I have seen so many things come and go and even come again that it amazes me how this industry exists. There is no shortage of highly questionable devices, chemicals and additives aimed at taking advantage of people’s frustrations in trying to maintain a reasonably trouble free, enjoyable pool or spa at an affordable price.

The pool and hot tub industry has been in a decline for some time now and it is my opinion that the industry itself is to blame. Of course, there is also the economy and now that most people are more consious of their spending, they want to invest in things that are not money pits. People go to buy a pool or hot tub for its relaxing and therapeutic benefits only to end up so frustrated a year later that they just give up after spending thousands of dollars for their dream of being able to escape to their own little paradise whenever they want. This is one of the few places left for the “used Car” salesman to occupy. There are plenty of people out there looking to bleed consumers of their hard earned cash so they can make a quick buck. There are some really good people in this industry but in my experience, they are definitely in the minority.

A lot of what I know has come the hard way. When I first started in 1984, I bought a small service route in Southern California from my uncle to earn a living. I thought how hard could this be? Wrong question! I spent much of my first year practically pulling my hair out trying to figure out why pools were green, yellow or milky looking and not a pristine blue. When I went to the wholesale supply, I would ask questions and rarely get a good answer from the workers or the so called pool “professionals” I would run into. This caused me to start looking all over for answers because I knew they existed somewhere. Slowly, over time, I started finding the right answers and then realized that maintaining quality water isn’t so hard once you have the right information and understand chemical reactions.

It eventually got to the point where I could walk up to a pool or spa and tell the owner or operator the problems they were having without any prior knowledge of their situation. Some thought I was psychic or something and all I did was look at the situation and by identifying the various signs, it came down to cause and effect. One of the drawbacks of my skills was that whenever I went on a trip to see a friend or relative, they always knew someone that was having a problem that no one was able to solve so I ended up spending my so called vacation time working.  I got so tired of it that I tried taking time away from the business but found myself right back in.

As a CPO instructor, I taught hundreds of people how to maintain a pool or spa the easy way. Water treatment isn’t difficult if you learn that cause and effect relationships are happening all the time, weather it be chemical or mechanical in nature. With the internet, I can help people avoid the frustrations that are so prevalent in pool and spa ownership. Which brings us back to this blog.

After several years of working with chlorine and bromine generators, I found that this technology was the best I have ever seen with the exception of bromine generation which can work well but at some point “crash” for no apparent reason. With all things considered, bromine generation is far more expensive mainly due to the cost of sodium bromide and in most cases higher equipment costs. Since chlorine generation eliminates most of the bad things chlorine is known for why spend the extra money?

Back in 2003, after a few years of working with chlorine generation and have numerous people ask me if there was a system they could put on their hot tub. At that time there was nothing feasible so I asked my friend Scott Lenney if he could miniaturize the technology.  I met Scott when he started making pool controllers in a spare bedroom which was the beginning of Acu-Trol. After 5 years we had a chlorine generator for hot tubs. During that first year there were some defects identified and all of the units had to be replaced under warranty. Now the product is working flawlessly and was recently made even better by making it more robust.

So there you have it. I do have a vested interest in chlorine generation and will stand behind every claim I make here. If you follow my advice and purchase a ColorChlor, TechniChlor, Chlormaker or PoolWarden from me and it doesn’t perform to your expectations then simply return it undamaged to the address on the box it came in within 60 days for a full refund. I want you to return it if you don’t like it! I will even pay for you to mail it back.

If you are having issues with your pool, spa or hot tub send me an email and I will help you any way I can. I can show you how to have a wonderful pool, spa or hot tub and keep your costs down.