Introducing Salt Chlorinators

Salt chlorination is the most popular form of pool sanitation today. When you install a salt water pool, you are getting a chlorinated pool without the hassle of having to lug home drums of chlorine or using commercial chlorine which contains other products which can cause problems. A salt water pool makes owning a clean pool easy. When the system is also automated, you can be sure the chlorine needs are matched to the pool needs and that the pH levels are kept in balance as well. To find out more, phone us at Compass Pools on 1300 667 445.

Video transcription: 

Anthony Cross: I’d like to introduce Gary Walters. Garry works as a contractor for Compass Pools retail business in New South Wales. Gary is a specialist pool technician. His specialty is water chemistry. Gary also has a job with a WA based equipment company called Pool Controls. Pool Controls specializes in providing a form of sanitising system that is very popular around the country servicing pool builders and the pool industry in general. Gary is here to talk to us today about his favourite subject. That is right, isn’t it?

Gary Walters: That’s right.

Anthony Cross: So on the subject of chlorination or pool sanitation, it’s my understanding that the majority of pools built today and sold today are set up as salt water pools. Would you agree with that?

Gary Walters: Yes, that’s right, probably around the 80% to 90% mark I suppose would be using salt chlorination.

Anthony Cross: Sure, that’s obviously very effective, a tried and tested system. What would you say that the main benefits of the salt water system are compared to other forms of sanitation?

Gary Walters: It’s probably ease of use. You’re not lugging big drums of chemicals home. It’s fairly easy to look after. As you said, the system has been around a long while and is tried and proven.

Anthony Cross: I actually think it’s an Australian invention, the salt water chlorinator, isn’t it?

Gary Walters: I’m not sure on that. You’ve got me on that one.

Traditional Pool Chlorinators

Anthony Cross: Yes it is. It was commercialised by a company called Monarch in Perth quite a few years ago. It’s taken over the world. An interesting part of the story with salt water chlorination is that not ever customer realises what they’re getting when they ask for a salt water pool. What are they getting?

Gary Walters: Basically, you’re getting a chlorinated pool. It’s just an easier system of producing the chlorine without having to lug home drums of chlorine or a lot of commercial chlorine or dry chlorine products which contain other components which can cause a problem. This can be a problem with an increase of hardness or high stabiliser levels. With a salt chlorinated system you don’t have those issues.

Anthony Cross: Effectively the salt water which is what you’re aware of when you’re swimming in the pool, the salt is there to allow a chemical reaction to occur inside the saltwater chlorinator itself, if I understand it correctly. That is making chlorine. So that is making the sanitizing agent that is responsible for keeping your pool water clean.

Gary Walters: That is correct. You have a very low salt water residual in the pool. It’s a very low level, nothing like seawater. The salt is used in a process of electrolysis to produce the chlorine from the chlorinator cell. It’s a regenerative process so the salt doesn’t get used up in the process. It’s returned to the pool at the end of the process.

Chlorination of Public Pools

Anthony Cross: I guess one of the reasons some customers, pool owners, future pool owners are worried about having a chlorine pool and therefore they ask for a salt pool, is they have experiences at the local public pool. There can often be a strong chlorine smell; it’s quite obvious what product is being used in those commercial environments. What would you say is essentially the difference between that situation in the commercial pool versus how a salt water chlorinator works in a residential pool?

Gary Walters: There’s probably not a lot of difference in the end product going into the pool. A lot of the time the problem with the smell you get in a lot of those pools is due to incorrect chlorination, or insufficient chlorination. It’s not necessarily caused by the chlorine, it’s caused by chloramines or the by products of the process.

Anthony Cross: So we’re not necessarily smelling chlorine. We might think we’re smelling chlorine but we’re smelling a by-product.

Gary Walters: That’s right. You’re smelling the gases or the by-products that come off the pool via the chlorination process. A correctly chlorinated pool will have very little odour. You shouldn’t be able to smell much chlorine at all or a very low level. It’s a bit like chlorine that is in your tap water. If you taste it, it’s probably at an incorrect level. So it brings you down to controlling the correct amount or adding the correct amount of chlorine to the pool.

Anthony Cross: Gary, I said earlier that you work for company called Pool Controls in WA which make a range of pool equipment. One of that company’s main items is a saltwater chlorinator. But it is not your everyday saltwater chlorinator, is it? What can you say about it?

Gary Walters: Pool Controls’ background is more in automated pool control equipment. Initially it started with chemical control, automated systems that dose the pool according to the chlorine demand. We’ve taken that one step further and incorporated it with a saltwater chlorination system.

The problem with a lot of conventional saltwater systems is you turn the dial and you put a set amount of chlorine in the pool everyday. The pool’s chlorine demand will change from day to day depending on whether it is a hot day, a rainy day or whether you’ve got ten people swimming in the pool or no one swimming in the pool.

The problem with a conventional saltwater chlorinator is you set the output and it will dose the same every day, regardless of the usage in the pool.

Anthony Cross: That is what is commonly called an unregulated system.

Gary Walters: It’s not an automated system. It’s regulated but it’s regulated by you adjusting the output on the system. It’s not regulated by the demand on the pool.

Anthony Cross: So it’s manual versus automatic.

Gary Walters: That’s right. We’ve taken that one step further and incorporated it into a fully automated system. The system while it’s running tests the pool continuously and doses chlorine according to the demand on the pool. So on a hot day with heavy use, you’ll need more chlorine and the system will produce that via the salt chlorinator. On a cloudy day or in the middle of winter, your chlorine demand will be greatly reduced and the system will adjust to cope with that.

