Clean, green options for pool owners

Chris Morris

By Stephanie Tavares (contact), In Business reporter

Fri, May 1, 2009 (2 a.m.)

Pool maintenance companies across the valley are scrambling to get pools in tiptop shape for summer, but some are doing more than tinkering with pumps and testing the pH.

Some customers are looking for ways to make their pools more environmentally friendly, and pool supply companies and entrepreneurs are delivering dozens of options to help them reduce a pool’s effect on the planet.

“It has become more popular with the green movement,” said Terry Mayfield, director of the Southern Nevada chapter of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. “But, you know, we try to stay away from talking about ‘green pools,’ that’s kind of gross. That’s not the mental image we’re going for.”

But he said it’s become easier to make a pool more environmentally friendly and comfortable.

The association has worked with both the Southern Nevada Water Authority and NV Energy to educate consumers and to create incentive programs for pool owners in Las Vegas.

The biggest concern many have with pools in the desert is evaporation. A long drought and climate change are already reducing the water that is available from the Colorado River, Las Vegas’ main source of water.

As our water supplies become more vulnerable conservation becomes more important.

Pools can lose 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water a year from evaporation. That’s about 5 feet of water in an average pool, said J.C. Davis, spokesman for the Water Authority.

Most pool supply stores carry a kind of oil that can be added to the water to reduce evaporation. But the best way to save water is to use a pool cover.

The authority has created a coupon program for pool covers to help residents reduce evaporation in their pools. Residents can get coupons for $50 or 50 percent off the purchase price of a basic pool cover, whichever is less. Those wanting a permanent mechanical pool cover can get a coupon for $200 or 50 percent off the purchase.

Covers are available for all types of pools, including aboveground pools and custom covers for odd-shaped ones.

Davis said residents that have odd-shaped pools, but don’t want to purchase a custom cover, can just buy one that’s slightly larger than they need and then cut it to size.

Covers have more benefits than simply saving a whole lot of water and keeping the neighbor’s pine needles off the pool floor.

“The value to it is twofold,” Davis said. “It primarily has to do with water savings and that’s obviously good, but it also reduces your energy costs during the spring and fall. Your pool gets substantially warmer with the cover on it. For those without pool heaters, a cover adds a month or more to the use time.”

But it could also fill your pool with algae or make it too hot in the summer, so it’s best to routinely remove the cover to let the pool breathe, Mayfield and Davis said.

Pool owners can also save energy by installing more energy-efficient or renewable-energy powered pool pumps. Replacing a single-speed pool pump with a new two-speed or multispeed pool filtration pump can reduce its energy costs by up to 80 percent. The new speeds also run cooler and quieter, last longer and work more efficiently than single-speed motors.

NV Energy offers rebates on more-efficient pool pumps. Residents can get a $200 instant rebate for variable-speed pumps and $100 instant rebate for two-speed pumps.

The rebate can be obtained directly through the pump retailer. Customers only need to bring their latest NV Energy bill to the store.

The supergreen can try new products that power your pool equipment with solar power.

Owners can purchase solar powered pool heaters, pumps and even skimmers. The solar powered pumps are usually just a retrofit of existing pump systems to divert the pump from your main electrical supply to a solar photovoltaic panel.

The solar powered equipment usually only runs during the day, but experts said that in the spring and summer in Las Vegas it should be enough to maintain the pool.

Finding someone qualified to install it might be more of a problem, Mayfield said.

“The solar powered pumps are brand new,” he said. “We’re working on looking at those, to get some training out there.”

He said it would probably be easier and more cost efficient to install a solar heating system.

“Solar heating has been around for a long time,” he said. “I have one at home and we use very little natural gas on my pool because in the spring through fall, the solar heating takes care of any heating needs. Those are relatively inexpensive. And they pay for themselves over the long run.”

There are a variety of different products available, including roof-mounted solar water heaters to solar water heating disks that sit on top of the pool.

“The roof mounted ones are still superior and now they’re less obtrusive than they were years ago,” Mayfield said. “They gather the most solar energy and transfer it most efficiently into heat. The disks aren’t quite there yet.”

The technology, though is rapidly progressing.

“Someday I think we’ll have a disk the size of an iPod that will take care of all of our needs,” he said.

There are also alternatives to the harsh chlorine used in most pools. Saline pools are becoming more popular in the valley because they are easier on the skin and eyes.

There are also a variety of more-environmentally sensitive chemicals for traditional pools. Mayfield said these have become more popular in recent years and are available at most pool supply stores.

“There are chemicals now that are so mild you can drink the pool water with no effects,” he said. “They’re more expensive than chlorine, but they’re available widely.”

No matter what you decide to do, it’s best to call an expert in if you plan to do anything major such as replacing pumps. Licensed pool contractors undergo regular training and are generally better acquainted with which products are the best value and how to install them properly, Mayfield said.

For more information on the Water Authority’s pool cover rebate program, log on to snwa.com/html/cons_coupons_pool.html.

For information on NV Energy’s conservation rebate programs, including the pool pump replacement program, log on to nvenergy.com/saveenergy/home/rebates.