This article should outline the function and how to operate the equipment on most residential properties residing in the sunbelt of the United States.
First, you will need to be able to locate where the equipment pad is on your property. Pool equipment will most likely be on the side of the house or hidden in the corner of the backyard behind a fence.
There are a couple of pieces of equipment that all pools will have to be able to operate, and there are pools that have more specialized equipment. We will start off with focusing on the equipment that should be familiar with everyone.
All pools will have a pump to circulate the pool water and a filter to remove debris.
Pumps require power to operate and will be connected to a breaker on the main breaker panel on the house or a secondary panel dedicated to the pool equipment that would be located near the equipment pad for easy access for either the homeowner or pool care provider. Older modes of pumps are single speed pumps that are controlled from a timer box. These timer boxes can be programmed to turn the pump on and off at a specific time. Newer models of pumps have a controller attached to the pump directly. There is a panel accessible on top of the pump that allows the homeowner or pool care provider access to how long the pump will operate. Variable speed pumps also allow you to control the speed of the pump in RPM (rotations of the motor per minute of the pump) or GPM (Gallons of water that are being pushed through the pump per minute). To learn more about Variable Speed Pumps you can read our article HERE.
After water is pulled into the pump, it is then pushed into the filter. Filters come in different sizes and different mediums used to filter the water. You can learn more about the different filtration mediums used in pool filters HERE. Filters must be cleaned two to three times a year for regular maintenance to ensure optimal circulation and filtration for the pool. Filters can be cleaned more often when necessary such as when the pool becomes green with algae. Power is not needed to operate the filter since it performs its job as long as water is circulating through it due to the pump operating.
After the water passes through the filter, filtering out any bigger chunks of debris, the water flows to the heating unit. There are various ways of heating the pool. The most common is a gas heater, though with new EPA regulations beginning in California, the industry is trying to move away from relying on Gas-Only operated Heaters. You can find more information about heaters HERE.
The majority of pools will be installed with a submerged light, or multiple smaller LED lights throughout the pool. Typically a switch for the light is located near the backyard access point of the house, or controlled remotely by automation.
Some pools have specialty equipment such as automation panels that can remotely control the pool equipment, for example, moving the valve actuators to spa mode and then turning on the gas heater all while you are stuck in traffic thinking of that warm body of water waiting for you at home. Other equipment that isn’t put on every pool built are the various forms of sanitation equipment found in the industry. This could be a salt cell, UV, Ozone, ION, etc.
That is the basics of Swimming Pool Equipment. Check the links above for more in-depth details. We hope you learned valuable information and thanks for visiting! #NeabyPoolService