Swim Clear Pool Supply, striving to bring you the best swimming pool products brings you Val Pak extra heavy duty replacement skimmer baskets. With more to come, replace your Sta-Rite U-3 skimmer, the Hayward SP-1070 Skim master skimmer, Pentair Bermuda skimmer and more, with a Val Pak extra heavy duty skimmer basket and save your self time and money from replacing basket after basket. These baskets are made stronger and designed to last.

Val Pack swimming pool pump baskets are soon to come.

CLOUDY SWIMMING POOL WATER? Part 1

Are you having trouble with cloudy swimming pool water? Here are some tips on where to start to resolve your problem.

First, the most common cause of cloudy swimming pool water is the water chemistr balance not in balance. Chlorine between 1.0 to 3.0 ppm, PH from 7.4 to 7.6, Alkilintity between 80 and 120 (fiberglass and vinal pools no lower than 100), Calcium between 200 and 400, Stabilizer from 40 to 60, and todal disolve solids no higher than 2000. If even one of these is out of range or has been out of range recently, it could cause you to have cloudy swimming pool water. Here are some cause and effects for you.

Clorine is too low -the onset of algae can occure. With a low clorine, typically before you even spot the algae your water will turn cloudy.

PH above 7.8. - The PH in your swimming pool has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your chlorine. Too high PH brings the effectiveness of your chlorine down therefore a high PH is close to the same as not having any chlorine.

Alkalinity out of range creates a "PH bounce" meaning the PH can be very hard to control.

Calcium too high - Think of it this way, if you have a glass of water and you continue to place sugar in it eventually the water will no longer dissolve the sugar, the water is now "saturated". After the calcium level reaches 400 the water becomes saturated and now the calcium has no where to go which leads to build up on the walls and tile. Because of the way that this occurs you might only notice the clouding when you are in the pool or brushing the pool.

Similar as the calcium total dissolved solids or TDS will act the same.

That said, the first step in resolving your cloudy water is to adjust your chemicals appropriately. Understand that even if you adjust the chemicals properly it may take additional chemicals like a clarifier to clear the water.

See more tips in upcoming swimming pool help blogs brought to you by Swim Clear Pool Supply

Salt Systems....What are they?

One of the most popular pool systems out right now is the salt system or chlorine generators. Many questions are raised as to the system and how it is used:

What is a salt system?

Salt systems are generators that electronically make pure chlorine from salt added to the pool water. As the salt passes through a electronic cell, the electrode plates within that cell converts the salt into chlorine. (The salt cell is plumbed into the return pvc line after the filter, or heater if you have one.) Once the chlorine is used up, it is converted to chloride and recycled through the cell again to be converted back into salt as a continuous process during a pool's run cycle. This eliminates the use of buying and storing chlorine compounds (buckets), and even eliminates the handling of chlorine chemicals.

Who can use salt systems?

Any pool can use a salt system if they choose. Salt systems can be used on in-ground pools, above-ground pool, gunite pools, fiberglass pools, and even intex pools.

Is salt system pools like being at the ocean?

No, in fact salt systems require between 2,500 to 6,000 parts per million of salt depending on the salt system you have and the size of the salt system you have. Ocean water has a solidity of over 35,000 parts per million. A tear has over 7,000 part per million of salt content. So, in contrast, the pool has a significantly low amount of salt content in it.

Do I need my pump and filter when I get a salt system?

Yes. The salt system does not replace your existing pump and filter. The system's only job is to convert the salt into chlorine. It will need the pool pump to move the water through the cell and it will need the pool filter to clean the dirty pool water before entering the salt water through the cell. The salt system is an added unit to your existing pump and filter.

Do I add salt every week or every month?

One and initial amount of salt is added to a pool to reach that 2,500 to 6,000 parts per million range, only small amounts of salt is needed a few times a year. The salt will not leave the pool unless water is physically removed from the pool due to pool overflow, backwashing, leaks, or splash-out. The salt system will usually have an LED display on it to show the parts per million of salt the pool currently has. Also there are salt system test strips you can purchase to test the amount of salt in the pool manually.

