In a previous post, I stated that technology has provided consumers with better, more reliable products. That is undoubtedly a true, and although it’s almost 2015 and we still don’t have flying cars, hoverboards and time machines available to us, it would be difficult to argue that the products that are available to us aren’t any better than those we had available in 1985. The same is true about swimming pool products. Products that are available today may very well have been considered to be products of science fiction to some during the 80’s. From robots that clean our pools, to special lights that kill bacteria, it seems that today’s technology allows for a virtually maintenance free swimming pool. Today, I want to talk about in-floor cleaning systems; a system that has made the need to vacuum your pool practically obsolete. While this concept may have seemed like wishful thinking at one point in time, it is available today. The advantages of having an in-floor cleaning system are immense.
I am familiar with different types of these systems, but more so with the Paramount model. That being said, I am going to focus the bulk of this post toward their in-floor cleaning system, starting with the contents of the system and their wall returns. Paramount models have a patented wall return (SwingJet) with sweeping abilities that allow the flow from the return to move in a 90 degree arc pattern through the water. Having that mobility provides enhanced cleaning of the walls and incidentally improves water circulation. On pools that have a heater or heat pump, the improved circulation in turn improves heating. This aspect of their in-floor cleaning system works by having several of these “Swingjets” working together to move the water throughout the entire pool. So, compared to a pool without one of these systems, one would notice an equal disbursement of heat throughout the pool with the Paramount system as opposed to maybe having more warmth at the surface than deeper in the pool without the system. It does this by utilizing two water flow zones. One is referred to as the “Power zone” which is what cleans the walls by pushing debris away. The other is basically an extension of the power zone known as the “Influence zone.” There may not be as much force here as in the power zone, but there is enough to influence the water outside the power zone thereby increasing the overall circulation.
Another benefit to having Swingjets is that they can be adjusted and positioned to reach areas that a standard return would never touch. Debris on steps, benches or near corners will no longer be a concern. That is just the first part of this in-floor cleaning system.
So, with this cleaning system having multiple “Swingjets” working together to increase water circulation and sweep away debris, there has to be a place for the debris to go. That is where their patented main drain comes into play.
Their main drain, the “MDX – R3” is designed to allow debris to pass through it. That includes larger debris as well, while still offering several layers of anti-entrapment protection.
Although this system has enough power to remove large debris, it protects against evisceration and entrapment of the body, hair, fingers, toes, and limbs . Because this main drain allows debris to pass through, there will be no more plugged main drain service calls either.
There is also added safety with the use of the “SDX” high flow safety drain. This is a secondary drain that is to be used if the pool will only have one MDX – R3. Basically, the SDX gets tied into the main suction of the MDX – R3, and is installed on the wall of the pool which has two benefits. First is for safety reasons, having the SDX that far from the MDX – R3 makes it virtually impossible for a swimmer to cover both drains at the same time and become trapped. If one drain is blocked by a swimmer then the other drain is able to take on the full flow of the pump allowing the swimmer to move on without any trouble. The other thing is that having the SDX on the wall is that it then acts almost as a skimmer as well, and will remove any small debris that happens to be floating by at the mid level of the pool.
I know some people that had the Paramount in-floor cleaning system installed and have never needed to vacuum their pools. This system has proven to be effective many times over, and with very little maintenance involved it is ideal for those who don’t want to spend their summers cleaning the pool every other day. Now, with this in-floor cleaning system they can spend their summers with friends and family in a stress free, and clean pool. This technology can also be coupled with their Venturi Skimmer for better performance, enhancing its cleaning ability. (See Part 2 of “How to have your vinyl liner in ground pool clean itself” on my blog) For more information regarding this post please be sure to visit http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/