Posts

Showing posts from April, 2015

Hayward AquaNaut, Phoenix and Poolvergnuegen PoolCleaner Suction Side Cleaners

Image
There is no hiding the fact that the AquaNaut and Phoenix are just the Poolvergnuegen in an updated body and color scheme. All of the internal parts are the same as the PoolCleaner "The Next Generation." Hayward purchased that company last year and owns the patents so it is incorporating the design into their own brand and there is nothing wrong with that. Here is an explanation in a nutshell for you. Hayward Purchased Poolvergnuegen back in January of 2014 or so and in that purchase came all of the patents. Since the PoolCleaner was not a Hayward product it couldn't be offered in the Hayward rebate programs. So they spent a lot of money to design a new body and color schemes for the AquaNaut and Phoenix and made them Hayward products. So essentially all three are the same cleaner, PoolCleaner "Next Generation," AqauNaut and Phoenix. So why purchase the AquaNaut/Phoenix vs the Poolvergnuegen? The answer is Rebates. The PoolCleaner still carries the Po

Bio-Active Cyanuric Acid Reducer

Image
Bio-Active Cyanuric Acid Reducer - BiOWiSH Technologies is the first of it's kind. For years everyone has been trying to come up with a chemical that would destroy high CYA levels. Turns out it isn't a chemical that will do it but a microorganism. With a huge drought in the Southwest and particularly California, draining your pool partially is not an option. So this product couldn't have hit the market at a better time. This video above is a basic overview of the product. To learn more you can go to their website: www.bioactivenow.com I talked to their sales rep extensively and here are some finer points of the Bio-Active. If the parameters are in line you will get good results - the minimum results ares 40-60 ppm in a pool of 25,000 gallons with a CYA level of 150 ppm. He states that if it is in the 200-250 ppm range the Bio-Active will work better and reduce the levels more. Contrary to that if the levels are 80 ppm you will only see a slight reduction.

SweepEase® AquaDynamic 18" Pool Brush

Image
I saw the SweepEase being demonstrated at a pool show and was intrigued by the design. The Patented shape uses water to push it to the wall and floor creating more pressure without you physically exerting the force. 5-10 lbs more according to the manufacturer. The manufacturer plays up the one handed brushing of the pool which is nice but I really like the fact that when you use two hands the force created by this brush is increased dramatically. You almost get pulled into the pool - so be careful. You can also use one hand and brush the pool effectively. The brush is well made and finished well. I like the overall shape as it makes brushing in the corners easy. Both brushes use Polypropylene which is superior to Nylon in many ways. Polypropylene is chemical and UV resistant, has more flexibility and is more durable than nylon. They make two models, one for plaster and Pebble Tec pool surfaces with wire bristles inserted among the Poly bristles: SweepEase 100% POLY BRIST

What Causes Algae in a Pool?

Image
It is a bit of circular logic but if you keep your pool balanced you won't develop algae and it won't be a problem for you. But we all get busy and forget to check on the pool or the gardeners decide to blow everything from the deck into the pool. Maybe your pump basket gets clogged and you don't notice for a few days. Or you leave your pool in spa mode and the pool sits not circulating for a week. In an ideal world simply keeping your pool balanced would solve a lot of issues, but stuff happens. So here are some common causes of algae blooming in your pool, ways to treat it and a preventative algae treatment you can use all season long. There are of course other ways to prevent algae growth if you would like to try them. Here are some low cost preventative things you can do: Adding Borates to your pool to achieve 30 ppm- 50 ppm helps to inhibit algae growth. Keeping your pH at 7.2-7.4 is also effective as the chlorine will be more effective but be used up quic

Green Pool Clean Up in One Day

Image
Basically a green pool clean-up is a process as I detail in all three videos. If you don't follow the process and just dump chlorine and algaecide in it probably won't work. From my experience the initial chemical reading is not a factor - unless the pool is really low on Conditioner - below 30 ppm. It doesn't matter what  the initial pH or Alkalinity reading the first day - you are looking at a swamp with mosquito larvae growing in it - it is not a pool in any sense except for the equipment. So the first step is to make sure the pump is working - this pool had the pump down for  6 months  - finally got a used pump installed. Circulation is critical so the filter needs to be cleaned. A Cartridge filter like this one needs to be taken apart and cleaned - so does a DE filter. Sand filters are a pain as they can only be backwashed so the process will be longer with that filter type. Then we bomb out the pool. I like 30 ppm of chlorine -Shock and Awe. Liquid Chlorine