Anthony Cross: I guess that makes the whole job of the pool owner a lot easier. At the end of the day, the water is always at that right level.

Gary Waters: That’s right, it is easier and a lot more accurate. So you’ve got better control of the water chemistry. It’s safer for the pool users because you do have the correct amount of sanitizer in there to keep the water healthy. It also protects and extends the life of your pool shell and your pool equipment.

Anthony Cross: So there are a lot of advantages in having and maintaining that correct chlorine level which I think is referred to as a residual.

Gary Walters: That’s right definitely. It extends the life of the equipment and also saves money. The better you can maintain your pool, the fewer chemicals, the cheaper or the less expensive it is to run in the long term.

Anthony Cross: Sure, so over the years the saltwater chlorinator has become a dominant force in swimming pool sanitation. Then I guess in more recent years, companies like Pool Controls have come along and worked out ways to automate the system so that you’re matching the chlorine needs to the pool needs.

Gary Walters: That’s correct.

Factors Affecting Chlorine Demand

Anthony Cross: It is affected by more factors, isn’t it?

Gary Walters: There are a lot of factors that affect the chlorine demand on the pool. As I said, it will change greatly from day to day. It’s not really something where you can set a dial and hope for the best. The trouble with the conventional system is most of the time you’re guessing how much chlorine you need for the pool and probably eighty percent of the time you’re guessing wrong. You’re either over chlorinating or under chlorinating. The automated system that we’re using takes the guesswork out of that and the system does all that work for you.

Anthony Cross: Some of the other recent trends are things like energy efficient pumps. These days, for the last few years at least, there has been a big push for pools to be set up with energy efficient filter pumps and so forth. Obviously that’s about saving money, running the pump at a lower speed.

That can cause problems though, can’t it? At the end of the day, if you’re running a lower speed pump and you’re running it potentially for more hours of the day, if you don’t have an automatic type controller type system, you’re having to manually adjust the output of the controller.

Gary Walters: That’s right. If you’re extending the run times, your conventional chlorinator is adding so much per hour regardless of where you’re running the pool.

Anthony Cross: So the pump might be slower with these energy efficient pumps but the chlorine generator, saltwater generator is still making the same amount of chlorine per hour.

Gary Walters: That’s right, unless you physically turn the output down, it’s still putting out the same amount of chlorine. So you can end up with issues of over-chlorination in the pool, bleaching of pool shell equipment, toys, clothing, all those sorts of things.

Anthony Cross: The other factor I guess is an increased use of pool covers or pool blankets particularly during winter. A pool is generally not used in Australia in winter, so in a lot of cases a pool blanket is used to cover that over. Saltwater chlorinators will continue to make chlorine if they’re not an automatic system.

Gary Walters: That’s right. You’ll see a lot of covers will start to bleach fairly quickly, go white, separate, flake away. That is usually a sign on over -chlorination. Again, with the automated system that we’re using, it will take account of that and automatically reduce the chlorine output so you don’t end up with over –chlorination in a pool where you’ve put a cover on for winter.

Anthony Cross: So it really is about making the job of the home owner a lot easier, protecting the equipment and reducing your overall costs.

Gary Cross: That’s right. As you said, it prolongs the life of the pool. A pool is a fairly long term investment, so you want to maximise its life and get the best value out of it. By having an automated controller, that is going to greatly help.

Anthony Cross: There is a second half to the automated controller that Pool Controls provide and that Compass Pools are a principal user of. I know that we use your product on all of our pools in Newcastle and I know a lot of our other dealers around the country also find it’s a great product to include with our pools. The other side is the pH control side, isn’t it?

Gary Walters: That’s right. pH control is very important to optimise the effectiveness of the chlorine. As your pH changes, the effectiveness of the chlorine will either be reduced or enhanced. Most times it will be reduced because as you add chlorine you get a gradual pH rise. So unless you’re controlling that pH in the pool, you can get to the point where you can have quite a high chlorine level, but if your pH is also high, that chlorine isn’t doing anything for you. So again, automating the pH control to keep the pH neutral in the pool maximises the efficiency of the chlorine. Again it comes back to cost savings, effective use of the pool and effective use of the chemicals.

Anthony Cross: As you said, the pH control requires the addition of acid. Acid is a regularly used part of the chemical treatment of a swimming pool. This is really just taking one more thing away from the management of the home owner, the pool owner or the service technician.

Gary Walters: That’s right. It’s correctly dosing a bit more regularly. Your typical owner would probably only get their water checked maybe once a month. If they’re lucky, they might look at the pool once a week and add a bit of acid. But with an automated system it’s adding the acid as required. So if you need it every second day, third day, fourth day, the system will automatically dose that.

Anthony Cross: That’s all going to again, just like the chlorine demand, depend on the environmental conditions. If it’s been raining, if there is a lot of sun, if there has been a lot of use of the pool, a high bather load, all those factors will affect both the chlorine and the pH, won’t they?

Gary Walters: Yes. Rain can have a big effect on the pH of pool water. The chlorinator is probably the main thing that causes the pH change, chlorine naturally being a fairly high pH. So in summer when you’re adding a lot of chlorine, you’re getting more pH, or more potential for pH rise. So you need to add acid a bit more regularly than you would in winter. So again the automated system takes care of that. A manual addition of acid isn’t a very accurate way to control the pool.

