Category Archives: Environmentally Friendly Ideas

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Pool and Spa Equipment

How to Make 2012 the Year of the Energy Efficient Pool — Part 1 of 4

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Go Green and Save Green

Now is the best time to start thinking about how to improve the energy-efficiency of your backyard swimming pool.  Operating and maintaining a pool using older, less efficient equipment sucks up energy and money, leaving your pockets empty at the end of each season.

Making your pool more energy-efficient really only requires a few changes to your existing set up.  You can choose to implement all of suggestions offered here at one time, or you may find that changes are easier to swallow by taking them one at a time.  Either way, this series of 4 posts will offer some helpful suggestions for how to make your pool more energy-efficient in 2012 and beyond:

1. Solar Pool Covers

First, use Solar Covers, also known as solar blankets, to cover your pool. Solar Pool Covers or Blankets resemble enormous sheets of bubble wrap. The bubbles trap heat from the sun and convey the heat to the pool, keeping the water temperature warm and comfortable. The solar cover also helps to trap the water’s heat and prevents heat loss in the cooler air at night or on cooler days.

Solar covers float freely on top of a pool without the need for tie-downs or anchors to hold them in place. Solar covers are usually folded and stored or rolled up in a large roll and wheeled out of the way. Solar Blankets are perfect for use in sunny climates because the more heat they can trap, the longer they can extend the swim season. Solar pool covers can increase water temperatures by as much as 10-15 degrees.

Besides offering energy savings, pool covers also do the following:

  • Save water by decreasing the amount of make-up water needed by 30%-50%;
  • Reduce the pool’s consumption of chemicals by 35%-60%;
  • Reduce cleaning time by preventing dirt and other debris from entering the pool.

Pool Covers and Solar Covers

In my next post, I’ll offer a second suggestion for how to make your pool more energy-efficient in 2012.  Remember, choosing to be more energy-efficient is not just about taking steps to reduce our negative environmental impact, it’s about saving money, too.  Being green means saving green!

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Innovative Solutions, Pool Accessories, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Maintenance

50 Hottest Pool Products of the Season List Released

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Pool and Spa News has released their annual list of the 50 hottest products this season for your pool and spa. Below is an excerpt of their list. 2011 is shaping up to be an exciting season for pool and spa owners! You won’t want to wait to get your hands on these!

  • Insta-Link Home Advanced Iphone App – This water quality program allows Iphone users to photo scan test strips to prevent questions about variations in color. The program returns customized chemical recommendations in seconds, helping pool owners get their pool chemicals balanced in almost no time.
  • Eco-Friendly floats – Several companies are producing floats that are made from reprocessed vinyl and packaged in recycled cardboard. This is a great product for environmentally friendly pool owners who are looking for a product with less impact on the environment.
  • Direct Command Pool Cleaner – As one of the few robotic pool cleaners to make the list, the Direct Command is a breakthrough.  It comes with a hand-held remote, which makes it easy for pool owners to spot clean their pool quickly and efficiently. It is also more affordable than comparable robotic cleaners, making it a great buy for any pool owner. Both its cleaning path and debris bag are larger than most robotic cleaners on the market. This lightweight new addition to the market is already claiming its place as an industry leader.
  • Natural Pools – Chemical-free pools have taken a new turn with in ground pools that are being filtered through plants rooted in the system and other biological filters. These pools are eco-friendly and completely safe for swimmers. The “organic watershapes” are cleaner and clearer than lakes or ponds, but do not use the traditional harsh chemicals or filters of swimming pools, making them more efficient.
  • Solar Powered Pool Filter – Many people already harness the sun’s power to heat their pools. Now, you can use solar power to CLEAN your pool. It is 100% natural and efficient, using no electricity. As the cleaner floats freely around the pool, water is filtered through cartridges to purify water. They are lightweight and easy to remove from the pool for swimming. Since some pool filters can cost up to $100 a month to operate, these filters can save you hundreds of dollars each pool season.
Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Maintenance

Reduce Indoor Pool Energy Costs by 70 Percent

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Indoor pools may offer water-lovers a welcome relief from cold or stormy weather, but maintaining an indoor pool can cause an unwelcome increase in energy costs.  Heat loss through evaporation accounts for a whopping 70% of the energy consumed by an indoor pool, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).  With evaporation left unchecked, other problems arise such as excess chemical consumption, an overabundance of humidity, and building maintenance problems related to humidity. 

Dealing with the humidity from an indoor pool means installing a ventilation system that replaces indoor air with unconditioned air from outside.  The cost of running such a ventilation system to keep humidity at bay can be steep.  But all of the problems associated with water evaporation from an indoor pool can be significantly reduced with the use of pool covers.

Pool covers reduce evaporation dramatically, and as a result, energy costs can be lowered by as much as 70%, according to the DOE.  Additionally, pool covers keep chemical consumption at a minimum, and humidity levels are kept in check.  Lower humidity levels reduce the need to ventilate the air, which decreases energy costs even further.

Use pool covers only when the pool is not in use.  Pool covers should be removed from a pool completely before swimmers enter the water.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Hot Tubs and Saunas, Pool and Spa Maintenance

A Spa Vacuum That Sucks Debris, Not Energy

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Miracle Spa Vaccum

Maintaining a hot tub in an environmentally friendly way hasn’t always been easy.  Spa vacuums, for example, are most often powered by electricity or by a handful of batteries — either way, they suck up just as much energy as they do debris.  If you want to keep spa maintenance as green as possible, you may want to try the Miracle Spa Vac, which uses a unique siphoning action to clean dirt and debris from hot tubs and spas, rather than relying on batteries, electricity, pumping, or water hook ups to do the work.

The Miracle Spa Vac is a self-contained unit that can lift grit, dirt, beach sand, and even marbles, or pennies into its filter. It has a rugged aluminum pole that can extend up to 7 feet, and the Spa Vac’s clear capture chamber lets you see the debris as it enters the vacuum.  The Miracle Spa Vac can also be used for spot cleaning in swimming pools, which can save you the time and trouble of hauling out the full-sized pool vacuum if all that’s needed is a quick clean up.

Many people believe that any small steps we can take to be more environmentally friendly do, indeed, make a difference.  The Miracle Spa Vac may prove to be one of those small ways that we can do our part, and luckily, it doesn’t require that we give up our beloved hot tubs.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Pool and Spa Equipment

Pool Heaters Stretch Out Swimming Season

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Solar Pool Heater

 

Now is the time to consider extending your swimming season with a pool heater. You can make your investment last months longer each season. There are several kinds of pool heaters to choose from. The three basic types are solar heaters, gas/propane heaters, and heat pumps. Solar heaters allow you take advantage of the sun’s natural energy. Solar panels are virtually free to operate and super efficient. They are also environmentally friendly. Gas and propane heaters also offer excellent heating capacity. They represent a smaller upfront cost than solar heating so they are great for those on a tighter budget. They are perfect for a water temperature that is consistently comfortable and inviting. Heat pumps take heat from the air and transfer it to the pool water. This makes the heating process ecologically safe, clean, and cost-effective. Heat pumps operate even in the most frigid temperatures for warm water year round. No matter what kind of heating you choose, preparing now will ensure that you are swimming for months to come!