Just the Basics - Some Tings to Know About Pool Care
In
this series I am going to cover some basics on pool care that you should know
if you are a homeowner or a pool service technician. There are a number of
things that fall into this basic category and I will go over a few of them
here. Of course, there is a lot to know about a pool overall but knowing these
things will get you by.
The
filter and filtration are key. How much does it matter if your pool filter is
running well or not? It is the difference between a pool that is cloudy with
algae, has poor flow and can’t hold the chlorine level and a pool that is
crystal clear and balanced. If your pool is struggling, chances are the filter needs
some attention.
If
you have a cartridge or D.E. filter take it apart and clean it. With a sand
filter you can backwash it and see if that improves things. After cleaning the filter
if you notice little improvement chances are the cartridges need to be changed.
If they are old, say 3-5 years old they have reached their life expectancy point.
The D.E. filter grids may look fine but if they are 4-6 years old I would also
replace them. With a sand filter you can change the sand if you notice that
backwashing did little for the pool’s water quality. The pool’s filtration and
filter play a big part in how the pool will look and how difficult it will be
to maintain going forward into the season.
How
green is too green? I am often asked if there is a limit to my Green Pool
Clean-Up method of “Shock and Awe.” The short answer is yes. If the pool has
more than 3-4 inches of sediment, gunk and algae on the bottom, then it may be
too far gone to try to bring it back with just chemicals and filtration. You
may be better off just draining the pool at that point and starting fresh. So,
there is a limit to the “Shock and Awe” method.
In
the same respect I am often asked how much chlorine is needed to shock a pool.
The answer is typically more than you are thinking. For instance, if you go
online and enter your pool size in gallons, the ppm of chlorine and the goal
level, the online calculator may tell you to add one gallon of liquid chlorine
to bring the chlorine up from zero to 5 ppm. But it doesn’t account for poor
filtration, organic particles in the water and for algae.
So,
if you simply pour 1 gallon of chlorine into a very cloudy pool, nothing much
will happen. Let’s say you have a 15,000-gallon pool and it is so cloudy that
you cannot see the bottom. I would add at least 4 gallons of liquid chlorine
and run the pool for 24 hours. The next day it will probably be clear or at
least clearing up. If I poured only one gallon in not much would happen. Same
for a very green pool. Adding 2-3 gallons of liquid chlorine won’t do much. Adding
8-12 gallons will more than likely turn it back to at least a cloudy blue by
the next day. So, you will need to shock your pool with more chlorine than you
think. I always like to add more than less anyway, and you can’t add too much
in these situations.
Almost
as important as the pool’s filtration is the pool’s run time. If you have a brand-new
filter but only run your 20,000-gallon pool 1 hour per day, chances are the
pool will be cloudy at best and green at worst. Running your pool is critical. I
suggest running it for at least one cycle per day, which is all the water
passing from the pool, into the filter and then back out again. This will insure
great water quality and safe water as the filter has a chance to circulate the
water and chemicals and kill any bacteria or viruses in the water.
The
last factor that also has a huge effect on the pool water quality is the water
level of the pool. Low water can make the pool run poorly and create more
debris in the pool causing you to use more chemicals each week. When the water
level is correct the pool skimmer can pull the debris into the pool skimmer
basket. The more debris that falls out onto the pool bottom the more likely the
leaves and other organics will use up the chlorine in the pool. Also, if your
pool is older there may be no safety mechanism preventing the pool equipment
from running dry. This could mean that the pool pump will overheat from lack of
water and burn out. So, the having low water in your pool can become very
costly.
If
you follow these basics your pool will be looking great all season long and you
will have much fewer problems with your pool care.
Visit
my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/
YouTube
Video Index: http://poolmandave.blogspot.com/2014/03/swimming-pool-tips-reviews-how-to-video.html
– A list of all of my videos:
Comments
Post a Comment