SnowFall

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Water is to Swimming Pools as Oil is to Cars

Imagine driving your car down the highway, you have the windows down and the radio blasting to classical music. Your on time for a change, hitting all the green lights and everything is going your way until suddenly...the engine seizes and car come to a stop. Now the repair costs go through the roof all because you did not watch the indicators, check the oil level, watch the lights on the dash board, etc. Swimming pools low on water can have a very similar effect as a car low on oil. The pump or engine can seize up resulting in costly repairs needed. And as it is just the law of life, it will always happen at the worst time. And as in most scenarios, there are leading indicator to help prevent these problems.

First and foremost on the list of indicators is water level. A good rule of thumb for how high the water level should be is right at the center of the tile line. Any higher and have the potential of loosing skimming action, and any lower and you have a potential for air getting into the system. When the water level lowers, the first indicator something is not right is that, you might hear a loud gurgling sound, or the sound of rushing water. If you look into your skimmers you can see the rushing water. As the water level lowers the rush of water may alternate between rushing and completely stopped.

A second indicator is a steady, powerful and constant flow of air coming from the jets in the pool. As the water level lowers this may become more sporadic.

A third indicator is the pump has fluctuating water flow and loud pump noises from air in the pump. You can see a lot of visible air through the pump lid and could have no water movement at all. (Note, a fully primed pump will have no visible air in the pump lid.)

A forth indicator is, at pool side there is no evidence of water circulation or the circulation comes and goes.

Just as a car has indicators that prevent further trouble or damage, identifying these swimming pool indicators can help you prevent damage to your circulation system and save you money. It is also important to mention that even though these indicators point towards water level being to low, each of these indicators may have a different cause.

These tips for swimming pool help is brought to you by Swim Clear

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Basic Pool Care Steps

Step 1: Test the water. You should test the water at least once per week, but twice per week is actually recommended. You can use the strip test or the liquid. Either one will be just as accurate to test the pool water chemistry.







Step 2: Adjust the water chemistry. Once you have tested the water, you want to make any adjustment to the water chemistry to balance the water. Start with the Total Alkalinity, then the Ph level, and lastly the chlorine. These are the main three to test regularly. The Calcium Hardness, Total dissolved solids, and the Cyanuric Acid tests can be done monthly, and adjusted accordingly.







Step 3: Clean the pool weekly. It is recommended to brush the wall of the pool wall, surface, and steps every week. This keeps dirt from developing into the plaster. If you have an automatic pool cleaner for the surface cleaning, then brushing the walls and steps must be done weekly. Check the skimmer basket(s) on the deck and empty the baskets as needed weekly. Also, check the pump basket and empty that one as needed. If your pool has trees or plants around it, checking the skimmer and pump baskets will need to be not at least twice a week in the fall and winter due to fall leaves and greenery.







Step 4: Add any water enhancers. There are many enhancers that can be used to add a little extra help to pools. Enhancers are those chemical additives that can make the pool's enhancement even better. Many enhancers are used weekly for sparkling clear water and as a preventative, while other are added monthly as a preventative. Reasons to consider enhancers are: cloudy water, phosphate removers, scum line preventers, stain and scale preventers, metals present, and oily, smelly water.







Step 5: Clean the Filter. Cleaning the filter regularly improves your pool's efficiency. Regardless of the filter you have, it is recommended to clean, or backwash at least once a month regardless of the filter pressure. Cleaning the filter also helps extend the life of your cartridge(s). If you have a D.E. or diatomaceous earth filter, it is recommended to take the filter media completely apart and clean them every six months. Inspect you filter media for holes or tears whenever you get the chance, and replace immediately, as holes and tears will affect water filtration. If you have a sand filter, it is recommend that after 7 years, the sand should be replaced in the filter. If you have a cartridge filter, you should replace the cartridge(s) whenever the bands are broken, or when the filter pressure is still high even after cleaning.



Step 6: Enjoy your back yard oasis

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Is Brushing Important (Part 2)


The previous post stressed the importance of brushing the pool, but with the all the different types of brushes, which one is right for you? There are three main different types of brushes, nylon, wire, and nylon/wire mix. Then to decide whether 6 inch, 12 inch, 24 inch, etc.

Beginning with Nylon brushes, used for all routine or weekly brushing. Nylon can be used on all swimming pool surfaces and for vinyl lined pools should be the sole choice. With the soft bristles and being the least abrasive on the pool surface, the nylon brush is still a very effective tool for cleaning dirt, debris and preventing algae.

Wire brushes are the most abrasive making them extremely effective on tough stains and stuck on algae. Not to be used for a routine brush as the wire brush can cause damage to the pool surface. Not to be used on vinyl line pools

Nylon/wire mix is exactly what you might think, stiffer than the solid nylon brushes yet softer than the solid wire. Still great for stains and algae, the nylon/wire bush can be used more often than the solid wire brushes being less abrasive on the swimming pool surface. Not recommended for vinyl lined pools.

Finally, how to choose the size of the brush. The obvious thought is the smaller the brush,the easier it is to get into tight spots. While that thought is true, the other common thought is that the larger the brush, the faster you can brush the pool. Watch out for this myth. We have seen many customers buy the larger 20" plus brushes only to return and also buy the standard 18" brush. The most common reasons are that the larger brushes are more difficult to maneuver and not as effective.
Regardless of which brush or size you need you can have it sent to your door at Swim Clear Pool Supply.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Diatomaceous Earth D.E as a bug killer?



There are many posts on the world wide internet that discuss the topic of bug killers and the use of D.E. to do so. One thing not very publicized in those discussions is the understanding that swimming pool D.E. is a different grade than a "food D.E." or "horticultural D.E." (Which you should still check warning labels for safety). Swimming pool D.E., while may be effective, is extremely harmful to pets and other animals and to people if inhaled. So to reemphasize, take care of our four legged friends and do not use swimming pool D.E. as your bug killer. Lucy and Koda from Cat's Canine Academy say "ruff ruff" or, thank you for helping us breath a little easier.

(It is not the intent of Swim Clear Pool Supply to recommend any type pesticide, rather to encourage the proper use of swimming pool products.)

Friday, August 7, 2009

Another tool to help you save money


Swim Clear is proud to announce the launch of our swimming pool supply web site. Now you can find all the products that help save you time and money in this blog as well as any other products you might need at a low price and with a click of a button. Simply click this link Swim Clear Pool Supply and you're there. We are adding products every day, so if you do not see what you need, simply e-mail us, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Is brushing important? (Part 1)

It's Summer time, your busy doing this and that and you get home just got the leaves out and gave your swimming pool a good vacuum. The maintenance is over and it's time to enjoy your pool right? Did you know that 5 more maintenance minutes once a week could save you time and money?
The brushing of a pool does many things. First remember, when brushing for just routine maintenance, use a nylon brush only which will prevent damage to the pools surface. So the pool looks clean why do I need to brush? Believe it or not, brushing your pool on a weekly basis will save you time and money by preventing algae from taking hold in your pool and will also increase stain prevention. As your pool gets older the surface starts to deteriorate. What? The pool is not going to last forever? Over time plaster, concrete and even fiberglass pools develop pitting or tiny crevices where algae loves to set and grow. Brushing helps to clean these pits out and prevent algae and stains saving you the cost of time and money of treating your pool for algae or stains.
To be discussed more later, yes the tail scrubber on your pool cleaners tail is important for the same reasons and you should keep it on. No, it does not replace brushing your pool weekly.