If you own a pool, you need to read this article.
If you are unhappy with your pool or dissatisfied with the service maintaining it, you absolutely must read the entire article.
This info will change how you view your pool and the relationship between your pool, your equipment, and your service provider.

This article will be oversimplified and appear rough at first, but we are attempting to quickly cover a bunch of info, so here it goes.
First off,
remember this,
"time+money+chemicals+fuel = cost."
If you have a pool maintenance company, their primary goal is to service your pool as rapidly and inexpensively as possible.
I'm not bashing service providers; most are hard-working, decent guys; this is just reality.


This doesn't mean you're getting ripping you off; it's simply the business model of the pool cleaning industry.


Now throw into the mix that most service providers have no more than a baseline linear knowledge of pool chemistry and pool technology?
Most of them won't even utilize automation apps installed on the pools they service?
So to sum it up, if someone is maintaining your pool right now, there's a high probability that you've hired a service that succeeds by providing you less, not more.
THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!


Now you know why so many pool owners can't find a pool service provider that they're happy with.


Now the good news, along with some fantastic info.


Did you know that a quality pool service provider can be a tremendous Godsend?
They can offer you intelligent solutions that will help them meet their goals while keeping you happy and saving you money!


Check out how these options for better pool water can radically change the game.


We recommended the  technologies below 

• UV systems
• AFM (activated Filter Media)
• Mineral/ chlorine induction combination systems
•  Centrifugal pre-filtration will all drastically improve your pool water filter load, extending the life of your filter.

When combined, these technologies work synergistically with each other producing outstanding results. 
We believe in this tech so much that we install it on all of our signature pools.


We could spend a very long time explaining each one of these technological advancements in detail. However, as we said, we want to inform you first, then you can dig as much as you like.


Below we'll list the technologies we believe are game-changers.
​
1- UV systems - Ultraviolet can sterilize pool water without chemicals.
If you remember the Ebola outbreak of 2014, and now covid, a UV robot named "Saul" made his debut and did not disappoint.
"Saul," the UV robot, made by a San Antonio based company called Xenex, proved to be a germ-killing machine.
It's been well documented that UV is a power hitter in the world of disinfection. 
 Multiple medical studies have shown that UV can disinfect at a highly effective level that is changing the way hospitals view disinfection and even the use of bleach (chlorine).
It's the real deal!

2 - AFM (Activated Filter Media) - glass filtration media that can be put into a standard sand filter in place of the sand media.
This stuff filters down to around 4 microns, prevents algae, prevents biofilm, recharges with backwash, and it never needs to be replaced. Yes, it can outlast your filter.

3 - Mineral Induction Combination Systems - these units combine anti-microbial minerals into the pool water that automatically delivers bacteria and algae-fighting elements in combination with optimized chlorine induction for cleaner, more comfortable pool water that requires less maintenance.

4 - Centrifugal Water Pre-Filtration - a revolutionary new stage process which captures 80% of the particulate load before it ever reaches your filter. The separated solids are caught in a collection chamber while the clean water is directed back into the system.
​Pre-filters can reduce maintenance by over 75%, minimize filter wear, reduce backwashing by over 50%, which keeps water and chemicals in the pool. This saves water which is always a good thing for the environment and your water bill.

So, there you go.
These are some of the technologies that get missed that will give you a  more efficient, cleaner and healthier pool.

For years, we have left the financing entirely in the hands of our clients and their ability to find a product that is best for them. 

Though we still hold to that outlook on where our clients get funding, we have recently been made aware of an option that some of our home owners are using with great success.

So, to offer an option to our customers that have less than perfect credit, we suggest you take a look at www.hfsfinancial.net

From what we've seen and heard, they can genuinely help those who need some leniency when their scores require a more accommodating lender.

​So, If you're wanting to install a pool or outdoor living area, this could be an option that may provide the financial assistance you need to get the thing done.

