Creating Your Smart Backyard

Cheers! Here’s to enjoying a smart backyard! Get a more convenient, comfortable, functional, and FUN backyard with the latest in smart backyard devices.

These days, families are spending more time working and playing at home, so it makes a lot of sense to invest in your house and yard. During the pandemic, we’ve also become aware of the benefits of an outdoor lifestyle. Being outdoors can quickly improve our physical and mental health. Families can benefit from a more active outdoor lifestyle which has been shown to enhance mood and energy.

Take advantage of new technology to improve your home’s whole outdoor experience. You’ll appreciate hands-free voice control and app-connected ease of operation with smart backyard devices. Let’s dive into the latest and greatest options for your backyard.

Save time and energy with smart devices
Want to create or enhance your own backyard paradise, without all the work? It may be even easier than you expect, with the use of the latest smart devices. You can control just about everything in your yard from the convenience of your mobile device. If you haven’t checked out the options recently, you may be surprised by the available choices which run the gamut from pool pumps to patio heaters.

Manufacturers have integrated smart tech into a wide variety of backyard devices programmed for optimal functioning and connected to your mobile device for ease of use.

• Lawnmowers – trim your yard automatically and effortlessly – just let it go
• Plant trackers – save water and time with automated monitoring and watering
• Lawn sprinklers – automatically water your lawn, where and when it’s dry, and stay up to date on water usage
• Smokers and Grills – automatically monitor temperature and cooking progress from your smart device, even if you need to step away
• Theaters – smart screens tie in with your mobile device for up-to-the-minute viewing choices
• Pools and Spas – monitor and control your pool’s sanitization, lights, cleaning, pump, heater and more
• Audio – tie in with your favorite music app to enjoy your playlist on the patio, in the pool, and out in the yard
• Security – automatically provide monitoring, surveillance and alarm system for peace of mind
• Lighting – control the light in your yard, pool and spa for safety, security, and drama
• Patio Heaters – warm your patio automatically for season-extending benefits

Upgrade your backyard experience with Hayward smart devices
Make the most of your outdoor living space, maximize convenience, and save time and energy with a wide variety of smart backyard equipment. Hayward is your single-source solution for the perfect backyard experience. Choose Hayward’s industry-leading smart equipment and automation systems for energy-efficient, high performing, and long-lasting enjoyment. Find your local Hayward Dealer here.

• Industry-Leading Automation
  • Control your backyard environment with Hayward’s line of industry-leading automation including OmniLogic. Automate your pool’s work-intensive functions to save money, energy, and time. You can monitor your automation system from your mobile device and you can use app or voice control for cleaning, filtration, heating, lighting, water features, sanitization and pH balancing.
• OmniHub Smart Control
  • Add smart pool and spa control with the simplest whole-pool upgrade, Hayward OmniHub. Schedule, adjust, and manage settings from anywhere. OmniHub works with virtually every piece of backyard equipment including variable-speed pumps, heaters, pool/spa color lights, spa settings, AquaRite salt systems, booster pumps, backyard lighting, and water features. Read our blog article “Backyard Automation with Hayward OmniHub.”
• Pool Pumps with Smart Control
  • VS Omni variable-speed pool pumps are the easiest, most affordable way to add smart control to existing pools and spas. This smart pool pump integrates seamlessly with most brands and can control virtually every kind of pool and spa equipment.
• Smart Robotic Pool Cleaners
  • Intelligent, state-of-the-art robotic pool cleaners offer programming capability for your choice in scheduled cleaning cycles. Choose from a range of ground-breaking cleaners for superior cleaning, reliability and the convenience of smart control. Read our blog article “Robotic Pool Cleaners make pool Life Easier.”
• Automation-Ready Sanitization
  • Hayward’s range of sanitization solutions provides the ultimate in water quality and purity. Enjoy smart pool control integration with Hayward OmniHub or other Hayward automation solutions which deliver access, control, and management of your sanitization equipment from anywhere through your smartphone or via Alexa.
• Automation-Ready Water Features
  • Add a stunning arc of water, an arching stream from your pool deck, or a customizable waterfall effect with Hayward’s family of flexible, stunning water features. Control and enhance your visual and acoustic environment from the convenience of your mobile or voice-activated device.
• Automation-Ready Yard, Pool and Spa Lights
  • Enhance your backyard’s beauty and pump up the drama with eye-catching color or white lighting. Control your lights from anywhere and accent your backyard, pool and spa with vibrant, energy- efficient LED lights. Hayward lighting adds style, safety, and security; it even brightens hard-to- illuminate areas and allows your backyard environment to really sparkle.
• Automation-Ready Heaters and Heat Pumps
  • Extend the swim season and maintain your ideal pool and spa water temperature all season long with Hayward’s advanced line of heaters. Delivering the ultimate in comfort and energy efficiency, your heater is easy to control poolside or from the comfort of your home or office.