Less Chemicals in Your Swimming Pool

Anthony Cross: I understand that the automated system that we’re talking about here will actually result in less chemical usage, including less acid, by these regular daily adjustments

Gary Walters: That’s right. You’re keeping a more constant controlled level in the pool, both of your chlorine and your pH. So water chemistry being all linked together, the more stable your pH can be, the fewer additional chemicals you need. If you’re getting massive rises and troughs in the chlorine and pH, you’ll have more trouble maintaining the pool and there will be more additional chemicals needed to control it.

Anthony Cross: So it really looks after the two main factors in having a good quality healthy water environment, looking after the sanitiser,chlorine, and it’s looking after the acid side of things which controls pH.

Gary Walters: That’s right. They’re the two things that rapidly change in the pool from day to day or even hour to hour. So an automated system is the best way to control those. A manual test once a week really isn’t sufficient to try and control the pool and adjust chlorine and pH levels with a conventional system.

Anthony Cross: There is still a little bit of input required from either the pool owner or the pool service technician.

Gary Walters: Yes, there are a couple of other factors that will change gradually over time, like the salt levels and stabiliser levels and so on. These are mainly affected by dilution of pool water through rain and they’re a long- term change. They’re not a day-to-day change. So if the pool owner keeps an eye on these once a week or they have a pool service guy come once a month, they can certainly keep an eye on those other factors. But pH and chlorine are the two main factors that we’re interested in controlling automatically.

Anthony Cross: So obviously it is still a requirement to get the water tested at the local pool shop every month or so?

Gary Walters: Yes, definitely. A month is probably a good time.

Anthony Cross: Particularly in summer.

Gary Walters: Yes, definitely in summer. Keep an eye on any other issues that may occur. It’s a bit like checking the oil in your car. Just keep an eye on it, don’t wait for any red lights to come on and you’ll have a lot fewer problems.

Anthony Cross: Saltwater chlorinators are a massive factor in today’s management of swimming pools. You would obviously highly recommend that the automated version of those systems with the pH control is the way for all customers to go.

Gary Walters: The reliability of saltwater chlorinators these days is far above what it would have been say ten or twenty years ago. They’re very energy efficient, have very long life spans, are very effective with digital control in most of them now, so they’re a very effective system, combined with the automation in controlling pool sanitation. They are a great solution for salt water pools.

Anthony Cross: If I can just throw this little bit in at the end, Compass Pools has worked closely with Pool Controls. I think it is fair to say there is a system that we make available to our dealer network and our customers which we call the Gemini Twin System. There is a degree of exclusivity in that arrangement, isn’t there?

Gary Walters: That’s right and it’s exclusively set up for Compass with the correct parameters for running Compass Pools.

Anthony Cross: We’ve had those systems now running on hundreds of customers’ pools for a number of years. We tend to run those systems obviously in all of our display pools, so it’s been put through the ropes.

Gary Walters: Definitely. We’ve made a couple of little modifications here or there to suit the requirements of Compass, so it is really the perfect system to add on to a Compass pool.

Anthony Cross: We appreciate all your efforts. I know you’ve got a day job and you work with us on the side. It’s been a good collaboration so I thank you for that. Thanks for having a chat with me today. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

The requirements and responsibilities for a first-time swimming pool owner can be quite daunting. To get an understanding of all that you will be expected to do to keep your pool in tip top shape, our Pool Owner’s Guide will benefit you greatly. Compass Pools has gone to considerable effort to produce this detailed and comprehensive guide which covers everything a pool owner would ever want or need to know. You can get your free copy by calling Compass Pools today.

Video transcription: 

Anthony Cross: I’m sitting here with Gary Walters from Pool Controls. He also helps locally in Newcastle with our retail sales efforts. Gary has also been working with our handover team. I know locally with Kelly and her staff, Gary is one of the handover guys. He turns up at the customer’s home at the end of the installation process and runs through the system of how the pool works and what the procedures are.

There is a lot to be learnt in that timeframe. One of the things that we at Compass Pools Australia have been looking at recently is how can we make that process a better process and provide more value to the customer. What we’ve done is created ourselves a guide. Here it is – it’s called the Compass Pools Pool Owner’s Guide. This guide also contains the customer’s individual warranty certificate, the manufacturer’s warranty certificate.

This guide pretty much covers everything that the pool owner would ever want to know about how to care for, look after and safely use their Compass pool. This information has been available in a number of different locations in the past but it has never really been brought together in one consolidated document. There is also a website, a private website, that hosts the same information. That website is kept fully up to date.

Gary has helped to create some little how- to videos that customers at Compass Pools can log in and access at any time they like to get some refresher information.

How have you found the application and rollout of the Pool Owner’s Guide in your work in doing the handovers, Gary?

Gary Walters: Very good. I think there are not too many questions that we get asked that wouldn’t be covered in the guide. In a lot of the video clips, we tried to address a lot of the commonly asked questions. But it is certainly a great resource or it should be a first go-to if anyone has any questions or concerns on maintaining their pool or their pool water chemistry.

Anthony Cross: There are quite a few subjects when you think about it. There is a whole chapter on pool water chemistry which you’ve been instrumental in helping write and edit and pull together in a way that customers can easily understand.