Do salt systems eliminate the need to test my water?

No. The pool owner will still need to maintain good pool water balance in order to allow the pump to work well, the filter to clean pool water well, and the salt system to generate salt well. Testing at least once a week is good, but twice a week is better whether you have a salt system or not. Test strips or liquid water testing kits will both work well to help keep the water chemistry balanced.

I hope that these few Q&A's help a little with regards to salt system knowledge. If you have any other questions regarding salt systems or any pool question, please let us hear them and we will gladly service you with a correct answer. info@swimcleartx.com

Water Chemistry

The importance of maintaining water chemistry goes without say. Improperly maintained water chemistry can be a costly problem that if not corrected in a timely manor can lead to algae issues or worst yet, damage to your swimming pool equipment of swimming pool surface. Click here for more information on Swimming pool water chemistry.

Tips brought to you by Swim Clear Pool Supply

Service Tech Tip (Primeing the Pump)

Being the responsible pool owner you are, you are following your normal routine of at least once per week emptying your pump basket. After tightening the lid and turning the pump back on you notice no water is running through the pump. Understanding that most pumps installed on swimming pools are self-priming, there is always a reason your pump will not catch prime that you need to identify. For example, if the pump lid is not all the way tightened down (remember not to over tighten). Check the lid o-ring for cracks, debris, or indentations, if any of these are present, replace the 0-ring. Even if you left the lid off for too long, this allows the pipes to flood with air and makes it more difficult to prime. There are other reason such as suction leaks that may be causing the problem as well. Once the problem has been identified and resolved it is time to prime the pump.
Here is a step by step procedure to priming your pump after any challenges are resolved.
1. With the pump turned off, open the pump lid
2. Turn off suction valves leaving only one suction line open. (if you have a spa it is usually easiest to leave the spa line open.
3. Run garden hose water into pump for 2 mins. (pump will most likely over flow, this is ok as what you are doing is flooding the line with water.)
4. This is the important part...After the 2 mins is up, as fast as yo can, pull the hose out, put the lid on and turn on the pump. THEN you can turn off the garden hose. This is important because once you take the hose out, air can get back into the line if you are not quick enough.
5. Once the pump has re-primed, SLOWLY open the suction valves one at a time. Air from the lines can cause you to loose prime again, so normally closing the line you just opened and giving it a minute will allow the pump to restart.

Congratulations, you just primed a pump!!!

These tech tips are brought to you by Swim Clear Pool Supply.com and Swim Clear Pool Service

Pool Safety

Now that the swim season is almost here, it is not only time to get those pools, equipment, cleaners, and cleaning attachments checked out, but you also want to make sure your back yard oasis is safe. Pool safety is more important to us here than pool fun. If a pool is safe, then the fun is enjoyed even more.

The first layer of protection is your house. Make sure doors and windows are locked and any and all alarms are installed and operational. Check those doors and windows every day.

The area between the house and the pool is of great concern simply because it requires continuous Adult supervision. (Notice the word "adult" is in all caps)
Adults, only, should be responsible for supervising in and around the pool. Consider installing a safety fence or gates around the pool. Motion-sensored lights, and maybe even a camera/baby monitor is a good defense as well. Also, keep hanging tree limbs and pool furniture from being too close to the pool. If you have back yard appliances, or wired electronics, they should be at lease 6 ft. or more away from the water.

The pool itself carries the greatest amount of risk, and also requires continuous Adult supervision. Installing a pool alarm is a great way to be alerted if a sudden disturbance occurs along the pool's surface. Also make sure the pool area is equipped with emergency equipment (i.e. life rings, life hook, telepole, first aid kit, and maybe even an outdoor telephone). Never leave kids, or even pets unsupervised while they are in and around the pool. If you need to go into the house, bring them with you. Even if you think you will be away for only a second or two. A pool emergency happens in seconds.

