Winter Freeze Hits Dallas

As the hard freeze hit Dallas, did your swimming pool equipment take a hit and have some freeze damage? If so, Swim Clear Pool Service can get you back up and running quickly. If you are in the North Dallas area including Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Plano and surronding and you have swimming pool help needs for freeze damage or anything, give us a call (214)404-3937 or e-mail at Info@swim cleartx.com

Energy Saving Idea

With freezing temperatures nightly, hopefully your swimming pool freeze guard/protector is working and turning your pump on. If you find your swimming pool pump not turning on during this freezing weather remember Swim Clear Pool Supply has a full line of freeze guard/protectors and their parts.
One energy saving tip is to ensure your swimming pool pump is running at night during the most prone times of freezing weather. This will actually do two things for you. First if the temperature is below 38 degrees only during the night, your pump will not be running day and night. Secondly, should your freeze guard fail, you have a second layer of protection.
Stay tuned to this Swim Clear Pool Supply blog for more swimming pool help posts and energy saving ideas. As always, swimming pool help related comments and questions are always welcome

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from your number one swimming pool help blog and Swim Clear Pool Supply.

Monthly Tips From Service Technitions. Lubricants

It's lubricant, go for the cheap stuff it's all the same in fact you have some Vaseline, just use that right?

Not good advice at all. So what is the difference, first just to clear the air Vaseline will dry rot your o-rings and if used with certain types of valves can cause for costly repairs. So now that that has been cleared up, why use swimming pool lubricant over other lubricants? To make it simple, it's a swimming pool, use swimming pool lubricant. You would not use a paint to paint metal that was made for painting wood, it would not stick. Similar to that analogy, swimming pool lubricants such as Magic Lube I (Teflon based) and Magic Lube II (Silicone based) are chemical resistant where many others are not.

So now that you are going to stick to swimming pool lubricants why pay twice as much for silicone lubricant over the Teflon lubricant? Both lubricants are chemical resistant and compatible with most metals, rubbers and plastics. An easy way to look at it is the silicone lubricant is for more adverse conditions (moving valves, chlorinator lid o-rings, pump lid o-rings etc.). That said many service techs use the silicone lubricant exclusively as a preferred item.

We at Swim Clear Pool Supply would love to hear your comments on this or any other questions for swimming pool help.

Monthly tips from service techs. Leaf Masters

In a prior post we discussed the features and benefits of the Leaf Master. If your pool has many leaves and you are not using this tool, you are wasting time.

Although awesome for cleaning leaves, the procedure for use of the Leaf Master can be a bit trouble some fighting with a garden hose. Our technicians have a solution in many application. The use of the swivel adaptor (picture seen here) can be attached directly to your pressure side automatic pool cleaner line. This application can only be used with small hose pressure pool cleaners such as the Polaris 380, Pentair Legend, and Jandy Ray-Vac to name a few.

The procedure is as simple as disconnecting the head of the pool cleaner from the hose and then attaching the Leaf Master. Now you have the pressure of the pump running the Leaf Master which is usually more effective than the garden hose pressure as well.

Automatic Pool Cleaner Tune-Up

Now that the fall season is upon us, it is now time to winterize those pools or begin preparing for the fall season. One thing that is important to remember is your automatic pool cleaner. Now is the time to get those cleaner parts fixed and/or replaced from the extended use during those summer months.
Whether you have a suction side cleaner or a pressure side cleaner, you really need to check that cleaner to make sure it needs any necessary repairs/replacements to get that cleaner ready for the fall leaves, twigs, or fall debris. The tires, shoes, floats, foot pad, swivels, and bags... to name a few... need to be checked for possible replacement during this season.
Swim Clear Pool Supply has all the replacement pool cleaner parts you need to get those units ready for the rigorous fall season that awaits your pool.

Swimming Pool Winter Cover Accessories

The swimming pool is now covered and you are now ready for Fall...Or are you? Depending on the type of swimming pool winter cover you are using, there are some accessories you might need. Most winter covers must use some type of tie down to hold the cover in place and not allow leaves to get under it. Most home owners use water tubes to do so. Choosing between the single tube and the double tube to me is an easy choice. Here is a simple concept, if you have a single tube and it breaks (and it will eventually) what is going to hold the cover up? At least with a double tube if one side breaks the other should hold until you can replace it.

A side from the water tubes, another thing to think about is a cover pump. Now as discussed in previous posts, the mesh cover will allow water to pass through it but with the solid cover, water will just pool up on it and become a nice haven for mosquitoes, algae etc. Cover submersible pumps are easy to use and can make removal of the water quick. Most cover pumps attach to a garden hose and you pump the water to where you want too.

One other item that while is mostly used in above ground pools , I have found to be beneficial under all pool covers is an air pillow. The Air pillow sits under the swimming pool winter cover in the center of the pool. What is so beneficial about it is that all the leaves, water and debris go to the edge of the cover making it very accessible to get out. Understand that larger pools may need more than one the be truly effective.

Find all your winter needs at Swim Clear Pool Supply.

Choosing the Right Winter Cover-Solid Cover

There are many reasons to cover a pool. It could be for winterizing, covering during the cooler non-swimming months, keeping debris out of the pool, or for extending the swim season to keep in heat. Whatever the reasons are for covering a pool, solid pool covers are the most commonly used types of pool covers for the off-season. The covers are mostly made of polyethylene, but can also be made of vinyl. The vinyl covers are more expensive but tend to last a bit longer than the polyethylene. However, the polyethylene covers are much lighter and is used more often because of both the weight and the price.

The light weight poly covers are a good choice for the "do-it-yourself" pool owner because of the ease of movement and storage. The covers are held in place by placing water tubes around the perimeter of the pool. Swim Clear Pool Supply has solid pool covers you are looking for to cover your pool for the fall and winter months.

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.

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.