Gary Walters: That’s right. It can be a little bit daunting especially for a new pool user who has never had a pool before. There are probably a lot of things to try to get your head around. But certainly we’ve tried to cover that fairly well. I think personally a lot of the questions I get asked would definitely be covered in the guide or in the video clips. So again, it’s a great resource or a great go-to for any questions you may have on the operation of your pool.

Anthony Cross: There are requirements and responsibilities I guess for the pool owner to care for the pool. The pool shell is a fibreglass structure and it is exposed to the effects of the chemically treated water. It’s a pretty aggressive environment. It’s also subject to sunlight, UV, all sorts of things. So over the course of years, there is a requirement for some regular maintenance. It’s pretty simple work that the home owner can do and that is explained in here.

Gary Waters: That’s right. The requirements for the home owner are covered in the manual. There are also a few little tips on things like keeping your waterline clear of rust marks that might occur from bobby pins or hair clips (that’s for all the girls out there.) There are some little tips about how to clean those off the pool shell. Generally it’s a great resource.

Anthony Cross: There is practical advice. It is written for a pool owner, written in straightforward language but covering all the essential things that you need to know.

Gary Walters: That’s right. We try not to get too technical in it as you said. It’s just common, everyday material and we try to make it nice and easy for you.

Anthony Cross: Well I appreciate the efforts you’ve contributed to bringing this together. Your experience of being onsite and being in the handover process and talking to the customers has been very influential to the approach we’ve taken in writing this in a way that customers can understand. Certainly the concept of having these little short how- to guides or videos that customers can log on to and watch on the private website is a great benefit. It keeps this document up to date.

Gary Walters: That’s right. It’s a great resource and as you said, it’s something we’re continually working on, so it will be up to date and relevant.

Anthony Cross:  Sure. There’s also, I mentioned at the beginning, the personal warranty certificate that is kept in this document. So as a new Compass pool owner, it’s important that you retain your warranty certificate. If there is ever a problem in the future and you need to talk to us as the manufacturer and potentially make a claim, then the warranty certificate terms and conditions on how to make a claim are all spelled out in this document.

That’s been a big effort to bring all of our paperwork up to the current rules and regulations. In 2012, the Australian Consumer Law was modified and it placed a greater onus on putting together a document like this in plain English, with clear information about what is covered, what the exclusions are and importantly, how you can make the claim.

Compass Pools have spent a lot of time embracing the spirit of that change, not just to comply legally but more importantly to treat it as an opportunity to provide you, the pool owner of a Compass pool, with a valuable resource. At the end of the day you can care for your pool, you can maintain it in a way that is important and you can obviously use it in a way that is safe.

So I encourage you all to ask for this document, to use it and to use the website that we’ve put together specifically for Compass pool owners and I’m sure you’ll find it a great tool. Most importantly, enjoy your Compass pool. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

Video transcription: A great question we’re often asked is, if I’m going to build a house, how do I go about planning the pool? If it is such that you’ve got a block that when the house is built, you’re going to lose your access, it’s really important to consider putting the pool in first. At Compass, we call that a sleeper pool. So you can certainly come to us and talk to use about installing a sleeper pool.

The other consideration is, if you’re going to have access, we can certainly put the pool in after the house is built. But the consideration might be, if it’s going to be anywhere near the house for example, you want to make sure you consult with your builder and ensure that the footings for that house are constructed in such a way that it lets you come up and excavate near the house. So there are those sorts of considerations that must be taken into account.

If you’re at that point and you think, yes, I really need to talk to someone about whether I build the pool first or do it after, certainly bring your plans into Compass and we’ll talk to you about it. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

What are some of the biggest pool planning considerations?

Video transcription: There are lots of exciting things about building a swimming pool. But one of the considerations you need to take into account is what am I dealing with on my block? In many cases we are out at properties which have things such as easements. They are areas which you just can’t build over. It’s on your property but it really belongs to the council.

Other considerations are things like main sewer lines and so forth. There is a house sewer line that generally connects the main sewer lines unless you’re on a system such as a septic tank and that is a different consideration altogether. But where you’ve got a house sewer line that connects to a main sewer line, and you think that is in the path of the pool, that is not such a problem. Those things can be diverted. The main sewer lines for example, or any other thing that is fairly substantial, needs to have really careful consideration as to how we build around it.

Other important factors are thinking of things like how close is the pool going to be to the house, or maybe retaining walls? They are the sorts of considerations that we need to really look at and ensure that when a pool is being built, really when an excavation is being created for the pool,  that we’re not going to undermine any of those structures.

These are just general things that we really want to take into account. If you can get a good understanding of what those things are in relation to where you want to place your pool, this can be a really important starting point.

There are other considerations such as how far you build off a boundary. Most councils will have minimum setbacks. Some are really relaxed and we can actually get quite close. The key thing is just start thinking about where that pool is going to go, what services and so forth you think might exist there and anything you might think might be a potential issue in terms of us coming out and starting to dig that pool in the position you want.

Nine times out of ten we’re going to be able to cope with most of the circumstances quite well and we’re pretty used to it. But if you just get a bit of an idea, we’re certainly off to a good start. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

Swimming Pool Construction: How does it work and what’s involved?

Video transcription: I guess first off most clients have a bit of an understanding of what they want. From there I lead into what they’re going to use the pool for, how much room they think they might need, how many kids, do they entertain a lot. It’s basically finding out what they need. From there we can work out the best way to go about that.