Taking every, safety first, steps when in and around the pool will definitely make this and every swim season that much more enjoyable.

March Filter Clean Time

It is that time again. If you are following this swimming pool help blog for your swimming pool filter clean schedule it is once again time to take that filter a part and clean it. Remember just like your house or your car, your swimming pool filter will last much longer if you give it proper care.
If you live in the North Dallas area Swim Clear Pool Service is here for your filter cleaning needs.

Is Your Swimming Pool Ready for Spring?

Spring, it is getting closer beleive it or not. Which means it is time to start getting those pools ready. Now that your pool cleaner has taken a beating with fall and the cold temperatures, its time to repair, rebuild or posibly replace.

We see many home owners take their swimming pool automatic cleaners into a shop to have them worked on, but in all honesty, having worked on them for many years they are rather simplistic to work on. So if you have a handy bone in your body, before you take your pool cleaner to a shop, take a look at it your self. For example, one of the most popular pool cleaners is the Polaris 380. Your wearable parts that should be checked out regularly are your tail scrubber, wear rings on the tail, and tires. After that, check for leaks in the swivel connectors on the hose (small amounts of dripping is normal). One the head unit, when you spin one wheel, all three wheels should turn at the same time. If this is not the case, typically one or both of the belts are broken. Finally just a quick inspection of the belts to verify there is no fraying. Checking the bearings is as simple as checking for space within the bearing keeper and wobble. Typically if 4 or more bearings need to be replaced it is recommended to replace all of them.

It may sound complicated but it is not. One concept to remember is that just because you replace the broken parts, watch for items that may be worn that might be causing other items to break. A good example for this is gear driven pool cleaners. Unlike the belt driven Polaris 380, the gear driven Polaris 180 and 280 are notoriously for this. The teeth on the wheel of the Polaris 180/280 may be torn off or flattened, but what could have caused that is the teeth on the drive shaft may be worn down causing this. One step further, is the drive shaft bearings are loose, then they could be causing both problems. This may sound confusing but in the end they are simple machines.

Don't forget Swim Clear Pool Supply has all your swimming pool cleaner parts needs from all the top brands like Hayward, Polaris, Jandy and Pentair. More swimming pool help tips to come from your swimming pool help blog.

Swim Clear Pool Service Expands

Swim Clear Pool Service is pleased to announce we are now servicing the Garland, Rockwall, Rowlett areas of North Dallas. So if you are in those areas and are in need of swimming pool service visit our web site and check us out.

As always if you are in need of quality swimming pool products you can always go to www.swimclearpoolsupply.com no matter where you live.

Price Does Matter!!!

During these economic times, everyone wants to get a fair price on the goods and services that they need. Swim Clear Pool Supply prides itself on delivering quality name brand pool supplies at a great price to you the customer. Our parts and items by such name brand companies as Polaris, Hayward, Pentair, Sta-Rite, and the likes, means you are getting well established company products at a price that it near other big-name online companies or even better. Here are a few of Swim Clear Pool Supplies products, and how they compare with prices of other online big-name companies:

- ----------------Swim Clear -Leslie's Pool Supply -Water Wharehouse

POL Tail Scrubber ------$ 3.99 -----$ 5.89 ---------$ 7.53


POL Sweep Tail ---------$ 24.99 ----$ 25.99 -------$ 39.50

2 H.P. Motor ------------$369.99 ----$389.99 -----Do Not Sell

48 S.F. D.E. Grid Full ---$ 23.99----- $ 33.99 --------$ 29.47

Zodiac Duo Clear Salt
System (45,000 Gal) --$1,599.99 ---$1,729.99----- Do Not Sell

Rainbow 320 Inline
Chlorinator -------------$ 78.99----- $ 79.99 --------$ 101.99


As you can see by some of these examples, Swim Clear Pool Supply offers you, the customer, quality name brand products at a price you know will meet and even beat some of the top name online pool supply companies in the market today.