—What to look for when it’s time to buy a new gas heater for your aquatic retreat

A quality swimming pool heater can extend your family’s swimming season by several months, allowing you to enjoy the water into autumn in many parts of the country—even into winter in some warmer regions.

Controlling the water temperature means you never have to dive into an icy cold pool. If you have an inground spa with your pool, it means being able to quickly fire it up for hot, relaxing hydrotherapy after a long hard day.

—Learn the benefits of portable spa models compared with custom concrete spas

Click here for part 1 of 2: Portable Hot Tubs

Part 2: Inground spas

A portable hot tub or an inground concrete spa—which one is right for you?

As discussed in part 1 of this article, both prefabricated hot tubs and their custom-built counterparts offer terrific benefits for your home and lifestyle.

—Learn the benefits of portable manufactured models compared with custom concrete spas

Part 1: Portable Hot Tubs

Few activities are more relaxing than settling into a warm, bubbly spa at the end of a hard day. Along with the health benefits of unwinding mind and body in heated, swirling water, a spa can make an excellent spot for entertaining friends and family. Depending on the type you choose, a spa can boost the visual appeal of your backyard as well.

—Tips and guidelines for smart filter “housekeeping” to help ensure efficient filtration

Keeping your swimming pool water looking and feeling good requires regular cleaning of your pool filter. Fortunately, for those with a cartridge-type filter system, maintaining the elements—the tubes of folded, accordion-like material that goes inside the filter tank—is easy to do.

Fall and winter weather bring increased rainfall, and if that water collects and concentrates in your backyard, it can wreak havoc on your swimming pool and surrounding deck and patio. Avoid a backyard mess by having proper drainage strategies in place.

Toward this goal, one key tactic is a roof with functioning rain gutters that funnel run-off rainwater away from your pool, deck, and other vulnerable spots in your backyard.

Ways to minimize chlorine’s impact on your body and other smart solutions

Although chlorine is highly effective for disinfecting swimming pool water, it comes with a price: This chemical can be harsh on your eyes, hair, skin, nails, and even your lungs.

Depending on your age, certain skin conditions, the amount of time you spend in the water, and how well the pool chemicals are balanced, chlorine’s effects can be particularly irritating or downright harmful to your skin.

Understanding the benefits of two-speed and variable-speed models

If the pump on your swimming pool is due for a replacement, making the move to a two-speed or variable-speed model will cut energy costs and may provide other benefits as well.