WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD SPA IN THE BACKYARD?

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD SPA IN THE BACKYARD?

So you want a new spa or bought a home that has an old one there already, and don't know what to do. This is a question I hear often. One of the question I would ask is, "Does the spa still work?" If not it's probably best to just throw it away. A lot of companies will take your old spa away for a fee. If you are buying a new one see if the company will remove your old one as part of the deal.

If your spa does still work but you are tired of investing money in it and want to upgrade to a new one, try listing it for sale on Ebay or Craigslist and set a reasonable price. Remember spas are like cars, once they leave the showroom they start to depreciate. I had a friend put a sign out front of his house that said "Spa For Sale, First $500 Takes It!" He sold it in 2 days. One of the local landscapers saw it and took it right out of the yard on their trailer.

There are also companies that will just come and take any old items you don't want. Check your local newspapers and phone books. Just remember to have the electric removed from the old spa by a qualified electrician and make the wiring safe until the new spa arrives. There still is a big market for used spas, one persons junk is another mans treasure!

Until Next Time...

Well the holidays are over now what?

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

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...

Spa Safety Rules

Rick the Spa Guy

Check out this great article on Spa Safety Rules...

Safety in the spa facilities is of paramount importance because of the risks posed to the public including injuries and loses of life. Typical accidents in spa entail slipping into pool water, entrapment when under the water, and drowning. Spa facilities should meet safety requirements and comply with the set regulations. Safety lapses in spa facilities can results to liabilities including legal subjection and claims for any injuries or death that may occur.

Given the range of clientele that spas receive, from children to adults, the healthy and the ill, it is imperative that spa safety pointsbe accentuated. There are basically many safety issues that should be examined in spa facilities and these include;

·         Fencing and gates installations.

·         Children’s safety aspects.

·         Chemical handling in pool facilities.

·         Personal safety issues when using the spa.

·         Risks of slipping.

·         Water quality and temperature requirements.

Among the spa safety points, the pool safety fence is very essential as this is a lifesaver for young children and even pets around the pool. Incidents of toddlers and young kids drowning can be prevented by use of safety fences. It is now within the jurisdiction for public waterpark and spa facilities to install safety fences around their pool facilities to avert drowning accidents.

Besides, these fences should be checked regularly to ensure that they meet the regulation standards. Pool chemical treatment should only be done by trained and qualified professionals. Improper application of the treatment chemical can lead to health complications such as skin and respiratory reactions and damage of the quality of the pool facilities.

Non-skid surfaces should be used in the immediately area that surrounds the spa. Handrails should be installed to assist the swimmers to safely hop in and out of the spa thus prevent slipping. Children are the most vulnerable in spa facilities and all the necessary precautionary measures should be taken to ensure that they are protected.

Children should not be left unsupervised in the spa. It is imperative to display clearly visible notices that educate the parents, guardians and any pool users on personal safety when using the facilities.

Whereas preventive measures such as use of pool safety fence can play a critical role, there is also need to observe strict personal safety guidelines. For example, when swimming, the pool users should avoid putting their head under water in a spa as hair can be entangled in a drain cover and risk the person drowning.

Until Next Time...

This article was written by: Viktoria Acevedo

Internet Marketing and SEO Project Manager

Guardian Pool Fence Systems

Why is my spa cover getting so heavy?

Why is my spa cover getting so heavy? I'll tell you why.


This topic goes along with one of my other blogs. "Think You Need A New Spa Cover".


If you need to go to the gym to be able to lift your cover there is a problem. Lets talk about why a spa cover gets so heavy.


The cover manufactures tell us that while their covers are very durable they are not meant for excessive snow loads, weight bearing etc. What does that mean??


Those of us in the cold snowy climates know what excessive snow can weigh. While an inch of snow is not a problem 6-12 inches would be. The snow will freeze and get even heavier. Spa cover's are only supported at the outer edges. Therefore there is no support in the middle of the cover. So you have to be diligent about not putting anything heavy on the cover.

The cover is there to keep the heat in and the rain and snow out, not to be a shelf for your flower pots, or a bed for your animals: When anything too heavy rests on the vinyl it can crack the inner core of the cover. This is a foam core with a thin protective wrap around it and when that wrap is penetrated(broken from weight) the exposed foam starts to absorb the moisture of the water from underneath or on top. As this absorption continues the foam gets heavier and heavier until you can't lift up the cover.