I guess the most common questions that we’re always asked is should I lay pavers on sand or should I lay them on concrete? Traditionally, we used to lay all our pavers on sand around a pool. Most of the time they were a small format, so we could get away with laying them. These days, most people want large format pavers, large format concrete or natural stone. So nowadays you can’t lay pavers on sand around the pool purely because of the movements around the sand that washes out. You get a far better job on concrete.

A lot of the time we go to do houses they’ve either left their al fresco so we can tie in with the pool or they’ve already got tiles. Typically I say this is your pool area. You want it to be slightly different than the rest of your house if you’ve already got matching tiles. So you want the pool area to stand out and make that the showpiece for the house.

Every pool that sells obviously has to have a bond beam. A standard beam is suitable for one paver to go all the way round and that maintains the structural integrity of the pool. We can go anywhere from a standard paver up to whatever distance you want to go out from the pool depending on the size of your yard and the living area that you want.

To determine how far we go out, sometimes we try to match the area of what they’re laying with the size of the paver. That is so you can have a seamless line between the whole area reducing the cutting down. This is not for labour but more for the visual aspect of the job. So we try to help them out to whatever size paver to make that look good going round the whole job and working out with our fence lines and things like that.

A bond beam is a concrete beam, a structural beam that goes round the ring of the pool. That maintains the structural integrity of the pool. Typically it is 370mm wide. That suits a 600 x 400 paver or a 400 x 400 paver. You’re not limited to just the beam, you can extend that beam to whatever distance you want. It is better to extend the beam out so we have one seamless pour. Otherwise you’re going to have an expansion joint between the bond beam and the coping paver and the rest of the paver, whether you have concrete or whatnot. You want to try to eliminate that. If you can do it all in one pour, it is going to a lot stronger and you’re going to get a far better job.

Personally for me as a contractor for the type of work that we do, as much as I can, I like to try to speak to the owners of the pool before the pool goes in. That way you can eliminate any problems. You can get the right heights, you can work out where a cut and a fill may be, any retaining walls, any plumbing, where you’re going to run electricity so you don’t have a problem in the future. Probably the most important thing is the height of the pool, getting the height of the pool in relation to your al fresco area, your entertaining area, whatever it may be. That’s very critical because once the pool is in, you can’t move it.

I always like to speak to the clients about exactly what they want so we can map out the whole yard and get the result that they’re after. We always notify the client when we’re going to be there. We ring up a couple of days before, notify them what time we’re going to arrive on site, if they’re going to be home. Normally I like them to be there for the first day so we can go over the whole job and make sure they understand exactly what is going on. We make sure they understand what they are getting and how it is all going to look.

From there we set out the process of what happens, the order of operations of the job. We explain whether it is retaining walls first, whether it is concreting, we form up. Typically on a standard job, once Compass has finished installing the pool, we will come in and form up and pour the concrete. That cures for approximately two to three weeks and then we can come back and lay all the tiles or paving or whatever you choose. That can take anywhere from a day to two weeks depending on the size of the job.

Definitely get a contractor who can understand pool surrounds, typically a professional landscaper. Try to stick to one trade if they can, without having multiple trades. That way it cuts down on how many people are on the site. It cuts down any errors of communication between one trade and another trade. That’s why we’re experts in what we do because we can handle the whole lot.

I had a client yesterday. I said if they want to see the finished product, I can give them names and numbers or even organize for myself to go out there and take them out there. We can have a look at the products so they can feel it, so they can see what it is going to look like before they actually get the product installed.

People ask my opinion all the time. There are so many options you can have. Some people choose a longer coping paver and then they have a 400 x 400, a square paver for the surrounding area. People do the opposite. They have a smaller paver and then they have a longer paver for the outskirts or they have one product. There are so many different options.

I think when you try to overcomplicate a pool area that’s when it starts to get a bit messy. We try to keep one product and then split it up with a feature tile all they way through, something small that is not going to stand out too much. I think the subtle touches that you do are far better than trying to do different colours or mix and match that way.

Once we’ve finished laying the tiles or pavers, you have to wait a minimum of seven days before we can seal the pavers, just to let the grout cure and let the moisture come out before we seal them. Then after that, within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, they can start enjoying their pool. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

If you are looking for a swimming pool constructor, please go to our Pool Builders page to select your closest authorised Compass Pool Dealer. Or give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

Why you should build a pool that’s future proof?

Video transcription: We’re often told by people looking at planning their pool and installing it, I’ve got young children. I’m worried about them, they’re not great swimmers, there’s a little baby. So what I want to do is I want to create a beach area, something shallow in the pool.

One really important aspect of a swimming pool is when you install it, if you’re planning to stay in your house for quite some time, you’re really going to live with whatever you’ve got for as along as you’re in that house. The important thing is to think, they’re children for a little while, but they grow up. It’s not long before they’re incredibly competent swimmers. They’ve got all their friends home from school and they want to use as much of that pool as practically possible.

So when you’re thinking about your pool, you really want to think as long term as possible. They might be small now, but they’re small for a very short time. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

Swimming pool building time: from planning to installation, how long it will take

Video transcription: A lot of people who come into my display centre to have an early-stage think about getting a pool always want to know what is involved in getting a pool. Among a hundred different things that are important when you’re planning a pool, how long it takes comes up pretty often.

You need to, I think, nut it down into four areas. They are planning the pool, getting the approval to build the pool and having the pool built, so that is effectively the installation of the pool. That is before all the nice cosmetic, easier things like the fencing and the paving all come to fruition.

