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...

How Important is Calcium Hardness?

Rick the Spa Guy

Just How Important is Calcium Hardness? 

First lets discuss what this product is and how it pertains to water. 


Calcium is a naturally occurring mineral that is frequently found in high concentrations:  such water is called "hard" water.  Calcium hardness chemistry is one of the important pool water parameters and its control is important, to help assure proper water quality and help avoid certain pool water problems.  The preferred ranges, in swimming pools, are 80-150 PPM in a vinyl pool and 150-200 PPM in a masonry finish pool.

  Low levels of pool water calcium hardness (soft water) can lead to the problems of corrosive water conditions.  Chemicals are available to raise the calcium hardness, as might be necessary.  High pool water calcium hardness levels, especially above 400 PPM, can lead to possible pool water clarity problems and scaling conditions. 

Chlorine products containing calcium hypochlorite raise the hardness level, each time the product is added. 

   Various chelating or sequestering Mineral Treating Products are available to help deal with the problems associated with high calcium hardness levels.   Pool water calcium levels can be determined by a simple water analysis.  This is especially important with well water, as other problematic minerals might be present and could require treatment. 


Now all this being said your water needs to have a proper level of Calcium, if not the water will try to draw the calcium from other items in the plumbing such as pump seals, in a pool it will draw it out from the concrete walls or vinyl liner and all these things will cause damage to the pool or spa.


Over abundance of calcium will cause cloudy water and scale deposits which feel like grit on the walls of the pool or spa. To lowel calcium levels you can add fresh water or use a metal sequestering agent, if you need to raise the level add Calcium Hardness Increaser.


Proper levels in a pool are stated above for a spa keep the level at 200-250 ppm (parts per million) By following this you will have nice balanced water as long as your PH and Alkalinity levels are good all will be well.


I hope this better helps you maintain your water, or at least understand why you are doing all this.


Until Next Time...