If you have ever sat in a sauna, then you are aware of the awesome sensation of the heat in your nose and over your body. What you may not be aware of is all of the health benefits of using one. Pain relief, weight loss, exercise, detoxification, stress relief, and skin care are just a few on the list. The heat is the magic. Heat causes blood vessels to expand, which allows oxygen to be carried to injured parts of the body. In turn this speeds up the healing process. It also causes the heart rate to increase up to 70%. That's the same as a long brisk walk! If your anything like me, I would MUCH rather sit in the comforts of a warm sauna with my mp3 player than out in the elements walking. Heat therapy also loosens the muscles, so you can relax as if you were getting a massage. When you begin to sweat, dead cells are removed from the surface of the skin causing a clean & clear complexion. No matter what age or walk of life you come from, there are countless benefits you can enjoy by owning a sauna.

Under normal conditions in today's industry, a pool motor should last 5-10 years. If protected and properly maintained the later should be reached fairly easily. From time to time, problems do arise. We all know how expensive it is to call a service company and pay labor charges, so here is a few insider tips of the pro's to determine some issues. Once you have determined where the problem lies, you can move forward with the proper fix.

Symptom; Motor will not start, it hums, buzzes or smokes.

a. Check the shaft, does it turn freely? If not, check impeller and diffuser for debris or breakage

b. check bearings

c. test the capacitor & replace as needed

d. Check the starting switch for proper adjustment

e. could it have a short in windings....if so replacement is answer

Symptom; Motor Loud

a. Bad bearings due to leaking seal (leaking seals are usually caused by other problems that will need addressing)

b. worn bearings or end bells (9 out of 10 times it will be in your best interest to replace)

c. improper voltage to motor (call electrician)

Symptom; Motor runs HOT and shuts off

a. pump not sized properly

b. wrong impellar

c. clogged vents or restricted suction due to dirty baskets

Symptom; Motor smokes

a. windings shorted

b. improper voltage

c.welded starting switch

d. capacitor failure

Replacing the motor does not always fix the problem. Knowing what caused the problem, and fixing that issue will prevent premature failure of new motor's. If your motor is over 5 years old, and you have determined that it needs rebuilding, it may be in your best interest to go ahead and replace it. Good luck...& happy shooting!

Phosphates are a vital nutrient that is used for plant growth. Its great for nature , but can be extremely troublesome for the pool owner. Phosphates cause chlorine not to activate and sanitize therefore allowing algae to bloom at tremendous rates. If you have ever encountered this problem, then you know what I'm talking about. So you ask, "where do phosphates come from and how do they get in my pool"?

Water treatment facilities may add phosphate to tap water to prevent pipe corrosion and reduce concentrations of heavy metals in drinking water. Tap water is chemically treated with chlorine, soluble silicates, phosphate polymers and many other chemicals. So basically just by filling your pool your adding phosphates. Normally the levels are below 125 ppm & are of no concern. Higher levels of phosphates can enter thru decaying plant matter, fertilizers, ground run-off, urine, and even sweat. No matter what route they take to get there, when you have them you will know. You will see your pool start to turn even though the chlorine level is outrageously high.

It is possible to remove moderate amounts of phosphates using a precipitating product. They can be rather expensive, but at times you have no other choice. The dosage level will vary from brand to brand, but from experience once the product is used the pool should start to clear overnight. Extremely high levels of phosphates, 1000ppm & over, may render using a remover pointless. The cost would outweigh just draining the pool and starting over. Unless of course water replacement is not an option.

With winter time being here it seem like everyone is gearing up to use their hot tubs and spas. One of the most common things I have been hearing about is people are finding small silver metal objects that look like BB's in the bottom of their spas and hot tubs. Many of the older rotating spajets have bearings in them, when the jets start to deteriorate the bearings go out and you will start to find those small metal objects in the bottom of your spa. It is a sure sign that you have a jet that needs to be replaced. Improper ph, alkalinity, chlorine levels, and agecan cause deterioration to the spa jets.

Swimming pool energy efficiency has recently been taken to a new level within the industry.With the introduction of multi speed pumps, pool owners are experiencing significant savings on their utility bills.

Energy efficient upgrades can save homeowners up to 30-40% a year in energy cost. Case studies show on a 17,000 gallon pool a customer was spending $103.55 a month on electricity to run their filtration system.

By replacing their traditional split phase, or capacitor start pump with a energy efficient pump the bill dropped to $53.84 in one month. With those tremendous savings, $596 a year, the pump pays for itself in 16 months!

I don't know about you, but that sounds fantastic to me! After the initial 16 months, that's $2980 in 5 years alone! I can think of a lot of things to spend that money on besides electricity! Like more toys for the pool!

I'd like to point out also that this is NOT a rare occurrencebut rather the standard.

The United States Department of energy has a energy calculator you can use to determine what you are paying for energy down to the minute. Some of the products we offer that will help control your energy consumption are multi speed pumps, LED lighting, robotic cleaners, lo-nox heaters, and automatic controls and timers. On top of all the energy & money your saving, your also helping the environment!

Now who can argue with that?