Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

After a lot of research we decided to have artificial turf installed at our house. Since this is more or less a permanent upgrade we wanted it to look the best. The old saying, “You get what you pay for” couldn’t be more true when it comes to choosing your artificial turf. If you have ever seen a bad inexpensive turf job around your neighborhood you know what I mean. After getting four different bids we decided to go with a local Southern California company, All Season Turf. https://www.myallseasonturf.com/ This is a smaller family-owned and operated company, but you can see from the video that they definitely know what they are doing. They also install Tiger Turf which is made here in the USA and comes with a 15-year warranty (100% lead-free). Here is more of why you should think about installing Artificial Turf (courtesy of All Season Turf): Artificial grass offers many advantages over a traditional lawn Artificial grass offers an excellent landscaping o...

Industrial Test Systems (ITS) makes several photometers and digital pool testers. The eXact iDip, Pool eXact EZ are just two of their popular models. All of these are also sold as kits and their premiere pool service kit is the eXact iDip® Pool Pro+ Test Kit. Below is a summary of some of their more popular kits. The eXact iDip® Pool Pro+ Test Kit Part No. 486101-KP2-K: This kit does everything. Literally. Over 40 test factors. When you purchase the Kit SenSafe will give you a code to download all of the test factors for the app for free. It comes with 25 tests of each of Total Alkalinity, pH, Free Chlorine (DPD-1), Combined/Total Chlorine (DPD-3), Calcium Hardness, Cyanuric Acid. You can purchase additional eXact Strip Micros for the other 30 plus test factors. The pH+ Meter does Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, and Temperature. Here is more about this kit: The first is the revolutionary Level 1 NSF/ANSI-50 Certified eXact iDip® Smart Photometer System which i...

So, which is better? The premium Polaris3900 sport (P39) or the Polaris Quattro Sport (P40)? I think it is a matter of budget and overall use/need. The P40 does a much better job of climbing and scrubbing the walls to the pool waterline and overall has better coverage. The P39 is less expensive and will also clean your pool in an excellent fashion, it just lacks the wall scrubbing ability and some other cool features of the P40. The Polaris P40 is the sister cleaner to the Polaris Quattro Sport and it is the first real update of the Polaris Pressure Side Cleaner in over 40 years. Over the years Polaris has tweaked the design of the Polaris by changing the drive from a drive shaft to a belt and then to a chain, but the basic 3-wheel design stayed the same. The Polaris P40 is a huge leap forward in Pressure Side Cleaners. Here are some of the great new features of the P40: Active Brushing Equipped with rotating brushes that actively scrub and scour floors, wal...

As far as bouncing type cleaner go, I was surprised at how well the Jacuzzi J-D300 actually faired and would say for the price and three-year warranty it is a cleaner worth looking at. There are basically two categories of suction side cleaners, the geared type and the bouncing type like the J-D300. The 3-year warranty is an attractive feature and the fact that the cleaner actually works very well is another. To order the J-D300: https://www.lesliespool.com/Jacuzzi-J-D300-Suction-Side-Pool-Cleaner/J-D300.htm/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=spll&utm_campaign=spll Here is more about the J-D300: The J-D300 includes a FREE Backup Diaphragm and 40 feet of installation hose for easier installation. This cleaner offers you strong cleaning power without the power of a booster pump and with few moving parts. No tools required, this cleaner installs in just minutes saving you time! Save on maintenance and keep your pool clear of dirt and debris with the J-D300 Suction S...

Is it possible to have a perfectly balanced pool? How do you balance a pool? What is a balanced pool? Is it like Anakin bringing balance to the Force? And last at what point is a pool considered balanced? These are all things I get asked often (minus the Star Wars Nerd Question) and the answer is just as elusive as these questions. Let’s start with the first question which is can you have a perfectly balanced pool? Here are some ideal pool parameters and although they all differ slightly, these are the preferred ranges across the industry. Free Chlorine 1.0-3.0 ppm Combined Chlorine 0 ppm Bromine 4.0-6.0 ppm pH 7.4-7.8 Total Alkalinity 80-120 ppm Calcium Hardness 200-400 ppm Cyanuric Acid 30-50 ppm TDS <2000 ppm ORP 650 or above Is there a way to adjust these readings in your pool to get them within these ideal ranges? The answer is yes, with enough trial and error you can get your test factors to line up with these guidelines. The next quest...