If you have a cover lifter installed on your spa, this can do major damage to the lifter. I have seen the wind blow open a waterlogged cover and snap the metal lifter arms and tear the spa skirting right off the spa.






So what have we learned so far? A spa cover has an average life span of 3-5 years. Do not use your spa cover as a storage spot and do not let snow build up on top. You can extend this life with just a little care and maintenance.


Every 6 months or so you should clean the vinyl and add a new coating of protectant to give your cover the protection from the sun that it needs. So if you notice that your cover is a lot heavier than it used to be, you probably should be thinking of replacing it before more damage is done.






Until next time......

A Guide to Maintaining Your Pool and Spa

A Guide to Maintaining Your Pool and Spa







If you have a pool at home, it is evident that you have to undergo regular cleaning and maintenance in order to keep it clean and conditioned. Initially, you have to be knowledgeable about the symptoms of an unhealthy pool, and ensure that your pools water is clean. More often than not, the symptoms of an unhealthful pool require further addition of chlorine for clearer water, an abrupt upsurge in the quantity of dirt in the pool, and unnecessary sounds in your pool cleaner or pool pump that works differently than it usually does.






While most pool owners utilize the services of a swimming pool service technician, know that it is possible for you to clean and maintain your pool without any other persons help. If you simply have the determination and the initiative to do it on your own, you will realize that you can acquire numerous items such as circulation, plumbing, and surge-tank float valves, pool test kits, and vacuums, which you can use as the primary tools in cleaning your pool.






The aforementioned cleaning tools are necessary, since you have to invest in the fundamentals of pool cleaning if you want to save money and time. In addition, it is substantial that you assess your pools water health, and bear in mind that clear water does not always signify that its health is in good condition. Generally, there are three primary means on how you can measure your pool health namely, through its alkalinity, Ph level, and algae build up.






The Ph level refers to the level of alkalinity or acidity in your pool. It is important that the Ph level of the water be close to the neutral level of seven, since a higher or lower Ph level is not idyllic for your pool. On the other hand, alkalinity indicates the amount of ionic salt of alkaline elements that are present in your pool. The ideal level for alkalinity is between 80-155 parts per million, which will keep your pool from alga or bacteria.










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"Pay It Forward" Help others to have a great holiday season.

Rick the Spa Guy

"Pay it Forward" to me means to go out of my way to help someone I may or may not know to have a better day, week, holiday or what ever I can do for them.

Being in the service industry I get to meet and talk to a lot of people everyday. Most of us today are in the same boat, working to survive and trying to give our family a great holiday season. I love this time of year, don't you?

The best in people comes out. This time of year I am the politest, and happy person I wish I was all year long. I decided 2 years ago to "Pay It Forward", during the holiday season I met a woman who's husband had recently passed away and she was having to deal with the household chores and the pool herself and did not know who to trust. My heart went out to her. She called me to close her pool since her regular guy would not call her back, this is when I found out the details about the husband,(she volunteered the info).

Well once you hear that kind of thing you just have to help out don't you? So, I offered to close the pool for cost and told her to call me in the spring and I would help her out with the vinyl liner replacement that she needed.

She called me the next April and we discussed the upcoming job and what would be involved, it was then I decided to "Pay It Forward" I replaced the liner at a my cost and closed her pool for free. This made me feel great knowing I helped her out and did something that was not just for me, I saw the way her kids loved the pool and I wanted to make thing great for them and make it so she knew she could trust me and I would do it right for her.

She has since referred me to several of her friends even though they did not need my services, this is how she Payed it Forward for me. To this day I still take care of her pool and we are good friends. I hope all of you that read my blogs will find a way to "pay it Forward" for someone this holiday season, you will not believe how good you will feel. Kindness is the best medicine for all that ails you.

I am trying to write about things that are close to my heart during the winter months when most of my industry is trying to figure out how to survive another year. I love to blog and my only wish is that I can help some people out there by giving them some info that they needed to do it themselves and save some time and money, and if they tell people about me all the better, if not I am still doing what I love so all is good.

If there is a topic that you would like me to write about, send me a comment and I will do my best. I also have a face book page that I do get comments on so you can always visit me there as well. Rick the spa guy is my new handle, what do you think? LOL

I again want to wish you a Happy and Healthy holiday season, and I hope we can help each other out in the future. Tell your friends....

Until Next Time...