Is your Pool and or Spa cover secure?

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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...

Pool Chemicals are no joke.They can hurt you.




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Pool Chemicals can hurt you.

It has come to my attention lately that people are not taking proper care in storing and handling pool chemicals.

Chlorine being the biggest concern I will discuss a little bit about proper storage and handling.

There are several different types of Chlorine.

1. Sodium Hypochlorite- This is also know as Liquid Chlorine and is the most popular. This has a 15% available chlorine level and a high PH factor of 13 so this will most likely raise the PH levels in your pool but it hits hard and fast.
2. Calcium Hypochlorite- This is a granular form of chlorine mostly used in concrete pools
3. Lithium Hypochlorite- This is a granular chlorine designed for vinyl liner pools as it dissolves better than the Calcium version so as to not bleach or stain the liner. It is 35% available chlorine, it takes almost 3 lbs of lithium to equal one lb of tri-chlor. Its has a pH factor of 11 which means you will have to add acid to adjust the pool water to within proper PH range. 
4. Tri-Chlor- This is a tablet form of chlorine usually put in a floater or chlorine dispenser it has cyanuric acid pressed into the tablets. This has 90% available chlorine, but has a PH factor of 3 so it will draw the ph level in your pool water down.
5.  Di-chlor another from of Granular chlorine is made in roughly the same manner as tri-chlor;The pH is a factor of 7 so it is closer to the neutral range as far as acid content and it dissolves quickly. Di-chlor has 62% available chlorine

So the above is just the basics of Chlorine we can get a little deeper into it on a later blog.

As for storage of these chemicals keep this in mind....

Chlorine in any form is a corrosive and it WILL rust anything you keep near it that is metal, those of you that keep it in your shed with your lawnmower know exactly what I mean.

Chlorine gas that is emitted from its container when opened can knock you out and in larger doses can be lethal. Rule of thumb is to wear protective gloves, eye protection and a mask when handling chlorine.

NEVER EVER MIX CHEMICALS TOGETHER ESPECIALLY CHLORINE THIS CAN PRODUCE AN EXPLOSION OF GREAT FORCE. ALWAYS ADD CHEMICAL TO WATER NEVER WATER TO CHEMICAL.

Just to give you something to think about I have enclosed a link to a story of a Chlorine leak at a commercial pool complex.

Read this and listen to my warnings.

Until Next Time...

www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/07/15_hospitalized_after_being_exposed_to_chlorine_at_washington_township_swimming_pool.html

What is the best type of filter for my in-ground pool?

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What is the best type of filter for my in-ground pool?

That's a loaded question, first let me say that every pool pro will give you a different answer based on their experience and customer base.

Climate also plays a role in which filter type is best for your area.

In the warm states Diatomaceous Earth filters (D.E.) is mined and is the fossilized exoskeletons of tiny diatoms, are probably the best since high humidity and high temperatures can easily turn a pool green and the DE filters will keep these pools the cleanest, you have a grid system within the tank itself and you add DE powder through the skimmer and this DE powder coats the grids and the dirt and debris get stuck to the DE and the clean water passes through the grid and goes back to the pool as clean water.

Next in line is the Cartridge filters these have a greater surface area than sand allowing for fewer clogs and easier maintenance. They run at lower pressure than sand which puts less backpressure on the pump, providing more flow and turnover. Cartridge filters should be cleaned once or twice a season by simply hosing the cartridge element off. These filters have a pleated paper filter inside the tank that the water passes through to trap the dirt in the pleats, the clean water goes back to the pool through the center of the pleated filter.

The last filter grade is Sand filters, these use a sand base and finger laterals on the bottom of the sand the water enters on the top of the sand bed and as the water flows down through the sand debris get trapped in the sand bed and clean water enterers the laterals on the bottom of the tank and then get pushed back to the pool as clean water.

All filters clean the water via a media ( D.E., Sand, Cartridge) the grading of the media is determined by how small a micron of debris the media will capture. Sand filters will capture as little as 20 microns, cartridge filters will capture as small as 10-15 microns and D.E. filters will capture as small as 2-5 microns. The smaller the number of microns captured the cleaner the water will be so as you can see D.E. filters are the best ones out there today.

Unlike Cartridge filters that you can hose off to remove the debris, DE and Sand filters must be backwashed, this is where you run water backwards through the filter to blow off the debris and allow it to exit the filter via the backwash line. Both of these filter types have a Multi-Port valve on them to allow you to backwash the tank.

So I guess the answer to the original question is this...Which ever filter will work better than the one you are struggling with now, LOL my vote is for the D.E. filters.

Until Next Time...

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

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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...

Buying a home with a pool? What should you do?

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So you are thinking about buying a home that has a pool? What should you do?

I hear these questions often and here are some of my suggestions:

First thing you need to do is get a professional to do a complete pool inspection that includes a pressure test of all the plumbing lines. When they do a pressure test they will fill all the lines with water and get the pressure in the lines up to 10-15 lbs and they will watch to see if the pressure starts to drop this could indicate a leak in one of the plumbing lines.

An inspection will also give you an experts opinion on the condition of the pool equipment it's possible age and if there is any repairs they feel should be made right away, the biggest issues I have found is an older heater that leaks and or does not fire up. Repairs can be costly if you need to replace equipment. If you have a concrete pool then you may need to have the pool re plastered or tile and coping repairs these can be a costly repair that you should not have to be responsible for. Re plaster jobs could be in excess of $5000.00 tile and coping could be the same.

A vinyl liner pool is different as long as the vinyl liner is in tact and not leaking you should be OK a liner can fade, but this will not change the integrity of the pool itself. A new liner can run from $2000-$3000 for the liner and then another $1000 for the installation.

Once you determine that the pool is sound and you have a good report from the inspector you can go to the homeowner and ask for credit for any pool repairs needed before you close on the house.

Once you own the home take a water sample from the pool to your local pool supply center and have the water tested. They will tell you what you need to add to the water to keep it clean and safe for swimming, they can also guide you on proper maintenance and operation. A pool is a great feature to have in the backyard, it can be fun for the whole family and give your kids some great summer fun.

With a little knowledge and patience, a pool can be a great STAYCATION at home and save you a great deal of money on those costly trips to the beach.

So go ahead and buy that house and go swimming.....

Until Next Time....