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We live in a time where people have solar panels on their roofs and control their home temperature from their phones. Pool water care is rapidly changing in this modern era. With this great change comes a great opportunity for pool professionals.
Modern pool buyers want pools that are simpler, smarter and less chemically treated. Many of them buy organic food and drive electric cars. They are willing to pay more for healthier and more sustainable products.
If you want to be a pool industry leader, now is the perfect time to "future-proof" your business and create growth opportunities for the next generation. Older millennials have entered their 40s and have already burst into the pool market in a big way. They come with a new list of demands and expectations.
As 2020 approaches, the pool industry will embrace new pool care formulas that will make their lives easier and their customers happier. All the tools and methods for better pool water care are already available. The pool pro that's improving their offerings and methods each year will thrive. To place yourself ahead of the pack, here are four key areas that will keep your customers happy and allow your business to grow.
1. Less Is More: Do Less to Achieve Better Results
When it comes down to it, the only thing pool owners want in their pool is...water. People want the least amount of chlorine and other chemicals, and they want the lowest maintenance possible. The real question for a pool pro is, "How can I get my pools as close as possible to pure water without making my pool care routine more difficult?"
Traditionally, pools came with a single-speed pump, floating chlorine dispensers, a sand filter and 1 1/2-inch pipes. Older pool formulas relied on chlorine for everything including algae control, shocking, residual sanitation and workload sanitization. For almost every water issue in the past, the answer was to throw more chlorine into the pool. Today, there are various ways to get the same or better results.
To minimize chemical exposure, modern pool care formulas use chlorine surgically and sparingly. They may use algaecides to control algae, non-chlorine shock or non-stabilized chlorine shocking and AOP technology to replace the main oxidation workload of chlorine. These refinements to the pool care cocktail move chlorine to a supporting role as residual sanitizer — not the main ingredient.
Using an AOP sanitation system can take care of most of a pool's sanitation needs and create a pool with lower chemical levels and less maintenance.
With an AOP system doing most of the heavy lifting, a bit of chlorine will go a long way. Just a trace amount — about 0.5 parts per million — roughly the amount of chlorine found in drinking water, can be enough as a healthy residual sanitizer.
2. Simplify and "Smartify" Your Pool Care
A wise person once said, "Work smarter, not harder." This saying has never been more relevant to pool care. No one wants to spend hours balancing their pool chemistry, brushing and vacuuming every day. They just want the best water quality with the least amount of work.
One easy way you can simplify and improve your customers' pool care formula is to install two- to three-inch pipes and a variable-speed pump that runs at an optimized setting 24/7. While continuously running a pump may seem unnecessary, running a variable-speed pump at the right speed for 24 hours will actually save a considerable amount of energy, compared to running a single or dual-speed pump for eight hours.
In addition to saving money and energy, running a variable-speed pump at an optimized setting for 24 hours a day means the pool will have constant circulation. This means the pool water will be treated by the AOP system consistently throughout the day, preventing contaminants and bacteria from spreading.
Using a slower pump speed also makes the filter perform more efficiently. With better circulation, filtration and sanitation, setting up a variable-speed pump can help your customers dramatically improve their water quality with very little effort.
3. Green is Good: Sell Pools Your Customers Can Feel Good About
Usually, when people think of a "green" pool, their first thought is that it has an algae problem. But today's pool buyer is looking for the greenest pool possible — one that is environmentally friendly. After all, pools are a luxury product that can consume a lot of water and energy. Someone who buys a pool does not want to feel guilty about their purchase. Instead, they want to feel like they're making a positive choice that's good for the environment — even if it costs them a little more.
Chlorine manufacturing produces many tons of carbon emissions each year. While some chlorine may be necessary to maintain a healthy pool, the less chlorine you use, the less impact you'll have on the environment. This is another way that modern technology such as AOP can make a difference. By taking care of most of the work typically done by chlorine, pools that have AOP sanitation will use much less chlorine and other chemicals. These chemical reductions will add up over time, creating a more eco-friendly and sustainable pool that customers can feel good about.
4. Stop Chasing Your Tail: Break the Cycle of Chemical Overtreatment
The traditional pool care formulas of the past required large quantities of chlorine to sanitize the pool and a stabilizer to protect that chlorine from the sun. But the more stabilizer you add, the more that cyanuric acid will build up in the pool, and the more chlorine you'll need to get the same effectiveness.
Over time, you'll end up with higher chlorine levels than what you started with, which leads to irritation from disinfection by-products. With high cyanuric acid levels, the chlorine will also be a less effective sanitizer. Pretty soon, you will need to drain and refill the pool to get rid of the cyanuric buildup — and the cycle will begin all over again.
Pool owners' desire for easier maintenance, combined with improper pool care knowledge, has led many to run pools that are actually more complicated and less healthy. This old pool formula endlessly attempts to treat bad pool water symptoms rather than fixing the root causes. The good news is that we now have smarter solutions to develop a pool care formula that is actually simpler, healthier and lowers chemical demand.
By adopting a smarter pool care formula that uses AOP sanitation combined with a variable-speed pump and an automatic non-stabilized chlorine feeder for residual sanitation, your customers can have a pool with zero cyanuric acid, unnoticeable chlorine levels, no irritating disinfection by-products and zero dissolved solids. In addition, they won't need to drain their pool as often because their water will stay fresh and balanced longer. This new formula is a straight and easy path to a lifetime of clean, clear, healthy and sustainable pool water.
In the end, customers don't know exactly what pool care formula they want. They want less chemicals in their pool and something that is easy for them to maintain. They want you, the expert, to tell them what they need to improve their lives. By combining the right technology — variable-speed pumps, AOP systems and automatic chlorine feeders — you can now offer them a carefully curated, well-thought-out and repeatable formula that will make them happy for years to come.
For more information, please visit clearcomfort.com or call 303.872.4477.