READ MORE IN THIS ARTICLE
​If you have ever taken a dip in a spring-fed pool, almost all will agree that the water felt great.
Besides being a bit on the chilly side, I personally loved my glide through the natural water in our local spring-fed swimming hole. 
Today's race for a better pool water solution is nothing new; it's been going on for decades. 
When you do a quick Internet search for chlorine pool alternatives, you'll run into all sorts of "better" options. 
We did a search and stuck to first page results to check out what a novice may encounter. We found salt water, ozone, UV, hydrogen peroxide, and even swim ponds.
When you look at each technology or concept, they all claim to be the answer to the quest for "better" pool water.
So, what's the deal? What's the solution? Why is it so complicated?
Well, it's not! 
​The truth is people are confused by being fed wrong info. 
Here's the truth, or at least our attempt to shed light on what's really going on!
The short answer!
Chlorine is a set standard, and it's the most widely accepted method established to sanitize. The problem is, people can get really sick from swimming in even seemingly clean pools. 
So, If you want to avoid big trouble should someone get ill from swimming in your pool, you'd better be using proven sanitation methods recommended by the authorities on health. 
The other issue is that the public got sidetracked into believing that the "feel" of the water equates to the "health" of the water. 
These are two totally separate things.


The longer answer!
While companies are indeed making some effort to accommodate pool owners with alternatives to chlorine, it all ends up being a re-packaging of the chlorine pool with a plus or a twist. 


Due to federal & global organizations like the CDC, WHO, and EPA doing health studies that produce data, which births a baseline, and then a standard, a rule, or a regulation, water sanitation turns into a significant legal issue from a liability standpoint. 
We live in a litigious world today. What company is going to want to risk going against the grain when proven technology is still selling?


As far as the water feel argument, this is entirely out of whack. Water feel is a perception, and the tech companies capitalize on it.
Saltwater pools are actually chlorinated.
The salt in the pool is converted into chlorine by electrolysis.
The feel of the water is due to the salinity levels, which are closer to the physiological salt levels naturally found in our bodies, so the water feels good on the skin.
Ever see eye rinsing solutions referred to as "saline" solution?
There's your salt! Salt is naturally in our bodies and tears.
Saltwater pools have other issues as well.
They're a pain, they're corrosive to equipment, and can thrash decking and masonry work.
I know of builders who offered to convert their client's existing saltwater pool systems into chlorine systems at no charge due to the saltwater problems.


There are also other alternative options like Ozone and UV, which have substantial benefits, but they have limitations too.
The biggest limitation is the induction lag.
When trying to go chemical-free, there's a big hurdle pertaining to the fact that once a contaminant is introduced into the water body, it doesn't immediately begin to be sanitized. The contaminant remains in the pool water body until it gets sanitized and filtered. 
Even if the contaminant got sucked directly into the plumbing system as soon as it entered the water, it might not get knocked out on the first pass through. This ends up leaving nasties in the same pool water with the swimmers for longer than desired, so risk of infection increases due to the increased exposure time.
The UV and ozone treat the water only while it's flowing through the system and passing through the equipment at the equipment pad.
Organic material load would be the other downside. 
A pool that receives a high organic matter load can get overwhelmed fairly quickly.
While these shortcomings are simply realities, these systems do have major benefits.


Now we come to the natural swimming ponds.
For starters, they are technically being deemed "ponds you can swim in." These aren't even referred to as pools. And it appears that the name itself is helping these swimming areas avoid the ANSI/ APSP standards on a technicality. Maybe we're missing something here, but who knows? While we'll admit that we aren't currently considered experts pertaining to these swim ponds, the name issue is a red flag. So with that being said, we'll have to opt-out of this pool type for now.


So what pool sanitation tech should people go with?
What we've found to be the answer for better pool water was a combination system.
Saltwater systems are not part of that equation, though. As a builder, I completely avoid saltwater pools!
If you need convincing, just look up galvanic corrosion and efflorescence.
Still, the use of the other tech that's out there in an adjunct approach with a standard chlorine system is by far your best bet for a better sanitation setup.
As a pool builder, we had the luxury of experimenting with this for many years, so for a buyer, you'll have to research and dig until you are confident with what you're choosing.
We build about a dozen elaborate and high-end pools every year. It took us over 5 years of researching, testing and tweaking these technologies before we could consistently replicate it to produce some seriously amazing results.
For the record, we don't sell these setups, and there's a big learning curve.
​Our synergistic approach to tackling sanitation has evolved over the years into a pretty complex system that goes beyond simply combining a few sanitation technologies.
Our installs start with the plumbing & hydraulics and finish out by strategically lining up every single aspect of the equipment that interacts with the pool water. 
We've not seen another setup to date that is as powerful and as effective as what we've now named our SYNER-KLEAR system. 
This system is also extremely user friendly, and it drastically reduces the time customers, and maintenance providers spend tending to their pools.
So there you go,
 if you want an excellent sanitation system, research combining technologies and decide what's best for you and your budget.