SnowFall

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Is It Really O.K. For Pets To Drink The Pool Water?

There are alot of pet owner who also own swimming pools, and there always arises the question of... Is it safe to allow your pet to drink the pool water?

It is recommended that you pet owners limit the amount of pool water intake of your family pet. The chemicals used to maintain proper pool balance is not good for regular drinking for not only pets, but humans as well. Keep as much fresh water outside as possible to limit the pool water drinking. If you pet is free to travel in and out of the house, then keep just as much fresh water inside as outside of the home for your pet to drink.

Vets have said that too much intake of chlorinated water will destroy the good bacteria in pets that helps with digestion, which will cause them to get sick. Watch your pets closely if in fact he/she is drinking out of the pool regularly, as it could cause consistent diarrhea, constipation, and even vomiting.

If at all possible, try to prevent your pets from drinking your pool water, so the possibility of future health problems can not occur.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Warmer Weather, Pool Opening Time?

Finally past the freezing temperatures “we hope” and into some warm weather, it time to start thinking about routine Spring maintenance/start ups. It is always a good idea to start early so you can enjoy your swimming pool when the time is right.
Eight steps to help you get started
1. Check all pool equipment for leaks. A proper equipment pad should be dry and no air in the system.
2. Lubricate all o-rings including Lid, backwash valve, etc.
3. With sand filters, open to check sand quality and level.
4. With DE filters, it is a good time to take the filter a part, clean and inspect the grids. If you are following Swim Clear Pool Supply's time line March is the month to do it.
5. With cartridge filters open, clean and check cartridges for damage or wear.
6. Start and test all equipment pad equipment. Test the spa blower, Heater, Lights, etc.
7. Take the pool cleaner out of the water to check for wearing parts and replace as necessary
8. Do a full water balance test and make appropriate adjustments

Finding the opportunity now can save you time and money later!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Tired of Dirty Spas and Corners?



Some common question swimming pool owners ask about their swimming pool/spa is "What is an easy way to clean the spa?" or " My pool cleaner does a good job but it always misses the steps or one particular corner, is there an easy way to clean it? Well we have the answer!




Swim Clear Pool Supply brings you a portable easy to use option for cleaning the pool. The lightweight, powerful Pool Buster is the world's first and only rechargeable, Battery Powered, Self Contained Underwater Super Pool Cleaner. Its state-of-the-art, design is truly the first new cleaning technology to come along in over 40 years. The powerful Pool Buster is far more than a hand-held, spot-cleaner.The Pool Buster can be hand held to clean easy to reach portions of your pool or spa, that automatic cleaners usually miss, such as steps. By quickly and easily snapping onto any telescopic pole you can reach areas of the pool like the floor in the deep end, walls, in and around ladders, corners and drains. It is a Total, All-Pool Cleaning System that easily and affordably makes cleaning an entire Pool, Spa, Hot Tub or Fountain a breeze.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

5 Steps To Protect Your Swimming Pool From Freeze Damage When The Equipment Fails

A second Winter blast hits North Texas in less than two weeks. The pool equipment for most of this time has been running nonstop as temperatures have been struggling to get above freezing during this cold spell. This amount of run time places a tremendous amount of stress on the equipment. So what happens if the pool equipment shuts down while its below freezing for any reason? If no action is taken, a large and costly amount of freeze damage can occur. Below are 5 steps to prevent freeze damage should the pool equipment fail at any time during freezing temperature.

1. Ensure mail power is turned off either through the breaker or main kill switch. This is done because if the pool equipment turns on after the following steps are preformed, additional damage can occur through the pump running dry.

2. Open lids to pool pump(s), chlorinator, or any items with removable lids excluding filter. It is a good idea to keep lids slightly on to prevent anything getting in them.

3. Open any air relief valves.

4. Remove all drain plugs. This includes all pumps (most pumps have 2 plugs), booster pump, filter, heater, etc.

5. Covering the equipment with a blanket is not necessary however a good idea.

Note, before pool equipment can be operational again, all plugs must be re-installed, lids tightened and pump re primed with water.

Swim Clear Pool Service is also available for addition questions

Related Post 5 Steps to Protect From Freeze Damage (Equipment Running)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

5 Steps to Protect the Swimming Pool from Freeze Damage (Equipment running)


Global warming really takes its hold on Dallas with for straight days of below freezing temperatures and more snow/ice then we have seen in a while. Ha Ha. Here are 5 steps to protect your swimming pool and pool equipment from freezing weather.


As long as your swimming pool equipment IS operating properly follow these 5 steps.


1. At all cost leave pool pump running (The freeze guard should do this for you)


2. Maintain proper water level in pool. It is a good idea to leave the garden hose in the garage so that it is needed to fill the pool the hose is not frozen over. Auto water levelers can freeze over in these conditions so do not take the water level for granted.

3. Open all lines so water may move freely through the pipes. Some valves may be open less than others to prevent higher flows such as water falls and fountains. Spa suction should only be turned on enough to allow some flow, ensure that there is more water flowing into the spa than being pulled out otherwise you may drain the spa. Remember is a valve is shut, no water will be moving and that line now has a possibility of freezing. (Note, fountains being left on may over spray the deck, or freeze on the rocks. Not only does this present a dangerous slipping potential but it also removes water from the pool.)

4. Ensure proper water flow. Even though it is painfully cold to stick the hand in the water, your skimmer baskets and pump basket must remain free and clear.

5. It is not a bad idea to insulate the pipes. Even though there is water moving through the pipes, insulating them protect the pipes if something happens to the pump and it shuts down.


Follow Swim Clear Pool Supply and Swim Clear Pool Service for more tips on maintaining your swimming pool



How Cold Weather Effects Swimming Pools (Part 3) Freeze Damage


Hard Freeze Hits Dallas...Hopefully the freeze guard has kept the pool running. Now Texas is in an electricity usage emergency and has begun rolling black outs. So what is the potential for the average swimming pool? Unfortunately a lot of damage. The important thing is to keep the pool running as much as you can to keep the circulation going.
During a rolling blackout, power outage, or even a pump going out, it will not take long in freezing temperatures for damage to occur. If you know for sure the power is not coming on for longer than an hour or the pump is dead, pull out all the drain plugs on all equipment including the pump, filter, booster pump, and heater. Open any lids like the chloinator lid or air reliefs to allow proper drainage. If possible, cover all the equipment with a blanket (only if the system is not going to turn on).
So what is the potential damage even if the pump is running. Many pools are designed in such a way that not all the plumbing lines are used at the same time such as a spa line, fountain line, or even a fountain pump. Just because they are not being used does not mean that they are not full of water. During these long sustained freezes, these plumbing lines are very susceptible to freeze damage. The initial prevention is to allow water flow through all the lines (open all the valves). Please note, if it has been freezing for some time already, it may be too late to open the lines. In fact, you might do more harm than good opening the lines after it has been freezing. In the event you notice cracked piping, do not turn the swimming pool pump off if it is still running. The freeze damage will most likely be isolated to the pipes that did not have water running through them so keeping the rest of the pool running is still a priority.
So whats to be done if you have cracked plumbing? As much prevention as mentioned above first, then once we thaw out, call your swimming pool professionals. As always Swim Clear Pool Service is here for you in the North Dallas, Frisco, McKinney and surrounding areas.