Remote control will click with pool, spa owners
Question: I am so tired of getting up and going outside to turn my pool and spa on, or to raise the spa temperature. Isn't there a better way to enjoy my pool and spa?

Answer: How about adding a wireless friend to run your spa/pool combination?

Thanks to modern electronics, a licensed pool contractor can add a high-tech wireless remote control to automate the functions of your pool and spa. This entails adding an electronic brain by your pool pump and filter equipment, installing motorized actuators to turn the valves off and on, and providing you with a wireless hand-held control panel/keypad to select what functions you want and when.

Sounds simple, and, like a household remote control, this unit can be as versatile and expandable as you want.

A basic unit can control the on/off functions of the pump, spa blower, pool equipment valves and the pool light. More-diverse and sophisticated units can do those functions and more, going as far as remotely turning on the spa and having the water temperature at the exact comfort level you want when you walk in the door.

These units can also be set up to control landscape lights, water features and sound systems. Some models offer programming by phone, in addition to a timer function, for a specific pool/spa activity to take place at a preset time.

The cost for a basic model is $1, 500, while a more-sophisticated unit can run about $3,000.

"The key to this device is having the proper installation from a trained and licensed pool technician," says Steve Bludsworth, owner of All-Pool Service and Supply in Orlando.

Questions are answered by Paul Roth of Roll-A-Way Protective Pool Fence in Orlando. He is a member of the National Spa and Pool Institute -- Central Florida Chapter, an industry trade group. Address questions to In the Swim, Orlando Sentinel, MP-240, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL 32802 or send e-mail to Homes Editor Terri Winefordner at twinefordner@orlandosentinel.com. For a list of NSPI-member companies, call 1-800-416-6774.

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