Homes are becoming smarter all the time. But is your swimming pool keeping pace?
Here’s everything you need to know about smart pools, and what you should be looking for in a smart pool system.
What is a smart pool?
A smart pool is just like a smart home. Modern technology and innovations in the swimming pool industry have now made it possible for more elements of a swimming pool to be automated than ever before. This enables you to spend less time maintaining your pool, and more time enjoying it. If you already own a traditional pool, you will appreciate how much of an advantage this is, as pool maintenance can be extremely time-consuming.
A smart pool can light, heat and even clean itself, and can be operated at the single touch of a button on your smartphone, tablet or PC. It is a highly convenient solution which makes your swimming pool fit for the future.
What are the advantages of smart pools?
Smart pools have a number of important advantages over traditional pools:
1. They are easy to operate
Swimming pool maintenance is complicated. There are so many different tasks to think about – cleaning, lighting, heating and making sure the water contains the right level of chlorine to keep it safe and healthy.
Smart technology can make all these processes extremely easy. Your pool systems can be controlled from an app on your smartphone or tablet, so they are all easily accessible in one place and can be operated at your fingertips. This means there is no need for you to take care of anything manually, or even for you to pre-program any of your pool systems.
Better still, a smart pool can be managed from anywhere via the app, so you can adjust your settings while you’re at work, and your pool will be ready for you to get straight into the water when you arrive home.
2. They save you time
None of us really want to spend our precious weekends cleaning and maintaining our swimming pools, when we could be enjoying them with our family and friends. A smart pool takes care of many of the most time-consuming elements of pool maintenance all by itself, saving you the time and trouble.
Thus, an intelligent swimming pool leaves us much more free time to enjoy the water and to spend quality time in the pool with those you care about the most.
3. They can also save you money
Many pool owners assume that upgrading to a smart pool will be too costly. However, as technological solutions become more widespread, smart pool systems are increasingly affordable, making it easier for you to have the latest smart technology in your own pool.
A smart pool system can also help you reduce your energy bills by using less power. For a start, the latest systems are designed to be more energy-efficient than their predecessors. In addition, as a smart pool can be operated from anywhere using your phone, you can turn the lights or heating system off remotely if you suddenly remember you have left them on. This not only saves you money, it is also much kinder to the environment.
4. They can increase the value of your home
A swimming pool is a highly attractive addition to your property, and a great way to stay fit and healthy in your own backyard. This makes it an asset when you are trying to sell your home, certainly, but these days prospective buyers are looking for more than this; they are looking home solutions which utilise all the latest technology. They are more likely to want an intelligent pool where the maintenance is not going to prove time-consuming and costly.
A smart pool is the best way to guarantee an increase in your property’s value, as it makes many aspects of pool ownership that much quicker, simpler and cheaper. It also future-proofs your pool, ensuring that it uses technology which will be fit for purpose for many years to come.
Which elements of your swimming pool can be automated?
Numerous swimming pool solutions can be made smart with the latest technology. Basically, if a system can currently be pre-programmed, or even if it has to be operated manually, there is a good chance that it can be automated.
Here are four main areas where smart technology can make a real difference to your pool:
1. Pool management system
A remote pool management system can control all the smart aspects of your swimming pool, enabling you to manage your pool’s technology and change settings at the touch of a button.
This system can be managed via an app on your smartphone or tablet, or as either a downloadable software solution or a web-based control panel on your PC. It can be synced with other smart home technology solutions, such as Google Home or Amazon Echo, making it even more convenient for you to manage many diverse aspects of your home, including your pool, from one place.
Remote pool management systems are designed to make it much easier to manage the different maintenance tasks for your intelligent swimming pool, vastly reducing the amount of time and effort you need to put in.
2. Automated pool pump
For your swimming pool to function effectively, it is essential that the water must be circulated around the pool as efficiently as possible. This ensures the pool water retains a constant temperature throughout, without any “cold spots”, so it is comfortable for swimming in. It also keeps the water healthy and hygienic by making it more difficult for algae and bacteria to grow in your pool.
Some pool owners with traditional pool pumps are reluctant to leave them running long enough for them to be effective. This is because a traditional pump uses a lot of energy – between 1,600 and 2,000 watts. Not only is this bad for the environment, it also costs you a lot of money.
This is why installing a modern, automated pump makes sense. It uses up to 85 percent less energy than a traditional pump, so it is much safer and cheaper to run. The highest-quality smart pool pumps can affordably be left running 24 hours a day. If you do choose to turn it off for any reason, this can easily be done from a remote location using your smartphone.
3. Intelligent salt chlorinator
An important part of keeping your pool safe and healthy to swim in is ensuring that the right levels of chlorine are maintained in the water. This is often a time-consuming process which involves testing the pH level in the pool and making sure the chlorine balance is right.
Modern smart technology means this is something you no longer need to worry about. An intelligent salt chlorinator can test the pH level of your pool water itself, and dispense exactly the right amount of chlorine into the pool, so a constant, safe level is maintained.
An intelligent salt chlorinator can be operated remotely from a smartphone, and the settings can be customised to suit your needs. This saves you the trouble of manually managing the chlorine levels in your pool on a regular basis, and gives you the peace of mind of having a clean and healthy pool for you and your family to enjoy.
4. Pool self-cleaning system
Cleaning your swimming pool is a job nobody looks forward to. It is time-consuming and involves large amounts of harsh chemicals, which can be a worry if you have children.
A smart pool cleaning system solves these problems. It is an automatic system which is built directly into the floor of your pool. It uses a system of nozzles which are invisible when they are not in use, so it does not detract from the appearance of your pool.
The system works by shooting a stream of water from the floor of the pool, to push debris towards the pool drain. By cleaning the pool from the bottom up, this ensures every area of the pool is cleaned. Traditional pool cleaning systems cannot achieve this, as they only circulate the water in the top third of the pool. This leaves plenty of spots beneath this level where bacteria and algae can grow more easily, and your pool will no longer be a safe environment for swimming.
This is not the only advantage of a smart automatic in-floor pool cleaning system. As it circulates the water much more efficiently, it uses less power and vastly reduces the amount of chemicals needed to clean the pool. This makes your pool cheaper to run, kinder to the environment, and safer and healthier for everyone who uses the pool.
In addition, your intelligent pool will not require any manual cleaning at all, so it leaves you free to enjoy the water and spend quality time in your pool with family and friends.
What to look for in a smart pool system
The whole point of a smart pool is that it will take your pool into the future. The technology has to last a long time, so it is essential to invest in a high-quality system if you want to achieve real value for money.
It should offer apps for both iOS and Android devices, so you can still easily control your pool if you decide to get a new phone. The software should be highly intuitive and user-friendly, enabling you to use it easily even if you are not a big fan of technology.
Additionally, it should offer regular, free updates which can easily be installed, to keep your smart pool system functioning as it should and ensure it continues to work for you long into the future.
Can traditional pools be turned into intelligent pools?
If you already have a traditional pool installed in your backyard, you can bring it up-to-date. Many smart solutions can be added to existing pools, making your life easier and freeing you up to enjoy your pool to the full.
If you would like more information about the smart technology available for your pool, please contact us. Our dedicated team will be happy to offer advice.