Is your Pool and or Spa cover secure?

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

Is your Pool and or Spa cover secure?


I just wanted to write a quick blog to remind all of my readers that are anywhere near the east coast to check on there covers to be sure they are secure with the winter conditions we have been having this year.

Check that their pool cover has been secured so it will not blow off or into the pool. For my spa customers be sure that your spa cover locks are latched and secure.

I do not recommend that you place any object on the spas as this can damage the covers. For pool safety covers be sure that the springs are tight if not shorten the straps to tighten the springs.

Another thing that is very important is to check on your spa during power outages then remember to reset the breaker to the spa after the power is restored.

Ensure that the spa is operational and the heat is working once the power comes back on. If the spa does not power up on it's own try turning the breaker off and then on again and this should get things going.



Until Next Time...

Well the holidays are over now what?

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Well the holidays are over now what?


It back to reality and the tasks at hand, paying off the credit cards and getting back to some normal life and responsibilities. 


Now for those of you that have a spa and love using it over the winter now is a great time to get back to monitoring the water chemistry and since there most likely were a lot of users over the holidays it probably needs close attention right now.


This will be the time you need to give that filter or filters a good filter soak as to get rid of all the body oils and things that have built up over the last month or so.


Just hosing the filter off will not do it, you need to get a filter cleaning solution such as Filter Perfect made by natural chemistry. Take the filter out and place in a bucket of water, be sure that the water covers the filter. Remove the filter from the water and add the filter cleaning solution and mix, then place the filter back in the bucket and soak over night.


The next day remove from the solution and lightly hose off the grids. Re-install the filters into the spa and you should be back in business for another couple of months. Those of you who have a back up filter are in great shape as you can take your time and just swap out the dirty filter for a clean one and then soak that one at your leisure.


Be sure to test the water to see where everything is at now, usually the PH will be low after a heavy bather load so be prepared to add PH and or Alkalinity to get the water back in shape, REMEMBER to add the products one at a time at a rate of no more than 2 tablespoons per 500 gallons of water and allow water to circulate for 20 minutes then retest and add more as necessary.


Always adjust the Alkalinity first then the PH and then the Calcium Hardness, get those levels good BEFORE you start the chlorine or Bromine treatment.  If these chemicals are off the sanitizer will not work effectively and you will find it a pain to get the water back in balance.


If you take your time and do it one step at a time you will have the water back in shape in no time at all and can get back to enjoying the spa for yourself again.


Until Next Time...

I have a spa but no power. Now what do I do?

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

Have spa but no power?  

Not to worry... most spas are very well insulated and can retain their heat fairly well for up to 2 weeks.

Not all spas are the same, some of your older spas or smaller ones may not have  full foam insulation within it.

 This could be an issue for you, if this true for your spa go out and get some household insulation and stuff this inside the spa cabinet like you would inside your attic this will give you a barrier from the extreme cold nights.

The biggest mistake people make when they have a spa and the power goes out is to drain it this is NOT a good idea.

If the spa was running and was heated to around 100 degrees just before the power went out then it will take a while for the spa water to cool down on it's own (up to two weeks), but if you drain the spa of water, that safeguard you may have had is gone. 

Now the surface of the spa will get cold and then transfer that coolness to the under side of the spa and the plumbing lines. Then the spa lines can FREEZE and crack. Now this doesn't mean that if you drained your spa it will automatically freeze. The outside temp needs to be below 40 degrees for several days for this to possibly happen. I have seen spas with ice inside them defrost in the spring and run fine with no issues.

Now getting back to my original statement LOL...

Most spas are fully insulated and as long as you do not keep going out there and lifting the cover up to check on it every hour  "you know who I am talking to" the water temp will remain high and you should be fine. I have seen a spa with a temp of 99 degrees when the customer lost power for 2 weeks and when the lights came back on the water temp was only down to 68 degrees.

Once the power comes back on you want to go out to the spa and be sure that the spa has power as well, if not check the breakers.

Run the pumps to be sure all is good then note the temperature on the topside display set it to 100 degrees and monitor it every hour to see that it will go back up to temperature without any problems. If you have made it this far you are golden check the spa chemicals to be sure that it has a good balanced level before going back into it.

I hope everyone is OK and has power back.

Until Next Time...

Follow these steps now and avoid any issues going into winter

www.rickrobinson.kwrealty.com

Well the summer is mostly over and I have to say it went by too quick, I did not even get a chance to go to the beach this year.

I will say that this summer was a beautiful one very mild temperatures nothing way too hot and not a lot of rain so all in all I would say we had a great summer.

Now it is the end of September and most people are closing their pools and opening their spas for the fall and winter months.

If you have a spa and you use it all winter then you will want to follow these steps now and avoid any issues going into winter.

• Drain the spa and wipe down the surface with an approved surface cleaner (no abrasive cleansers as they can scratch the acrylic)
• Soak the filter in a filter cleaning solution overnight if your filter is over 1 year old you may want to consider replacing it now.
• Make sure you have all the necessary chemicals to start up the spa once you have it refilled with water. You will need a metal remover, PH up, PH down, Alkalinity boost, calcium increaser, and your sanitizer either chlorine or bromine.
• Fill the spa with water, put the hose down into the filter compartment first to push through any air bubbles in the lines, as the spa is filling add 8 oz of metal remover.
• Once the spa is full test the water with your test kit and determine where the PH and Alkalinity are at. Always add the Alkalinity first as this is a buffer for the PH and will help stabilize it. Once the Alkalinity level is good move on to the PH, then the Calcium Hardness.
• Providing all the previous levels are now good wait till the temperature of the water reaches 70 degrees or higher then add your sanitizer either chlorine or Bromine.

Now the spa should be good to go and ready for the winter use, you should not have to drain the water again till march if you do this by Thanksgiving the rule of thumb is every 4 months.

Now is also a great time to invest in a Fire pit, these units are a great way to still enjoy the outdoors for a little while longer without freezing your --- off. I am getting my fire pit ready this weekend so go out and get your today and don't forget to stock up on some fire wood.

Until Next Time...