No matter where you live or how you use your pool, inevitably debris (pollen, leaves, grass clippings, etc.) will find its way into your water. For many pool owners, keeping up with the debris in their pool can be one of the most labor intensive and time consuming tasks.
The good news is there are options and new technology available to you so that this doesn’t have to be your pool-owning experience. We want to discuss three different options for debris removal and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
The “Old School” Methods
The two old school ways to manage debris in your pool is to manually clean it out with a pool vacuum or by purchasing a “robot” style automatic cleaner that drives around the pool sucking up dirt and leaves. While both of these options can be effective, they have their drawbacks. Manually vacuuming the pool is the cheapest option, but also by far the most labor intensive.
The robot cleaners will significantly cut down on your labor, but keep in mind that they must be manually removed from the pool to empty the debris or when anyone wishes to use the pool. From a strictly aesthetic point of view, a robot cleaner roaming around the pool is not the most attractive look for your beautiful project. Additionally, they can be a significant investment. A good quality robot cleaner has a price range of $1,200 – $2,000, with an approximate replacement lifetime of 4 years.
The Better Way to Remove Debris
At Aquavisions, we recommend and install something completely different than these old school methods. We incorporate “in-floor” cleaning technology into most of the projects we build. Designed and supplied by Paramount Pool and Spa Systems, our PVR system places nozzles throughout the floor of your swimming pool to manage the debris that collects on the bottom of the pool. The nozzles pop up and put out a jet of recirculated, filtered water to push debris toward a drain in the deepest part of the pool.
From here, the debris is collected in a canister that mounts flush with your pool patio. Simply empty the basket as needed. Additionally, the nozzle colors are selected to closely match the color of the pool interior making them an appealing option from a design point of view.
An Investment with Benefits
The side benefit of a PVR system is that by returning all of your filtered and chemically treated water throughout the entire pool floor, you get better circulation and more thorough heating (if your pool is heated). Like any technology that aims to lessen your workload, it does require an investment. The cost of these systems are determined by the size of the pool, but generally land in the $6,000 – $8,000 range. Many pool owners feel this is one of the best investments they made in their pool because of how much it allows them to enjoy their pool without all the manual maintenance.
It’s important to note that any “automatic” cleaner you choose will not get every speck of dirt out of the pool. There will always be a little manual work to do. With an in-floor cleaning system, you have the benefit of simply brushing any dirt that collects in “dead spots” into the middle of the pool. Your PVR system will handle the rest!
Do you have a pool-related question? We can help you answer it!