You got the smart phone, the smart watch, and maybe even the smart car … So who says you can’t have a smart pool, too?
Today, people in Australia and all over the world are learning to automate their lives. Modern technology affords us the opportunity to save time on the small tasks most of us would really rather not be doing anyway. In recent years, pool builders have gotten on board the technology craze to reinvent the way we think about pool maintenance.
The future of pools is automation. In this article, we break down the smart pool experience and explain just what exactly makes a pool smart.
What is a smart pool?
Smart pools—sometimes also referred to as intelligent pools, clever pools, or future pools—are exactly like the traditional pools you know and love, with the added benefit of automation. Technological advancements in recent years have allowed for intelligent pool design features such as automatic heating, lighting, and cleaning. In most cases, you can control almost every aspect of your pool from one screen on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.
Advantages of smart pools
Smart pools have two obvious advantages over their competition: time-saving and convenience. Pool maintenance can take quite a lot of time and effort if you’re handling everything yourself. When you leave basic maintenance to your smart pool’s system, you substantially cut back on the time you have to spend cleaning and caring for your pool. This leaves you with lots of extra time to simply enjoy your pool with your loved ones! If that’s not an advantage, we don’t know what is.
What systems are automated in a smart pool?
Pool cleaning
Let’s be honest—no one really enjoys cleaning a pool. It’s just a necessary part of being a pool owner. Anyone who has ever cleaned a pool manually knows just how much time and effort this takes. Between fishing out tiny pieces of debris, scrubbing the walls and floor of the pool with a hose, and figuring out the right balance of chemicals to keep your water algae free, cleaning a pool is truly a laborious task. While robotic cleaners do ease the burden a bit, they aren’t as accurate as humans. Often, pool owners who use robotic cleaners end up feeling like their pool is never 100% clean.
Unlike regular pools, smart pools actually clean themselves.The Vantage self-cleaning system by Compass Pools uses circulatory technology to keep your pool water always-moving and always-clean.
The Vantage system works by creating constant water circulation in the pool. A series of nozzles installed on the pool’s floor create tides of water and chemicals, allowing the pool to clean itself thoroughly and efficiently. This process ensures that there are no small spots missed where algae and bacteria can grow. The Vantage system also utilises jets of water to push debris toward the smart pool drain. The result is warmer, healthier pool water, an even distribution of pool chemicals, and a pool that’s always ready to enjoy.
If your vision of pool ownership doesn’t include spending hours each month keeping your investment well cared for and usable, a smart pool is definitely worth considering. Many smart pools can even be set to self-clean on a timer. This means you can tell the pool to clean itself overnight, so any time you’re ready to jump in, your smart pool will be freshly cleaned and ready for you to enjoy. This can mean fewer visits to your local pool shop.
Salt chlorinator
Similarly to cleaning, managing the levels of chlorine in your pool can be a bothersome, inconvenient task. Not only does it create extra work for you—the job also requires that you be careful and precise so that the pH balance of your pool water is safe for you, your family, and your friends to enjoy.
Automated salt chlorination is one of the more popular components of smart pools. By installing an intelligent salt chlorinator, you give your pool the ability to manage its own pH levels. The salt chlorinator regularly checks the levels of chlorine in your pool water and adds exactly the right amount, so your pool’s pH balance is always perfect. This saves you time of course, but it also saves you the stress of having to measure correctly and work with harmful chemicals. You’ll rest easy knowing that your pool water will be consistently safe for your family.
Pool heating
Are you used to having to program a pool’s temperature manually? Or even worse—maybe you’re used to leaving the pool’s temperature up to the will of the weather. While Australians are lucky to enjoy a hot climate, having the ability to warm your pool during cooler months and cool it during warmer months is the definition of modern convenience. With a smart pool system, you can adjust the temperature of your pool water from anywhere with just a few taps on your phone.
This feature is especially convenient for people who travel often, or who are just prone to forgetfulness. If you forget to switch off your pool heating, your smart pool makes it no big deal. You can simply adjust the temperature from your phone and save considerably on energy. Cutting down on waste, saving money on energy bills, and creating a more environmentally friendly pool user experience are some of the most significant advantages of intelligent pool technology.
Pool pump
Automated pool pumps are a key player in keeping your clever pool consistently temperate. While some pool owners don’t recognise the importance of keeping an efficient pool pump, the pool pump is essential because it is responsible for water circulation, which keeps water temperature even throughout the whole pool. Proper water circulation also aids in keeping your pool hygienic, as chemicals are dispersed evenly and water movement discourages bacterial growth.
Most pool owners do not use their pool pumps as frequently as they should because pool pumps consume a high amount of energy and can cause bills to run high. However, switching off pool pumps too early causes the pump to quit before the water has been properly circulated.
Smart pools eliminate this issue. Automated pool pumps use up to 85 percent less energy than regular pool pumps, so pool owners can let their automated pumps run their full course without having to worry about the cost or energy waste. This leaves you with a consistently cleaner, healthier pool.
Pool lighting
Pool lighting is yet another component of smart pools that can be easily controlled from your phone no matter where you are. Modern LED lights are extremely efficient and can be synchronised with almost any device. If you plan to be home after dark and know you’re in the mood for an evening swim, you can switch the lights on beforehand and easily illuminate your property.
Automated pool lighting is not just practical; it’s also aesthetically pleasing. You can automate your lights to have different brightness settings, rotate through sequences of colour changes, and create other beautiful lighting effects.
Centralised Pool Management
Even if your pool has a central management system, there’s a pretty good chance that it has to be manually programmed from within your home. In the past few years, advances in technology have allowed pool owners to control every aspect of their pool’s management system from anywhere via a portable device.
Whether your smart pool’s central management system relies on an app, an online control panel, or downloadable software, you’ll find the experience of managing your pool’s central management system from your mobile device extremely simple and convenient. Having these at your fingertips eliminates the worry of ever forgetting to pre-program your pool. Whether it’s a matter of forgetting to turn lights off, wishing to warm the pool before you return from a trip, or scheduling a cleaning cycle while you’re away from home, automated central management systems help you take care of your pool with no extra fuss.
Some intelligent pool management systems offer an additional layer of convenience in that they are compatible with home systems like Google Home and Amazon Echo. If you use these devices in your home, choosing a smart pool management system that couples with your software will allow you touch-free management of your smart pool. It really doesn’t get any simpler than that.