To plan your pool, you can take as long as your want. At the end of the day, you’ve got to make the decision. Planning your pool involves going and having a look at what pool suits you, working thorough the options and the recommendations, and then saying, yes, this is right for me. I like this pool, this size, this colour, with this operating system. I can see myself using it like this, this and this, ticking all the boxes. I’m happy to be doing business with you. You’re a builder, I like the people who are going to be putting it in, I’m happy to go ahead.

When that happens, a contract is drawn up. A contract is the agreement, as the pool builder I’m going to do x, y and z; as the customer, you’re going to do x, y and z and we’re going to go ahead with it.

Your approval, depending on whether you’re going through a council body or a private certifier, it doesn’t matter too much which, that roughly, depending on councils, is a four to six week process. During that time, I always tell my customers, we’ve got this time when no one can really do anything. This is good opportunity to go and have a bit of a look around at pavers and different finishers and things like that.

Once you get your approvals back, they come to us as the builder and we say, yes, absolutely, they can have a pool, we’re all good to go. Then your pool gets custom-made for you. We like to allow, depending on the time of the year really, three to five weeks in the manufacturing process of the pool. It’s made, it’s ready for you and then you move into a construction schedule.

A construction schedule is one of those things that can move around a fair bit. So you’ll always give a tentative install date but we’re not weather gods. We never know what is going to happen with the weather. You may be jumped forward a week or you might be pushed out for two weeks. But that whole process in its entirety from you making the decision and we’re good to go, is often between a five to ten week process, realistically.

There are things that come up. You could all of a sudden, it has happened to me, people have said, school holidays. We’re going away. You had me booked for this stage, can we be two weeks later? Most pool builders can easily work with that. The time really is on you and when you can make a decision, the weather, what it’s doing and of course your councils. You definitely don’t want to be planning a pool in November thinking Christmas day is going to be at your place. That is not going to happen. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

How does the in-floor pool cleaning system keep your pool clean?

Video transcription: I love the question does Vantage in-floor cleaning and circulation really work? If I get asked that question, I usually know that person hasn’t been out and spoken to anybody who owns our system. We are so fortunate to have literally thousands and thousands and thousands of these systems installed right across Australia. Now if you can find someone, or certainly call us, we will put you in touch with as many people as you like to talk to, to understand how much difference the Vantage in-floor cleaning and circulation system has made in their life.

So many times I’ve had the good fortune of turning up at somebody’s house to talk to them about a swimming pool and I’ve asked them, how did you find out about us? They’ll say, Joe down the road has owned one of your pools for eight years and he’s never cleaned it. I’ll say that is great. But Vantage is more than a story about cleaning your swimming pool. It’s actually got circulation properties that are incredibly important, if not more important than the by-product of that system which is a cleaning system.

We believe you making this decision is such an important step in owning a swimming pool and having something that is going to be with you for as long as you’re in that home. We would really like to offer you the opportunity to contact us so we can arrange for as many people as you feel necessary to talk to who own a Compass Vantage self-cleaning and circulating swimming pool. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

What is the process, turnaround & pool construction timeframes?

Video transcription: Once a customer brings their council approved paperwork into the office, usually the timeframe from receiving approvals and the pool going in the ground is between six to eight weeks. That’s a rough timeframe. Weather is something that is beyond anyone’s control but it is usually between six to eight weeks.

Filtration equipment is obviously a really important part of your pool. What we need is usually around two metres, two and a half metres but that depends on the amount of space you’ve got available in your yard. So we can customise the installation of your equipment to best suit your yard.

The day that we excavate your pool is day one of your pool. What we do is, machinery arrives about seven, seven thirty in the morning. We mark out your pool on the ground, decide if you’re happy with where the lights are going in your pool and make some minor changes to the layout of your filtration system. Any little changes you want, that’s the time we do it.

Machinery starts digging and it usually takes the day to get that out, unless we hit rock and things like that which is something that we don’t know we’re going to encounter and usually the customer doesn’t know either. We usually have the hole excavated in that day.

The following day we lift the pool into the ground. The pool is back filled, filled with water and the filtration equipment is installed. So it is roughly two days, two and half days for the self-cleaning pool to be installed.

Once the pool is installed, then we have the filtration started up and we put all of the chemicals into the pool and clean the pool up so it is in swimmable condition. That usually takes twenty-four hours for your dirty pool to become a swimmable pool. Everyone loves to swim in their pool as soon as it’s full of water. Even though the pool is dirty when we’ve filled it up, it’s still in its construction stages, but the day that the pool is full of water, the kids are dying to get in the pool and have a dip. So day two, you can be swimming in your pool.

Once your pool is started up and chemically treated, then your pool needs to settle for a period of two to three weeks. That is to allow for ground movement for the pool to find its natural levels. Then we place a concrete beam around the pool and that is part of the structural integrity of the pool shell.

After we’ve poured that concrete, then we organize the handover of your pool. A handover of the pool is teaching you to drive your new pool. We show you how your system works, getting your fully automated system up and running so it is literally maintenance free. We give you the keys, that’s what a handover is. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

What to think about with regards to pool installation access

Video transcription: I talk to a lot of people have anxiety about access to their house. The first thing to let you know is just about everything is possible. Ideally, we’d turn up at a block, it would be flat, we would have no house in that spot and we could drive straight in with all the equipment. Realistically when a pool is built, we literally want to turn up with the biggest digging machine and excavator and as many tipper trucks, usually three, as we can, to keep running that fill out of that property.