There’s really never been a better time to add the convenience, comfort, function and fun of smart backyard automation to your home. You’ll enjoy the hands-free voice control and app-connected ease of operation that comes with smart devices. In addition, you’ll spend less time maintaining your yard and more time enjoying the best backyard experience possible with the addition of innovative smart devices. Find your local Hayward Dealer here.

The post Smart Home. Smart Backyard. appeared first on Hayward POOLSIDE Blog.

There’s really nothing as pretty as a sparkling, clean backyard pool. When your pool is working properly and looking great, you’ve got a sweet spot to relax, exercise, and entertain. Whether you maintain your own pool or rely on your local pool pro to keep it in top condition, it’s a good idea to know what it takes to keep your pool clean. 

Are you new to pool ownership altogether? If you’re wondering how a pool works, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself by reading our blog article “Pool 101: Understanding Your Pool” and visit our webpage – How a Pool Works.

No matter if you’re a pool owner veteran, or a brand new pool parent, you should clean your pool on a weekly basis during the swimming season to ensure your water is clean and safe. Maintain your pool equipment to be sure it is working properly and keeping your pool healthy. Read on for more tips for maintaining a clean pool.

Maintain your Pool Water, Surfaces and Equipment

1. Maintain your Pool Water

Skim the Water
Skim the water on a regular basis, preferably every day, using a skimmer net on a long pole. Drag the net across the water surface to capture debris such as bugs, leaves, twigs, and more. Shake the skimmer net to release the debris into a container used for disposal. Use a leaf rake to remove debris that falls to the bottom of the pool before it becomes difficult to remove and causes staining. 

Test and Adjust Water Chemistry
Maintain the proper chemical balance in your pool by regularly testing and adjusting your water chemistry. Take a sample of pool water to your local pool store for best results. Shock your pool water if needed to maintain cleanliness.

Automation systems will monitor your pool chemistry for you. An automated system such as Hayward OmniLogic will keep tabs on your water chemistry.

pHin smart pool monitor with an app is another option for monitoring your pool chemistry. pHin continuously tests your pool water and provides simple dosing instructions. It’s easy to use and set up. pHin indicates the effectiveness of your sanitizer and the degree to which the chemicals work together to kill bacteria and other contaminants effectively.

Keep in mind that environmental factors, such as wind and rain storms, too much sun, droughts, and freezing temperatures can negatively impact your pool chemistry. Get tips for adjusting your pool to the weather here. 

Run the Pump
Run your pool pump every day to maintain the circulation system and to filter the water of dirt and debris.

2. Maintain your Pool Surfaces

Manually Brush the Surfaces
Maintain your pool’s walls, floors, ledges, coves and steps by brushing them frequently. Using a pool brush on a long pole, scrub the pool surfaces, slides and ladders to remove dirt, oil and algae at least once a week. Pay special attention to the water line where oil, dirt and bacteria tend to accumulate and form a scum line or ring. Brush the loose sediment toward the main drain at the bottom of the pool where it can be vacuumed up. Choose a pool brush with bristles designed for best use on your pool’s surface. 

Tip! Pay attention to the cleanliness of your pool deck area too. Leaves, dirt and debris on the deck are likely to find their way into your pool. Trim nearby trees and bushes too.

