Pools, Spas, Pumps and Solar

How to Save Energy & Money on Your Pool

Pools are a major investment, not only in the initial expense involved, but also the ongoing maintenance and energy expenses. Maintenance and energy savings will directly affect how much solar you need to have installed or how much "extra" energy you can direct elsewhere.

Algae is a living aquatic creature that multiplies rapidly on warm, sunny days. Containing chlorophyll, algae utilizes photosynthesis to grow. That is, they take in carbon dioxide and expend oxygen as a byproduct

Algae is a problem that plaques pool owners sooner or later. In order to "kill" or eliminate algae it is necessary to monitor conditions that are primary causes of algae. They include water balance, warm temperatures, sunlight and the presence or nitrates or carbon dioxide.

Algae also cloggs up sanitation pathways in the water, as well as the pores in a filter, decreasing filter effectiveness and requiring more backwashing or medium replacement. Algae creates a chlorine demand in the water for itself, actually consuming chlorine that should be working on other contaminants. Algae are kind of like weeds in your garden. Unsightly, unwanted space takers that create more work for the gardener, and sap up nutrients and resources from the flora we wish to grow.

Additional hours of pool pump usage is a must as well as increased chlorine to treat the water.
Products such as "Phosfree" offer savings on energy, equipment, and pool chemical expenses.

Here is how it works.

Algae feeds off of phosphates. Phosfree eliminates phosphates in your pool. By eliminating phospates, algae has nothing to survive on. This in effect has major savings to pool owners.

The first savings in Chlorine. Although chlorine is not expensive, having it installed can add up quickly.

The second is in maintenance on filters. Algae plugs up or restricts water flow through the filter.

The third is electricity. Due to filters Not being clogged up. This unrestricted flow as well as no algae means you can normally cut back pool pump times in half! Being these pump use a lot of energy, this an important aspect to utilizing this product.

The fourth is pool equipment maintenance and equipment replacement expenses.

Other benefits that are realized by this product are not needing chlorine, not having burning eyes from the excess chlorine treatments in the summer months, and a soft smooth feeling to your skin and hair after swimming.

Another big savings on energy is upgrading to more efficient pumps and filters. Growing up on the Ranch in Nebraska, Dad always preached "If it isn't broken, Don't replace it" This is great advise, but sooner or later replacement is needed. And when it comes to building a larger solar system or conserving energy, we should at least take a look at pool efficiency.

New pool pumps are offered with "variable speed" motors. This means that the motor will be operating at certain times at a "lower speed" which utilizes less electricity.

New pool filters allow more water to flow through them while doing the same or better filtering job than the old filters. This means the pool pumps do not need to run as often.

Being pool equipment can be ran during the evening hours, the time of use rate should be incorporated into your solar investment. Please read our article on Time of Use "TOU" to see how attractive the rates would be for you. Time of Use will preform like another "rebate" for solar only it is ongoing. Knowing how to utilize this option is very important when going solar.