Most properties that we consider have great access are properties that you can pretty much drive a car to where you want to put the pool. That is pretty much as good as it gets in most cities today. Outside of the city, on rural properties and so forth, that is an added bonus because it is often very easy to get to the site you want to put the swimming pool.

If you do have constrained access, don’t be overly concerned about it. Just know that the more equipment and the more time it takes for us to get in and get the fill out of that site and then actually bring sand in, which is also used as part of the installation process, the costs associated with that are generally greater, but completely justifiable.

As you could imagine, when we’re taking a one piece shell, a swimming pool, and lifting it to the site, most often we’re using cranes. The general crane lift is not overly complicated. That’s probably not fair to the crane guys. They’re really good at what they do and it is a real discipline for them to lift the pool. But generally in most cases lifting a pool into the site is non problematic.

Sometimes, on very rare occasions, we might use exceptionally large cranes because we just can’t get anywhere near the block. In that case, the cranes can get fairly expensive. But there is a way to install just about every pool. On the odd occasion we’ve even used helicopters to lift pools into place. That is quite a sight, seeing helicopters buzzing over your roof with a swimming pool hanging off it. It’s pretty exciting actually.

It’s really difficult for us also, and obviously it’s difficult for you, to tell what’s under the ground. A lot of people know through experience if they’ve built on their site or they’re lived in the area for a while, they’ll know whether or not we’ll have to contend with rock. If we can get a decent sized machine into the site and access is reasonable, rock is not a great issue. The smaller the machinery, the longer it takes to excavate, the greater the cost associated with excavation. These are just pretty standard things.

In other cases, certainly around the area where we work a lot, we have high water tables. That may mean we actually employ an ancillary company to come in and insert spear points around the pool area. That is a like a big pump and vacuum system which sucks the area dry for a day or two before we excavate the pool.

We dig every day, it’s our job. As much as we want to put the swimming pool in, part of that process is coming out and excavating. I don’t think there is much we haven’t seen under the ground and there is always a way for us to deal with it. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

Planning a new pool? Ask yourself why you want a swimming pool

Video transcription: I’ve helped hundreds of people plan their new pool. I really think that the three most important things to have a bit of a think about when you’re doing that is first the purpose, what you’re actually going to use your pool for. Is it for kids, family fun, is it just something pretty to look at, have barbecues around? Does it need to be suitable for anyone elderly who is getting into the pool?

The other thing is effort – how much effort you want to put into owning it. If you’re time poor and you do not see yourself out cleaning the pool or out there testing the water chemistry, there are certain things that you can do that can take a lot of that effort out of it.

A big thing a lot of real estate agents tell me is that position is a pretty big factor in the planning stages. If you’ve got a nice family home and you’ve got kids, you always want to make sure that you’ve got a nice area for kids to play in the yard and you’ve got your pool in an area you can see clearly from the house or off the al fresco area.

I think the purpose, what you’re going to use it for, how much effort and where it’s going to go are pretty important things to have a bit of a think about. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

How long is the pool construction process?

Video transcription: We’re often asked how long is it going to take to build my swimming pool?

There are a couple of different elements that come together for that. Obviously we’ve worked through the time for contracting the swimming pool, designing it, doing all the bits necessary for now to be well on our way to having a pool in the backyard.

The next step for us is we need to manufacture it. Every Compass pool is built to order. We don’t build your swimming pool until we get an order for it. So it’s always your very own swimming pool, issued with its very own birth certificate. This is an important element of Compass Pools.

The other part of the process is that we need to have this pool approved. So it will be submitted to council, go through the approval process and depending on where you are, what council area, what state, there are going to be different times in relation to the approval process. The next part is then the installation process. We’re literally coming up with a day when we’re going to determine, after the council approval, to install your pool.

The process from there is generally fairly fast. It’s also dependent upon weather. If we have a bad run of weather, we’re going to need to move that installation date to a different time. When we come in and install your pool, generally it takes a couple of days for us to excavate and install the pool and fill it full of water. We then allow that pool to sit for a couple of weeks before installing an engineered concrete beam around it and finish the surrounds. Give one of the team a call today on 1300 667 445.

The thing about swimming pools is that once they are in the ground they are there to stay, so the decisions you make at the purchasing stage can affect your overall satisfaction further down the track. There are plenty of factors to consider that will influence your choices as you create your ideal pool. In this article we take a look at some of the important questions/points you’ll need to think about so you end up with the best pool for you and your family.

1)     What is your motivation for buying a pool?

The first and most important thing to consider is what you want to get out of owning a swimming pool. Some people see a pool as the perfect way to relax and unwind, some use their pool to bring the family together, others to keep their teenagers at home. Whatever your motivation, try not to lose sight of what you want from your pool. Along the way you’ll need to make decisions about what features you want to include in your new pool, so always refer back to what you want to achieve and the pool buying decision making process will be easier.

2)     What is the best way to run/operate your new pool?

This is often something that people don’t pay enough attention to at the beginning of the process. The way your pool runs/operates will have a huge influence on the following things.

