Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

Finding your suction side automatic pool cleaner sitting on the pool bottom dead and not moving is a common issue for pool owners and service techs. There are some common issues in the equipment area that can cause this and some issues with the cleaner itself or a combination of both. Here are a few things at the equipment that I check first when I find a cleaner not moving in the pool: 1. Make sure filter is clean- if it is a D.E. Filter Clean the filter or Backwash it. For a Sand Filter Backwash, it to make sure it is clean. For a Cartridge Filter open it up and clean the cartridges. 2. Make sure filter is operating correctly – no broken grids or really old cartridges. If PSI on the gauge is over 25-30 cleaner may not operate. Optimal filter PSI is around 20 or less. 3. Make sure the pump is working correctly. If there is air getting into the pump the cleaner may not move. This is called a vacuum leak or suction leak. Air will prevent the pump from pulling water...

The Polaris 3900 Sport is one of the best high-end Pressure Side Cleaners on the market today. Before the Polaris Quattro Sport, it was the Ferrari of the Polaris line up of cleaners. It is still one of the most reliable and well-engineered cleaners on the market today. Another great bonus feature is the fact that you can basically rebuild the entire cleaner for $180.00 The Polaris R0543200 3900 Sport Rebuild Kit Retails for under $180 and it is a real bargain when you think about how it gives your 3900 Sport a new lease on life. If your Polaris 3900 Sport is running slowly or just not cleaning your pool like it used to, this kit will solve the issue. The only parts it does not come with is the top manifold, water management system, 2 wheels, tires, bag and the tail. Here is more from the manufacturer about the kit: “Polaris 3900 Sport Tune-up Kit. This is the new OEM Tune-up kit that features a new style chain cover. It will completely overhaul the head unit of your ...

Even though a Hot Tub is a small body of water it can be challenging to keep it clear and safe if you don’t know the right way to check and balance it every week. Fortunately balancing your Hot Tub is actually very easy and anyone can do it. The first and main difference is the small body of water that you are dealing with. A typical backyard pool has 15,000 gallons and a Hot Tub usually has 250-400 gallons of water in it. The chemistry adjustments, therefore, need to be done in small doses, measured in teaspoons vs gallons or pounds. So a little really goes a long way in a Hot Tub. For example, if a 300 gallon Hot Tub has a zero chlorine reading you would just need 6 teaspoons of 12.5% liquid chlorine to raise it to 3 ppm. Since they are often heated to 100 degrees all of the time be aware that the chemicals in the spa will burn off much faster than they would in a conventional inground pool. Since they are covered and out of the sun there is also no need for Condi...

Draining your Hot Tub otherwise known as a Spa can be a chore, but it is necessary to change the water on a regular basis. There are a few indicators on when you should drain your spa down and I will touch on a few here as well as the easiest way to drain your spa. What is the easiest way to drain down your Hot Tub? Each manufacturer includes some type of drain on your Hot Tub. The problem is that accessing the drain in some cases can be difficult. For instance, your Hot Tub my sit right up against the wall in your backyard or near a patio post. It is much easier to use a Utility Pump or Submergible Pump (Sump Pump) in many cases. Simply attach a garden hose to the Utility Pump, drop it in the center of the Hot Tub and plug it in. Within 20 minutes your entire Hot Tub will be drained down to less than ¼ of an inch of water. It is very easy and you won’t have to mess with Hot tub drain again. You can purchase a good ¼ hp Utility Pump for around $60-$80. When you should ...

When there is a fire in your area and you do pool service or if you have a pool in a fire area things can get very messy very quickly. Since the fire generates its own wind storm not only are the pools surrounding the fire full of debris, but the ash falling into the area and the pool becomes very problematic. Once you are able to get back into the backyard to assess the pool, don’t be surprised to find a dark black mess where your pool was once located. All of the ash and debris will make your pool look unrecognizable. The first step is to get the system up and running and that means removing all of the leaf debris on the surface so that you can get the pool pump up and running. If you do pool service this may be a three-week process. Week one, you want to focus on getting the surface cleared. I set a 25 minute limit per pool so in some cases just doing the surface will eat up the entire 25 minutes. In week two you will want to remove all of the debris on the bottom ...

Hot Tubs and Spas are very popular, and they can be a great leisure item to invest in. They are relatively inexpensive and can fit easily in even the smallest backyard space. Once you purchase one you will need to hire a service company to maintain the chemistry for you or you can do it yourself. The chemistry is similar to a backyard pool with some slight differences. The first and main difference is the small body of water that you are dealing with. A typical backyard pool has 15,000 gallons and a Hot Tub usually has 250-400 gallons of water in it. The chemistry adjustments, therefore, need to be done in small doses, measured in teaspoons vs gallons or pounds. So a little really goes a long way in a Hot Tub. For example, if a 300 gallon Hot Tub has a zero chlorine reading you would just need 6 teaspoons of 12.5% liquid chlorine to raise to raise it to 3 ppm. Since they are often heated to 100 degrees all of the time be aware that the chemicals in the spa will burn off...

Critters using your swimming pool as their own personal water hole is a common problem. Whether it be ducks, raccoons or rodents, these critters can be hard to get rid of once they have made your pool their home. But there are some ways to rid your yard of them and not bring any harm to them in the process. Ducks can really make a mess of your swimming pool. I have a lot of first-hand experience of this in my service area. Within a few days, a perfectly balanced crystal clear pool can become a swamp with just two ducks swimming in it. The problem is the waste. They are constantly excreting, and their waste is very acidic so if your pool is a brand new construction just filled, I have seen some bad stains from ducks in new pools. The waste will use up the chlorine in the pool and very quickly the water will look more like a pond than a pool. Dogs are pretty useless in getting rid of them and they have little fear of humans. If you do get them to fly away they will return...

So your pool pump won’t start. You go to turn it on and you hear a brief humming coming from the motor and then a loud click sound. Is it time for a new motor? Maybe, but maybe not just yet. It could be just the Run Capacitor or Starter Capacitor. There are ways to test the Run and Starter Capacitor with a multimeter (see below), but it is often a very simple process of listening to the pump as it tries to start. It sounds similar to when there is a jam in the impeller and this also can produce the humming and clicking off. So check the impeller also for any debris jammed in there. Also, if you have a Pentair Wisperflo pump I have also seen the seal plate warp and rub against the impeller and jam it. But more commonly it is a bad capacitor. They are relatively inexpensive and very easy to change so it would not be a bad idea to just purchase a new one and swap it out with the old one to see if that does the trick. If you do the math a $10 or $20 part vs a $400 motor, it i...

If your salt system is not producing chlorine you will want to work down this list of steps to find the solution. Here is what I do if I find a salt system is not producing chlorine in a pool. The salt level is a critical factor and if the salt level is too low in your pool the SWG will not be able to produce chlorine. Most systems need at least 3000 ppm of salt in the water except for the Hayward Aqua Rite and the Pentair iChlor which can operate with as little as 2600 ppm. They will not produce the full amount of chlorine at the lower salinity level but they will still function at a reduced output. So, the first step is to check the pool's Salinity level or salt level of the pool with either test strips or a good digital salinity meter. Once you establish that there is enough salt in the pool you can move on to the next step if the system is still not producing chlorine. Another common mistake along these lines is that you are not running the pool long enough for th...