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.

Zodiac 2011 Automatic Pool Cleaner Rebates are here!!!

Instead of continuing pouring money into your old swimming pool cleaner, Now is the time to upgrade into a new one. Zodiac 2011 Automatic Pool Cleaner Rebates are here. Great savings on the following

Polaris 3900 Sport $100 Trade Up
Polaris 380 $100
Polaris 360 $50 Rebate

Zodiac G3 $50

Polaris ATV $75

Don't miss these savings and more at Swim Clear Pool Supply.

How Cold Weather Effects Swimming Pools (Part 2)

Freezing temperatures and non circulating swimming pools is a bad combination. One of the most common problems found with freeze guards is that the thermostat is not registering the freezing temps or that the thermostat is registering incorrectly. Either way if it is below freezing and your pump is not running, costly freeze damage is likely to occur. Note that it is common for the freeze guard to register about a 5 degree difference from the outside temperature. This is why the freeze guard should be set to 38 to compensate. If set properly and you have to set the thermostat 10 degrees higher just to turn the pump on, it might be time to replace the thermostat. The good news is it is generally an easy replacement that the average handy home owner can do.

How Cold Weather Effects Swimming Pools (Part 1)

As the cold winter blast hits North Texas, pool owners should be aware of the effects on the swimming pool equipment. As the water temperature drops salt systems are impacted. You may have already noticed your salt system say something like "chlorinator off, low temp." Most Salt systems are designed to shut down between 50 and 55 degrees. For example, if you have an Aquarite Salt system, your system will turn off at 50 degrees per the manual. This is usually not a problem because bacteria and algae stop growing at this temperature. You can override
this low temperature cutoff by switching to SUPER CHLORINATE for a day. The important thing to remember is that even though it takes longer for the chlorine to dissipate, monitoring the chlorine level and adjusting as need should still be done.

You Get What you Pay For When Shopping for Chemicals.

This is a message to all the swimming pool owners trying to save a buck.

Pool chemicals are pool chemicals so it does not matter where I buy them from right?

This could not be further from the truth. Here is an examples of this. Recently a customer was trying to find out why they kept having algae in their pool. When they let me know where they received there chemicals from it was obvious. This particular "Big Box" retailer had a watered down version of the chemicals needed. Their Calcium Hypochlorite (shock) had a 45% available chlorine. The normal out there is 60-65% and higher from the smaller retail shops.

So whats the difference, all you have to do is add extra right? With that thought process, where did your cost savings go and secondly what is in the remaining 55%. The remaining 55% is calcium and fillers that saturate a swimming pool causing a need to drain the swimming pool earlier than it should have been.

understand, it does not stop with the shock, tablets and most other chemicals are the same. Our suggestion to you is to do your homework when it comes to chemical shopping and not just buy the cheapest but go for quality.

ARMING FOR BATTLE

Getting ready to battle with the Fall leaves in your swimming pool? The best way to make this Fall less of a leaf-ache is to be prepared. Of course the the best thing to do would be to cover the pool. As we spoke in the previous blog, there are many different types of covers for in ground and above ground pools such as the mesh, leaf and solid covers. Maybe you are not planning on covering your swimming pool or maybe you are just a bit late and looking for a useful item to clean out the pool. Try the Jandy Leaf Master , easy to use, just attach a pole and a garden hose and your off. The trick on the Jandy Leaf Master is to move slowly. Swim Clear Pool Supply has these and more useful Fall items on sale now.

Getting ready for Fall

Swim Clear Pool Supply is getting you ready for Fall with some great savings!!! Check us out at http://www.swimclearpoolsupply.com/ to make your Fall swimming pool cleaning cheap and easy. Sale items on Pool cleaner bags, Leaf rakes, Brushes and more.

Time to Think About Covering the Swimming Pool

It is hard to believe but fall is right around the corner. Which means the falling of leaves and seeds is almost here. This year why not save the hassle of netting the leaves and acorns and Cover your swimming pool. Visit our previous blogs of "Are you ready for Fall" for great tips to get you prepared for Fall. You can also find information on the many varieties of Swimming Pool Covers Swim Clear Pool Supply has to offer. Don't know which cover to get? Search "Choosing the right winter cover" in our blog and get detailed descriptions to make the best decision.

Give yourself time to enjoy the Fall!

September Filter Cleans

Keep your swimming pool crystal clear and have your filter last longer by doing the proper maintenance on your Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) filter. At Swim Clear Pool Supply we follow the manufactures recommendation of performing filter cleans every six months. It is now time for the September filter cleans.

See our previous post DE Filter Tip #3 for more detail on filter cleans.

Follow this blog and we will remind you each six months about your filter cleans.