omni

Failing Upward: When Old Pool Equipment Breaks, Upgrade Smarter

by Automation/Variable Speed Pump

Pool equipment failures are never convenient. A pump dies mid-season, a salt system gives up after years of service, or an aging piece of equipment finally reaches the end of its life. Most pool owners see this as a problem to solve as quickly—and cheaply—as possible.

But in reality, equipment failure is often the best opportunity to upgrade—and to do so in a way that saves money, adds functionality, and future-proofs your pool.

Why Retrofit Matters in Our Area

In our local market, roughly 90% of pools are built around Hayward products. That matters.

A dominant installed base creates a closed, efficient upgrade path:

  • Lower replacement costs
  • Easier plumbing and electrical compatibility
  • Faster installs
  • Fewer surprises

In practical terms, the most direct and cost-effective route from Point A (equipment failure) to Point B (a better-performing pool) is usually a Hayward retrofit solution.

The Most Common Failure: Single-Speed Pumps

One of the most common pumps we see is the Hayward Super Pump—a workhorse single-speed pump that has been installed in countless pools over the years. Reliable as it is, it eventually fails like any mechanical device.

When a Super Pump fails, there are two clear upgrade opportunities.

1. Upgrade to a Variable Speed Pump

Replacing a single-speed pump with a variable speed pump is one of the highest-ROI upgrades available to pool owners.

  • Significant energy savings
  • Typical ROI of about two years
  • Quieter operation
  • Longer service life

Even if your initial goal is simply “get the pool running again,” this upgrade immediately turns a repair into long-term savings.

2. Add Automation — at a Bundled, Discounted Price

Here’s where timing matters.

Hayward offers automation packages that include the OMNI control system in the box when purchased together with qualifying equipment. When bought as a package, the OMNI system is heavily discounted compared to adding automation later as a standalone upgrade.

That means:

  • App-based control is added at a reduced cost
  • Future automation capability is built in from day one
  • You avoid paying full retail down the road

When equipment is already being replaced, this bundled approach is often the least expensive moment to add automation.

Salt Systems: Another Opportunity to Upgrade Smarter

Salt systems present a similar opportunity.

Upgrading an older salt system—or adding one where none existed—offers real benefits:

  • Softer-feeling water
  • Reduced ongoing chlorine costs
  • Continuous, electronic chlorination
  • Less manual chemical handling

Hayward also offers salt systems packaged together with OMNI automation, meaning a salt system replacement can simultaneously become an automation upgrade—again, at a bundled price that’s significantly lower than purchasing the components separately.

In other words, replacing one aging piece of equipment can unlock value across the entire pool system.

Don’t Just Replace — Optimize

The most common mistake pool owners make during equipment failure is choosing a like-for-like replacement under pressure.

In reality:

  • The labor is already being done
  • The system is already offline
  • The incremental cost between “replace” and “upgrade” is often smaller than expected

Failure is the moment when upgrading costs the least and delivers the most.

Our Philosophy

We don’t believe in upgrading for the sake of upgrading. We believe in making smart, well-timed decisions that align with how pools are actually built in our area.

In a market dominated by Hayward equipment, their retrofit and bundled-package ecosystem allows pool owners to:

  • Restore function quickly
  • Reduce long-term operating costs
  • Add automation at the most economical moment
  • Improve the overall pool experience

Sometimes, the smartest upgrades don’t start with a plan—they start with a failure.

Handled properly, that’s not a setback. That’s failing upward.

Written by: Mark Leaman President, Vaughan Pool Supplies York Pool Services Inc. Etobicoke Pool Services Inc. Richmark Pool Services Inc.

poolboom

What the Pool Boom Taught Us About Construction, Systems, and Long-Term Thinking

by Automation/Variable Speed Pump

COVID changed a lot of things. One of them was the backyard.

Demand for swimming pools exploded almost overnight. With travel shut down and families investing in their homes, pools went from “nice-to-have” to “must-have.” To meet that demand, many excellent landscapers, excavators, and general trades pivoted into pool construction.

To be clear: these are skilled professionals. They understand grading, drainage, concrete, timelines, and project management. None of that is trivial. But pool construction isn’t just construction — it’s systems engineering, chemistry, hydraulics, energy management, and long-term serviceability all rolled into one.

And that’s where the steep learning curve showed itself.

We aren’t builders. We live entirely in the aftermarket: service, maintenance, repair, and upgrades. That gave us a unique vantage point. We saw what worked beautifully — and what quietly failed months or years later.

We encountered:

• Modern equipment installed without system-level understanding

Variable-speed pumps, salt systems, heaters, automation — powerful tools when designed correctly, problematic when they’re not integrated properly.

• Salt chlorine generators paired with automatic covers, with no interlocks or fail-safes

Covered pools staying closed for days or weeks while salt systems continued producing chlorine, leading to over-chlorination, damaged surfaces, and premature equipment wear — all preventable with proper design.

• Design choices that ignored future maintenance

Returns that couldn’t be reached for winterization without a ladder or boat. Pools where installing a winter cover required gymnastics. Beautiful on day one, frustrating forever after.

• Material selections that made sense for landscaping, not pools

Stone and metals that shed calcium, leach iron, or rust when constantly exposed to pool water — staining surfaces and creating ongoing chemistry battles.

• A near-total absence of pool chemistry knowledge

Chemistry isn’t optional. It’s foundational. Without it, even the best equipment and finishes degrade faster than they should.

But the single biggest issue we saw wasn’t equipment or design.

It was education.

Many builders simply didn’t have the knowledge — or the time — to properly transfer operational understanding to the homeowner once the build was complete. “Pool school” wasn’t a luxury; it was skipped or treated as an afterthought.

At the same time, COVID-era pool pricing was astronomical. Homeowners were effectively buying a Ferrari-level asset — and being handed the keys without being taught how to drive it, maintain it, or avoid expensive mistakes.

The result?

Confusion, misuse, accelerated wear, water chemistry issues, and frustration — none of which were inevitable.

That experience shaped our philosophy.

We place enormous emphasis on teaching. Not just fixing. Not just servicing. Teaching homeowners how their pool actually works, how systems interact, what matters daily versus seasonally, and how small decisions compound over time.

Because a pool isn’t just a structure.

It’s a living system that needs to function efficiently, safely, and predictably for decades — not just look good on turnover day.

The COVID pool boom is behind us now. What remains are the lessons. And for those of us in service and maintenance, the privilege — and responsibility — is helping homeowners truly understand what they own.

By Mark P. Leaman – President, Vaughan Pool Supplies