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.

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.

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.

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.

Are you ready for Fall Part 6. To cover or not to cover

Fall is fast approaching, and the question right now is is a swimming pool cover really worth it? The first thing to tink about is what a heave load of leaves can do to a pool. In short and to be expanded on later, a heavy load of leaves can cause staining, chemical balance changes, clogged skimmer and pump baskets and lines, and lets not forget the most important, more labor. So the easiest solution to the question of "to cover or not to cover" comes down to a simple equation...Swimming pool + Trees = Winter Cover.

Are You Ready For Fall Part 5: Check Your Skimmer & Pump Baskets

The skimmer and pump are an important part of your pool water's circulation and cleaning system. The skimmer is the device built under the deck of the pool next to the sidewall at the tile and water-line. A large, square opening about 10 to 12 inches in length opens to the inside of your pool to allow pool water to flow from the water's surface to the pump and filter. Inside the square opening is a collection basket, or skimmer basket, which catches large dirt and debris such as sticks, grass, leaves, bugs, and etc. that have been pulled from the surface of the pool's water by the pump. Smaller dirt and debris may pass the skimmer basket to another collection basket at the pump called the stainer or pump basket. This basket is built into the pool pump. It has a clear see-through lid to see if the basket needs cleaning.
Swim Clear Pool Supply recommends that the pool skimmer basket and the pool pump basket should be checked on a weekly basis, especially in the fall and winter seasons due to excess falling of leaves and twigs. If you live where there are windy conditions, you may want to check those baskets daily or every other day. Failure to clean these baskets will result in basket damage and possibly damage to the pool pump or the pool filter.

Are you ready for Fall Part 4 Check your freeze guard.

Having a freeze guard on your system does give you piece of mind, however it is a good idea to verify the freeze guard is working prior to that first freeze. There is an easy way to test freeze guards. First, choose a time that your pool system is not in its normal run time. Freeze guards have a copper coiled wire attached to the thermostat. (Sometimes this coil is behind a metal plate attached to the freeze guard). With the copper wire exposed, set the freeze guard thermostat as high as it will go. Dip the copper coil into a glass of ice water. After 1 to 2 minutes of the coil in the ice water your pool system should turn on. If your system turns on, reset the freeze guard to 37 degrees. If not, aren't you glad you checked.

Are you ready for Fall Part 3. Time to check those POOL HEATERS!

Now that we are getting into the fall season, it is time for those of you that have pool heaters, to have them checked. You always want to check the heater connections for leaks, make sure the display is working properly, and fire the heater up to make sure it is indeed heating the water. The check-up only takes an hour to two, depending on if you will be attempting to heat the water to check for heater issues. Pool heaters are a valuable asset, because it allows the pool owner to extend the pool season well into the winter months. Do your heater maintenance check-up, and repair any needed problems and you will be enjoying the warm pool/spa water into the fall and winter months. If your heater does not turn on, call your local swimming pool service professional and if you live in the North Dallas area, Swim Clear is here for you.

Are you ready for Fall Part 2 Leaf bagger your best friend

As fall approaches us, those of us pool owners know what fall is for a pool with trees around it. If you are trying to get past that fall leaf season, a quality leaf bagger is the right equipment to have. A leaf bagger is a device which attaches to a garden hose, as well as your telepole. When the garden hose is turned on, the leaf bagger creates a venturi suction into a bag attachment. Leaf baggers are for an above-ground pool with brushes under the unit, or for the above-ground unit, it has wheels for easy movement. As you move the device around the pool, it easily picks up any leaf on the surface of the pool. Once the bag is full of leaves, just empty the bag and reattach back onto the bagger for more leaf pick-up. This device will easily make the leaf pick-up in pools quick and less stressful. So, if you are a pool owner with trees around your pool, then the leaf bagger is the right pool equipment to have.

Are you ready for Fall Part 1 Filter Clean

Swim Clear is here again with more swimming pool help. As summer is coming to an end, we will be doing a get ready for fall campaign to help prepare you and make taking care of your swimming pool easy this fall and winter.

Filter maintenance is important to long life expectancy for your equipment. Filter cleans on Cartridge and D.E. filters should be completed every six months if not more. Having trouble remembering to do so? Let us help, we will be blogging reminders every March and September for filter clean maintenance. So if you have not cleaned your swimming pool filter in a while, or maybe it is a month early, join our schedule for the September/March filter clean months.

For more information about your D.E. filter check out our 3 tips.