Manually Vacuum the Floor
Once you’ve brushed the pool surfaces, vacuum your pool using a manual (suction-side or pressure-side) pool cleaner. Attach your manual cleaner to your pool’s circulation system and vacuum the bottom of the pool. Similar to vacuuming your home, move the vacuum head slowly in an overlapping motion to pick up the debris. Dispose of the debris collected in the mesh bag.

Brush and Vacuum Automatically 
Alternatively, you can use an automatic pool cleaner for a quick and effortless clean-up. An automatic cleaner will do much of the cleaning, scrubbing, and vacuuming work for you. Simply plug it in and set the automatic cleaner in the water and soon you’ll have a clean pool. 

Choose from two types of automatic cleaners: 

• Energy-efficient robotic cleaners work separate from your pool’s filtration system. Robotic cleaners follow a programmed cleaning program for a complete clean. 
• Pressure-side or suction-side cleaners use your pool’s filtration system to propel the cleaner around the pool. Suction-side cleaners are the most affordable option. 

3. Maintain your Pool Equipment

There’s more to a clean pool than clean water and pool surfaces. Your pool’s equipment works hard to keep things healthy. Read about how your pool’s circulation system equipment works together in our blog article Pool Circulation Systems. Keep your pool pump, filter, and network of skimmers, drains, and returns in good working condition. 

• The filter captures dirt particles and keeps them out of the pool circulation system. Clean the filter on a regular basis using the method recommended by the filter manufacturer. 
• Debris gets caught in the skimmer and pump baskets too. Debris clogging the pump basket can damage the pump, so be sure to check the pump basket frequently. Empty the baskets out regularly and use a garden hose to force out any excess debris.

Simplify Pool Maintenance with Advanced Equipment

If you want to keep your pool in optimum condition, consider adding advanced equipment that makes it easier to maintain.

• Pump
  • Pool pumps are the heart of your pool’s circulation system. The pump creates a flow of water that allows sanitizing chemicals to circulate and moves dirt and debris out of the pool. Variable speed pumps deliver reliable performance and money saving energy-efficiency.
• Automation
  • Automation systems take a lot of the work out of owning a pool. They automate the work-intensive functions, such as sanitization, balancing pH, cleaning and filtration. In addition, automation systems can save up to 70% on your pool’s energy costs. See Hayward’s range of Pool Automation products here.
• Cleaner
  • Automatic pool cleaners do much of the cleaning work for you. An automatic pool cleaner will pick up dirt and debris quickly and efficiently, with little work on your part. Learn about Hayward’s range of automatic pool cleaners here. If you are considering purchasing an automatic pool cleaner, be sure to read our blog article “How to Choose the Right Pool Cleaner“.
• Sanitization
  • Automated pool sanitization helps you keep your pool super clean and hassle-free. Hayward’s salt chlorination systems turn ordinary salt into a self-regenerating supply of pure chlorine for clean and luxuriously soft water. In addition, Hayward’s UV and Ozone advanced water treatment system produces the ultimate in water quality and purity. Learn more about pool sanitization equipment here.

With the right pool equipment and regular maintenance, you can enjoy a sparkling clean pool, optimal swimming conditions, and a superior pool experience. Want to learn more? Visit our website and find a Hayward product dealer near you.

The post Tips for Maintaining a Clean Pool appeared first on Hayward POOLSIDE Blog.

With the cooler weather approaching, some may think it’s time to close the pool. Not so fast! You can extend your swimming season with a pool heat pump. 

The NEW Hayward^® HeatPro^® VS Variable-Speed Heat and Cool Heat Pump is the ideal choice for people who use their pool every day for exercise, entertainment, and relaxation. HeatPro VS is engineered to last and work smart, maintaining your pool water at just-the-right temperature. The high performance, energy-efficient pool heat pump quietly and economically allows you to swim comfortably throughout the year.

Learn how a pool heat pump works and why it’s a smart choice for extending your swimming season as the days become cooler.

