and tight seal prevents heat loss due to evaporation and even gradually heats your pool for free. Pool owners who want to swim in cooler months benefit from this pool cover material and can avoid some of the huge bills involved in heating a pool with gas or electricity.

-Vinyl. Vinyl pool covers are often used in automatic pool cover rigs because they roll up easily. Vinyl pool covers are impermeable and so protect pool against chemical loss, while keeping those troublesome leaves at bay as well.

The Original Post is Located Here: Materials Commonly Used for Pool Covers

Now that you have your own pool, it’s only natural that you’d want to get as much use out of it as possible. This means not just swimming for a few months in the summer. And to swim throughout the year, you’re going to need a pool heater, unless you’re trying to join some polar bear club, of course. If you don’t want to get taken advantage by some unscrupulous contractor or pool supply salesman, it’s important to know a bit about how to pick the right pool heater for your particular needs and pool. Read on for valuable information.

The first major factor in choosing the appropriate pool heater is the heat capacity of the heater. This is often called the heater “size.” The size of a heater refers to the number of BTU (or British Thermal Units) that the heater produces per hour. A single BTU heats one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. The bigger the pool heater is, the more efficient it will be in heating your pool. Before you go out an buy the biggest pool heater money can by, know that you can overdo it and overspend, without getting a real improvement on how fast your pool heater warms your pool.

The other major factor for finding the perfect pool heater is the heat source that it uses. The most earth and wallet friendly type of pool heater is the solar pool heater. This heater may cost a little more (or not) at the outset, but it will definitely save you money. The downside to the solar pool heater is that it only works in a sunny or partially sunny climate. An electric heater is a good alternative for those who don’t live in such a climate. It operates regardless of the outdoor temperature or weather. The gas heater is an option which is appropriate only for pool owners who want to heat their pool with short bursts of warm, not constantly over the winter. This type of pool heater also does not last long (typically only 5 years) compared to other pool heater types.

The Original Post is Located Here: How to Select a Pool Heater

Pool owners want different things from their pools. It’s perfectly natural then that different people would be naturally drawn to widely different types of pool filters. In this article, we’ll examine the three main types of pool filters. Because pool filter types are so different, having the right one for your needs can make all the difference between having the pool you want or being stuck with a pool (and pool filter) that just doesn’t satisfy you.

Are you the type of pool owner (either from experience or your best guess), who likes to reduce the amount of maintenance time that you put into your pool? Some pool owners want to get the tasks of pool maintenance done as quickly as possible and with the fewest complications. If these things describe you, I would recommend a cartridge type pool filter. The cartridges on this pool filter type are simple to buy and change. You will only have to change them every few weeks or months, depending on if you have a cover for your pool and the particular cartridges and pool filter that you select.

Some pool owners, on the other hand, are willing to put in a little more effort to get a filter that will last longer and be cheaper to maintain. The sand pool filter type might be exactly what these pool owners are looking for. Sand pool filters have a very inexpensive medium – sand – that they use to filter out the water. The one downside to this filter type is that the filter gets clogged and so it must be backwashed to remove sediment every few weeks.

Finally, if you’re looking for absolutely crystal clear water, there’s nothing better than diatomaceous earth. Tiny organisms called diatoms do an excellent job of filtering your water, even taking care of debris that is only 5 microns long! Like sand pool filters, diatomaceous earth pool filters must be backwashed on a fairly regular basis, but are truly the best when it comes to filtering the water for your pool.

The Original Post is Located Here: How to Choose a Pool Filter