Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

Scale on your pool tile and on your pool surface can develop over time and become very noticeable. The factors that cause calcium scaling mainly are caused by your areas fill water and your pool’s Calcium Hardness level. High Alkalinity and High pH combined with a Calcium Hardness level over 400 ppm will trigger calcium build up on the pool surface and tile line. The scale that forms on the pool tile line is called Calcium Carbonate and when the weather is warm and there is a lot of evaporation, the scaling on your pool tile will increase. When the Sun dries the water on the tile water line it turns into Calcium Carbonate. If you live in an area with very high Calcium Hardness there isn’t much you can do except keep the pH below 7.4 and the Alkalinity below 100 ppm to prevent heavy scaling. Over time scaling will form no matter what you do so keep that in mind if you live in an area with very hard water. Treating the calcium build up can be challenging. You can clean of...

Staining in your pool can be caused by several things but the most common stains are from metals that enter your pool water and then drop out onto the pool surface. Once the metal ions drop out of the water they appear as stains on the pool surface. Besides metal staining your plaster pool can also have what appears to be staining but, is normal mottling of the plaster. I will touch on both and help you understand the differences of what is staining and what is normal aging of the plaster. Metal ions in your pool water, Copper, iron or manganese to name a few can cause your water to be discolored and cause staining on your pools surface. Besides draining your pool and refilling there is a process you can follow to remove the metal ions from the water: The first step it to test your water to see if metal ions are present. Most fill water has been purified to eliminate metal ions but there may be enough trace amounts entering your pool, especially if you are filling it or...

The Bottom Feeder is a portable battery powered Vacuum System for your personal pool or your pool route. The compact size makes this ideal for those pools that need more than a quick skimming but has too much debris for a traditional manual vacuum with a hose a vacuum head. It is also great if you do not need the standard Vacuum System with the cart. The bottom Feeder weighs just 12 lbs. fully assembled including the battery pack. Here is what the manufacturer says about the Bottom Feeder: “The Bottom Feeder is a revolutionary pool cleaning system that combines innovative technology with lightweight flexibility. Powered by a long lasting rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, The Bottom Feeder requires no hoses or lines – which saves you time and gives you the mobility and flexibility needed to vacuum pools in minutes. Designed by professionals for professionals, The Bottom Feeder is durable and effective and vacuums in as little as 4″ of water.” I really like the portability...

One of the hard parts of pool ownership is when you go out to your pool and notice some type of stain on the bottom. It is pretty discouraging to see your beautiful pool surface marred by a large rust stain.   But don’t panic just yet, it might not be as bad as it looks. I will cover some remedies for both rust stains and organic stains that you will find in your pool as well as how to tell them apart. I will cover more metal staining in another article but for now I will focus on those little rust stains that you may find in your pool. The rust stains usually comes from an object that is dropped in your pool. It can be a screw in a toy that junior left in the pool all week. Recently I found two nerf guns on the bottom of a pool and when I moved one of them, sure enough there was a nice sized rust mark on the plaster. The screw in the gun was the source of the staining. It can be from toy cars with metal rods in the wheel or any other toy with metal parts. I highly suggest only...

The Aquabot MRT AG 1000 is an above ground pool cleaner created specifically for the regional Mid-Western pool market. It can be purchased at the Great Escape store and I will post the link at the bottom of this article. It is a bit of a hybrid robotic pool cleaner made specifically for an above ground pool, but it can also be used for an in-ground pool. Some of the unique features of the MRT AG 1000 are: • Cleans Pool Floors, Cove • Scrubbing Brush – 2x faster than a standard brush • Industry’s strongest pumps and finest filtration • Top Access Fine Filter Basket (filters down to 2 microns) and algae • 40’ Cable with Cable Detangler • Light weight Easy Lift Handle There are very few robotic pool cleaners priced in the $400 range that offer anywhere near as many bells and whistles as the MRT AG 1000. The Hyper-Scrubbing brush will help loosen up dirt and debris as the cleaner is moving on the bottom and the fine filter chambers will pick up debris down to 2 micron...

The Portable Fire Pump Cart by Advantage Manufacturing is a must have if you own a pool and live in a fire prone area. This is a great first line of defense in the event of a fire near your home. You can use the Fire Pump to spray water on your house and surrounding area and the water source is your backyard pool. You can also order the optional fire retardant which will cover about a 4000 sq. ft area around your property. The Portable Fire Pump comes attached to a cart with two rugged wheels and a large handle on the front. Pulling the cart and setting it in position couldn’t be easier. Unlike the other Fire Pumps that you see on the market that are bulky and need two or more people to move into position, this Fire Pump can be moved and positioned in seconds. It comes with a 3 HP Gas Powered Briggs & Stratton motor and the pump features a 3 HP Impeller. It is rated to pump 80-100 gallons or more every minute depending on how high you set the Throttle. Here are some...

If you own a small business, you can get caught up in the day to operations and not have the time to think or even sit down and calculate if your business is even profitable. I don’t mean that the bills are paid each month and that everything is paid on time without issues. At the end of the day, month and year did you make any money? Was there anything left to save and invest for the future or to spend on improving the business operations? I focus here mainly on the Pool Service Business, but you can apply this to any small business. If you’re not making money on your business, it isn’t a business, it is a hobby. So how can you tell if your business is turning a profit? That can get a little tricky, but I think if you look at it in a clear fashion before taxes and deductions you can see if there is any money going towards profits. If all you are doing is paying your bills each month you may not be making any money and may be “just spinning your wheels.” The first thing...

The Aquabot Turbo Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner is one of Aqaubot’s original designs that dates back to the start of the company. This may lead you to believe that the design is outdated and ineffective. In truth it is one of the most reliable and effective designs and that is why it has endured for decades. Think of your old washing machine or your old dishwasher and you will know what I am talking about. Those old simple designs with no bells and whistles outlast anything flashy and modern. With under 10 moving parts the Aqaubot Turbo Plus is built to last. It is also backed by a two year warranty but the classic design lends itself to reliability and durability. This classic design also will allow the cleaner to leave your pool spotless every time you drop it in. There is nothing fancy about the cleaning pattern. It just moves along the pool bottom and walls up to the waterline cleaning every area of your pool. Have a very large pool? No problem. The power supply can be set ...

There are many ways to ensure your pool is serviced error free each week whether you are a homeowner doing your own pool or a pool service professional doing 80 pools a week. I will touch on a few things you need to do each time you service your pool to make sure it stays sparkling blue all season long. I will also touch on a few common things that can happen if you fail to stick to a set routine. Routine is important for a variety of reasons when you service a pool. If you don’t have a set order in what you do at each stop you can easily forget to do something and the results could be bad. I do the same thing at every pool each week, so I don’t forget to add chemicals or clean out the baskets. The first thing I do when I get to a pool is to scan the pool for anything unusual. Then turn on and check the equipment. I will see if the filter PSI (Filter Pressure) is fine or not and if the filter may need a cleaning or backwashing. I will check the water chemistry and add t...