What is a Pool Heat Pump?

A pool heat pump is a device that uses a limited amount of electrical energy to move heat from one location to another. It uses heat from the air to maintain the perfect water temperature (warm or cool), regardless of the season. Click here to learn more about Hayward heat pumps

In contrast to a gas pool heater, a pool heat pump does not burn fuels – it uses a small amount of electricity. Because it moves heat, rather than generating heat, a heat pump uses less energy than a heater. 

In addition, it can be less expensive to install and operate a pool heat pump than a gas pool heater of the same heating capacity. For comparison, please see the following example:

Hayward Model	Capacity	Efficiency
H150FDN	150k BTU/h	82.7%
HP21404T	140k BTU/h	COP=5.7

Get a custom Heat Pump Cost Analysis for your area here.

Heat pumps are particularly popular in climates with hot summers and mild winters. In cooler climates where temperatures drop below freezing, it requires more energy to maintain the temperature, so the efficiency of the heat pump is reduced. Because of this, a supplemental heating source may be required. 

Pro Tip: Contact a pool pro to analyze your swimming pool and determine the correct pool heat pump size. Professional installation and maintenance are recommended for optimal efficiency and extended equipment life.

Whether the outside temperatures are falling or rising, a heat pump maintains a comfortable, consistent water temperature every day. 

How does a Heat Pump Work?

At its most basic level, a heat pump captures heat and moves it from one place to another. It works in two (very different) modes to efficiently heat or cool your pool or spa water year-round. 

Here’s how it works for heating:

1. The pool pump draws cool water from the pool into the filter and pool heat pump heater. 
2. Outside air is drawn into the heat pump and is directed over the refrigerant-filled evaporator coils. 
3. The coil works as an evaporator, transferring heat into the refrigerant.
4. The liquid refrigerant absorbs the heat and becomes a gas. 
5. Warm gas in the coil passes through the compressor which increases the heat.
6. The compressor sends the hot gas through the condenser. 
7. The condenser transfers the heat to the cooler pool water in the heater.
8. The heated water is returned to the pool.

Here’s how it works for cooling:

Pool heat pumps can also be used in a cooling mode, similar to your home’s air conditioner. When a heat pump is in cooling mode, it takes the heat out of the warm pool water by running it over the refrigerant-filled evaporator coils. The coils then release the heat into the outside air and cool water is returned to the pool.

Ready to Add a Heat Pump to Your Pool or Spa?

With the coming cooler season, many homeowners are considering adding a heat pump to their pool set-up. Hayward’s advanced line of pool heat pumps deliver the ultimate in comfort and energy efficiency.

Hayward HeatPro VS Heat and Cool Heat Pump – Features & Benefits

• Inverter-driven variable speed technology – Features best-in-class part-load COP and incredibly quiet operation
• Vertical discharge fan – Allows for versatile installation in any in-ground pool pad
• Titanium heat exchanger – Operates powerfully and efficiently, even in freezing outdoor temperatures
• Intuitive control panel – Provides a seamless user experience via touchscreen digital display
• AHRI certification – Independent lab testing confirms the product performance and value
• Economical – Saves up to 70% in operating costs over gas heaters
• Innovative – First certified inverter-driven variable-speed heat pump in North America
• Efficient – Operates efficiently even in cooler temperatures

Learn more about the Hayward HeatPro VS Heat and Cool Heat Pump here.

For over 80 years, Hayward has helped pool owners enjoy the pleasures of pool ownership, with energy-efficient, cutting-edge, technologically advanced pool equipment. Pool owners save energy and money with heat pumps and other advanced products by Hayward, ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award recipient for two years running. Contact your local Hayward Dealer on our website Dealer Locator for additional heat pump information and advice.

As always, stay tuned to the Poolside Blog (or better yet, sign up for our newsletter!) and follow us on our socials (Instagram,  Facebook,  Houzz, Pinterest) for more helpful tips and all things Hayward!

The post Extend Your Swimming Season with a Pool Heat Pump appeared first on Hayward POOLSIDE Blog.