The Lamotte ColorQ 2x Pro 7 Test amazingly easy to use to get your pool or spa water test factors. In about 5 minutes you can have accurate results for all of the major testing parameters for your pool or spa and with the Waterlink Solutions Home app you can send these results right to your email. No more guessing at what color the reagent is, the digital readout will give you a spot on result every time. Here are the Test Factors that the ColorQ 2x will test for: Free Chlorine | 0-10 ppm Total Chlorine | 0-10 ppm Bromine | 0-22 ppm pH | 6.5-8.5 Alkalinity | 0-250 ppm Hardness | 0-400 ppm Cyanuric Acid | 0-125 Kit Includes: ColorQ 2x Photometer Photo-diagrammatic instructions (English, Spanish and French) Reagents Convenient carrying case Note: Each reagent contains enough solution for 144 tests Contains 100 TesTab tablets for each test Lamotte 2086 (Replaces 2056) An added feature is the Blue tooth connectivity and the ability to emai...

The Lamotte ColorQ 2x Pro 7 Test Kit is loaded with some great new features making this a premiere digital water tester for your pool or spa. If you are looking for an accurate way to test your pool water and don’t like guessing by trying to read the reagent colors, this kit would be perfect for you. It will give you a spot on digital readout of seven test factors within minutes. To order:  To order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B5NHM1W/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=swimmingpooll-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=33a222924e4b9f8d929363aee5d58ce0&creativeASIN=B08B5NHM1W Here is more about the ColorQ 2x Pro 7: “The Waterproof Bluetooth® ColorQ 2x PRO 7 handheld pool and spa professional photometer directly measure Free Chlorine (DPD), Total Chlorine (DPD), Bromine (DPD), pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer) directly on a digital display. The handheld meter is easy to use and features economical liquid reagents that measure 144 tests pe...

What Are Enzymes? And how can they benefit your pool or spa care? I get asked all the time about the use of Enzymes and in the last couple of years Enzyme treatment has really taken off in the Industry. Using Enzymes can improve water quality and enhance the effectiveness of your pool’s chlorine. “Enzymes are naturally occurring proteins that act as catalysts to speed up the chemical process of breaking down non-living organic materials like the grime and gunk that collects in a pool or spa from wind and rain, dirt, leaves, animal (and human) waste. Enzymes are not alive themselves, they do “eat “organic material by reacting with organic pollutants and turning them into natural byproducts like CO2 or water without changing their own molecular structure.” -InTheSwim.com   One thing to note is the Enzymes do not eat living bacteria so they cannot take the place of your pool sanitizer. In other words, you still need to add chlorine to your pool each week and keep i...

The new Jacuzzi® JMCS - Mineral Cartridge System made by Nature2 is so simple to install. Note that if you have a Zodiac Nature2 Express the installation process is exactly the same. The Jacuzzi Mineral System is currently priced at $99.00 this is a great deal for a top of the line mineral system and slightly less expensive than the Zodiac Nature2 Express. The Zodiac Nature2 Express is a 5-star rated mineral system and the Jacuzzi JMCS is again made by the same manufacture and has the same mineral content: Copper sulfate pentahydrate 1.0 mg Silver metal 0.01 mg/m3 Aluminum Oxide 15 mg/m3 Installation of the unit should take you around 10 minutes at the most. You just need to locate the appropriate location on your pool’s return line and typically you need about 6 inches of free pipe. Included in the box is the “Saddle” for both 2” plumbing and 1.5” plumbing. If you have an above-ground pool with flex plumbing, you can use the included 1.5” PVC adapter to mount t...