1. The ongoing electricity costs of filtering your pool
2. The amount of chemicals needed to keep your water safe to swim in
3. The amount of your time required to look after the pool
4. The value your pool adds (or takes away) from your home

Most backyard swimming pools installed over the past 40 years operate the same way. Water is skimmed off the surface of the pool through a skimmer box. It is then pumped through a filter and returned to the pool through jets (commonly called return eyeballs) close to the surface in the pool wall. The “theory” is that all pool water is circulated during the daily cycle while the pump is running. The problem is that the top third of the pool generally gets circulated over and over again, and the deeper sections can be under-circulated. We call this operating system ‘traditional’ circulation, and it does have its limitations.

Some pool companies like Compass now offer enhanced circulation systems, because the more your pool water is mixed and filtered the healthier it will be. Proper mixing and filtration will lead to lower chemical use (as chemicals are not just concentrated in the top layer of water, being burnt off by the sun). You’ll also notice that the pool water is easier to manage from a sanitisation point-of-view, when enhanced circulation systems are used, because chemicals used for balancing are adequately mixed throughout the whole pool.

The operating system you choose can have a big impact on your electricity bill too. These days, energy efficient pumps are very popular and are quickly replacing the traditional fixed-speed filter pump. With electricity savings of up to 80% using these latest-technology pumps, it’s a natural choice to make. The one problem with energy efficient pumps is that when they operate on low speeds (to maximise the savings in electricity consumption) the flowrate of pool water being circulated is reduced and there can be a subsequent decrease in water quality in the deeper sections of the pool. To get the true benefit out of an energy efficient pump, your pool’s operating system should have a way of maintaining efficient circulation for proper filtration and mixing of all the pool’s water. To find out how to make energy efficient pumps work in your pool, ask your local Compass Pool’s dealer about the exclusive Logic enhanced circulation system.

Of course, the ultimate way to look after your pool is to opt for the famous Vantage in-floor system. Vantage not only ensures maximum circulation, chemical efficiency and energy efficiency, it also cleans the pool for you, which allows more time to swim, relax and enjoy! The Vantage in-floor cleaning and circulation system also adds value and appeal to future buyers when the time comes to sell your home.

3) What type of Pool will work best for you?

A pool is a pool right? Wrong! The type of pool that you choose to buy can have a long-lasting effect on over-all satisfaction with your decision.

As mentioned before, your pool is a permanent structure which means it can only be replaced or upgraded at major cost once it has been installed. You need to be satisfied that the pool you purchase meets your immediate needs, budget requirements, and long term needs. Product warranties, reliability and of course personal needs and wants, are all factors in this equation.

Ultimately you will need to choose between concrete, fibreglass or vinyl-liner pools. Find out more about concrete and fibreglass to know which pool will work best for you.

Many people choose the fibreglass pool option for the following reasons:

• Fiberglass swimming pools are relatively cost effective
• Fibreglass pools can be easier to keep clean and healthy
• They are generally quicker to install than concrete pools
• They are warranted for at least 25 years, and usually, require less ongoing maintenance

But are all fibreglass pools equal? – The answer is no. Whilst most Australian manufacturers make a reliable product, there are some that have distinctive and important differences. For example, in the mid 90’s Ian Mewett (co-founder of Compass Pools) helped pioneer a technique of pool manufacturing using a ceramic and vinyl-ester composite core. Compass Pools owes much of its success and credibility to its patented ceramic core technology, which ensures that Compass ceramic pool shells are tougher and more durable, and are therefore more able to cope with seasonal ground movement as well as the effects of long-term immersion in pool water.

4) What pool manufacturer/brand should you choose?

As you probably know, there are quite a few pool manufacturers throughout Australia, some of whom include: Compass Pools, Leisure Pools, Narellan, Barrier Reef and Freedom Pools to name a few major ones.

Choosing the right manufacturer or pool brand is about reducing your risk and obtaining peace of mind that you will be looked after during the purchase, installation, and in the years after your pool has been handed over.

Here are a few things to investigate about the pool manufacturer before committing:

• How long have they been in business?
• What do people say about the brand online?
• What is (and is not) covered in their product warranty and does their warranty comply with current Australian Consumer Law requirements?
• Have they been making pools at least as long as they warrant them for?

 5) What pool builder should you work with?

Chances are that almost every major manufacturer will have a pool retailer representing their brand in your area. In some cases these representatives will be subsidiaries of the manufacturer, franchisees, or independent dealers.

It goes without saying that the business which actually installs your new swimming pool can have a HUGE impact on your over-all satisfaction and future enjoyment of your pool. It pays to work with people who are reliable, honest and skilled at what they do, as well as being licensed and insured.

Here are a few tips to help you decide who to work with:

• Ask to speak to current and previous customers about their experience
• Ask to see display pools or pools that they have installed recently
• Search what people say about them online – check out their Facebook page and the tone of customer feedback
• Ask questions about their business history – how long have they been operating in your area (their website may include business and staff profiles and other interesting information)

 6) Think about what can be added later and what has to go into the pool at the beginning?

Looking at your overall budget, you may decide to stage or delay certain optional features. For example, you may choose to include plumbing provision for a heat-pump but wait a year or two before you purchase and install the actual heating system. But there are some decisions that need to be made before your pool gets installed in the ground. A good example is the Vantage in-floor cleaning and circulation system which can’t be added after the pool has been installed. To avoid future regrets, do your research and be just as careful in deciding the options you exclude, as the options you include.

So make sure you talk with your pool consultant about the “must haves” that need to be decided on before your pool is ordered. It is better to plan for these things in your immediate budget and then stage the roll-out of other extras like landscaping or heating when the time is right. That way you can have your cake and eat it too, or as we say, have your pool and enjoy it too!