SnowFall

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Choosing the Right Winter Cover-Leaf Net


Leaf net covers lay on top of your swimming pool to catch the leaves that would otherwise fall into your pool sometimes causing surface stains. The leaf net's mesh traps the leaves, and allow the pool owner to easily remove them from atop the pool so spring clean-up is a snap. A must for the pool owner living in wooded areas, or yards with plenty of falling leaves and twigs. The leaf net catches all leaves and debris, so the work of winter pool skimming is eliminated. You can use the leaf net cover also over you winter cover to catch leaves, but allow water to pass through. Once the leaves have all fallen, simply remove the leaf net cover before the first snowfall to make for easy spring clean-up for those that live in northern states.
The leaf net covers come in round, oval, or rectangular shapes. The round and oval covers (for above-ground pools) usually have 3 feet of overlap and come with pull rope or cable. The inground rectangular nets have 4 feet of overlap. The overlap allows for the use of waterbags to hold down the covers. Air pillows are recommended also, to keep the net above the pool water level once the leaves have collected on top of the leaf net.
Swim Clear Pool Supply has the leaf nets, waterbags, and air pillows needed to get your pool ready for those falling leaves.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Is My Cartridge Filter(s) in Need of Replacing?



Now that fall season is upon us, it is time to do those semi-annual filter cleans to get ready for the winter months. If you have a cartridge filter, it is time to inspect those cartridges to determine if they are O.K. to reinstall, or to just replace. When cleaning those cartridges, if it doesn't seem to be getting clean and looks just as dirty as before you cleaned, then that cartridge needs replacing. Also, if any of the bands that wrap around the paper make-up of the cartridges are broken, then the cartridge needs replacing. Lastly, if the cartridge has somewhat collapsed in height, then it definitely needs replacing. Inspecting the cartridges is recommended once a month depending on how much dirt and debris accumulates in the pool. This will vary from pool to pool. A great way to clean your cartridge(s) is with a water wand cartridge cleaner.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Choosing the Right Winter Cover - Mesh Cover




Choosing the right swimming pool winter cover is important. Having a firm grasp of what the differences are in each type of winter cover is what this swimming pool help blog aims to give you.





There are three main different types of winter covers. Mesh, Solid and Leaf. Most of these covers then have a difference of years in warranty. Obviously, the longer the warranty the longer the cover should last. So what are the differences with the different types of covers? Lets start with the Mesh Swimming Pool Winter Cover.




Mesh winter covers are designed to do several things. Naturally they are designed to keep the leaves and debris out, but unlike a solid cover, the tightly woven mesh will slowly allow water to pass through keeping the leaves and debris on top of the cover. What does this mean to the swimming pool owner? No longer will you have to waste the time and money of pumping the cover off each time it rains. Because the mesh is tightly woven, when it rains you may see puddles on top the cover, but never fear, give it some time and as long as the mesh cover is installed properly the cover will slowly rise to the top once more. Keep in mind that since the cover will allow rain water to pass through, there will be a slightly larger demand for chemical use.




Installation and take down is relatively the same as a solid winter cover. Water tubes or tie downs are required to hold the mesh winter cover in place. And multiple sizes are available to fit most size in ground or above ground swimming pools. You can find all winter needs at Swim
Clear Pool Supply.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Are my DE Filter grids in need of replacement?


If you are following this blog and you performed the filter clean in September or when ever you do your DE filter clean, one question you might have is. Are my DE filter grids in need of replacement? There are a few indicators that can tell you if your filter grids need to be replaced.

The first and most obvious of those is a tear or hole in the fabric. Since the entire purpose of the filter grid is to hold the Diatomaceous Earth in the swimming pool filter, then a hole, allowing the D.E. to return to your pool, is no good for you. (Note, if you are seeing DE getting back into the pool then a hole in the grid or crack in the manifold is the most common source.)

A second indicator a grid needs to be replaced is broken plastic fins with in the grid. With as much trouble as it can be to take the filter a part, clean it, then put it back together. The last thing you want to do is do it again 1 week later. Filter grids that broken plastic inside of them are on borrowed time and soon will be generating holes.

Remember a good rule of thumb is that if 4 or more grids are broken, replace them all because the others are not far behind. And as always Swim Clear is hear for all your swimming pool help needs such as filter grids if you need them.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Check those Timers




Now that Fall and the cooler temperatures are here, this is the perfect time to check your timers to ensure they are functioning properly and running only as long as needed. You can go back in this blog and look up "How long should my swimming pool be running" for good recommendations. As the world gets ever so aware of energy use, you should also check that your timer is turning on and off as it is set to do so. This can be done by simply monitoring if the pump turns on and off when the timer is set to do so. Believe it or not, I have had many customers notice there pumps where running continuously and wasting electricity because their timers failed to turn the pump off. The good news is that sometimes it can be as simple as replacing a set of trippers.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Time For Automatic Pool Cleaner Leaf Bags


Now that fall in upon us, it is time to switch your automatic pool cleaner bag from the fine mesh to the leaf version bag. The leaf version bag is tough and built to handle all the leaves and twigs that tend to fall into swimming pools during this time of year. So, if you are a pool owner that has alot of falling leaves and twigs into your pool, replace that automatic pool cleaner bag to one that is designed to handle those types of pool debris.