Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

Here are a few things about the equipment that I check first when I find a cleaner not moving in the pool: 1. Make sure the filter is clean- if it is a D.E. Filter, Clean it 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. Ensure the filter operates correctly – no broken grids or old cartridges. If the PSI on the gauge is over 25-30, the cleaner may not work. The optimal filter PSI is around 20 or less. 3. Make sure the pump is working correctly. If air gets 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 extra 30 ft through the cleaner hose. You can typically check for an air leak by disconnecting the cleaner. If the pump primes up fine but loses its prime once you reconnect the cleaner, I would suspect an air leak. The likely location is the threaded fitting on top of the pump and the threaded fitting going int...

 The VacDaddy is constantly improving and innovating, and with their new larger bags, the VacDaddy is even more versatile. The new bags increase debris capacity by 60%, making vacuuming more accessible.   New Felt Filter Bag $44.95  The new and improved VacDaddy Felt Filter Bag offers a more durable option for cleaning. Now, with a 60% larger surface area and 108% bigger volume, this bag features 75-micron cleaning. The density of the bag traps more fine debris, enabling you to put more polish on your pool, and traps finer particles than our competitor's simple nylon mesh bags.  New Mesh Filter Bag $44.95  The new and improved VacDaddy Mesh Filter Bag offers a lightweight, easy cleaning, filtration. Now with a 60% larger surface area and 108% bigger volume. This bag features cleaning to 200 microns, perfect for weekly vacuums and touch-ups. We like the mesh bag for ease of use and quick cleaning when the bag is full.  New Leaf Filter Bag-PREORDER NOW! $44.9...

The Degrii Zima Pro is a hybrid cordless robotic pool cleaner that will give you more options than your standard cordless robotic pool cleaner. The battery is in a floating tethered control box which will give it a longer run time -3 hours and it allows the cleaner to be app controlled. One thing wifi cannot do is work underwater.  Another benefit of having app control is that the Firmware of the cleaner can easily be updated. After testing the cleaner for a month, I received a new Firmware update that corrected a few things in the cleaning pattern. This will make the Zima Pro even better in the future with each software update. Let's get the negative points out of the way. The cable from the robot to the controller is 11.5 ft. This should be good for most pools with standard deep ends of 6 ft to 10 ft. It is a rather heavy robot weighing over 20 lbs, and then, of course, you are transporting both the cleaner and the controller back and forth to the pool. Last, the current filters ...

 Draining your swimming pool sounds simple enough. But there are many things to be aware of, and some things you overlook could cost you thousands of dollars and could cause potential damage to your pool. Plaster/cement and Pebble Tec pools are the only in-ground pool types you can safely drain. If you drain a drop-in fiberglass pool down, the walls may collapse and damage the pool. If you drain in an in-ground vinyl pool, the liner can separate from the wall, severely damaging the pool to the point where you will need a new liner. The drop-in Fiberglass Pool and an in-ground Vinyl Pool should only be drained by a company specializing in them. Otherwise, you can damage these types of pools by draining them down. The first thing to check is how your city looks at pool draining. Most towns in every region ban draining your pool directly into the gutter outside the street. Here in my area, if you drain a green pool or a blue pool directly into the road in front of your house, you will...

Your swimming pool saltwater generator will eventually stop producing chlorine when the water temperature of the pool drops to the low 60-degree mark. In that case, you can turn off your saltwater generator and switch to an alternate chlorine choice.  Liquid chlorine is best, and you don't need too much in the winter months. Liquid chlorine mimics your saltwater generator and is the closest chlorine type to what your salt cell produces. However, you may want to use Dichlor as a monthly sanitizer since it is about 50% cyanuric acid, and this will allow you to add CYA to your pool in the winter months, and maybe you will not need to recharge your pool's CYA level in the spring.  You can also do what I do in southern California: install a floater in the pool and tie it to the skimmer lid with a string. That way, it is not floating all over the pool, which could cause some potential staining on the step areas or ledge areas from the Trichlor tablets in the floater. Trichlor tablet...

 The VacDaddy is constantly improving and innovating, and with their new larger bags, the VacDaddy is even more versatile. The new bags increase debris capacity by 60%, making vacuuming more accessible.   New Felt Filter Bag $44.95   The new and improved VacDaddy Felt Filter Bag offers a more durable option for cleaning. Now, with a 60% larger surface area and 108% bigger volume, this bag features 75-micron cleaning. The density of the bag traps more fine debris, enabling you to put more polish on your pool, and traps finer particles than our competitor's simple nylon mesh bags.   New Mesh Filter Bag $44.95   The new and improved VacDaddy Mesh Filter Bag offers a lightweight, easy cleaning, filtration. Now with a 60% larger surface area and 108% bigger volume. This bag features cleaning to 200 microns, perfect for weekly vacuums and touch-ups. We like the mesh bag for ease of use and quick cleaning when the bag is full.   New Leaf Filter Bag-PREORDER NOW! $...

If you are trying to decide between having a gas heater installed or going with a heat pump, you are in the right place. Each is vastly different, but both can be a viable option under the right circumstances.   One thing to keep in mind is that they are set up to either use natural gas or electricity. This means you will need a dedicated gas line run from the meter to the Gas Heater. You will need a larger upgraded gas meter in most cases as well. For the Heat Pump, you will need a dedicated 230V line run to a sub-panel for the Heat Pump since it generates somewhere around 50 amps when operating. Both of these options, if not already existing, are very expensive to run. It is not easy to switch from a Gas Heater to a Heat Pump and vice versa. In a new pool, it is easy enough to install either.   Gas heaters and heat pumps are two standard methods of heating a home or a pool. They operate using different principles and have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Here are some ...

 Toxic smells are all part of the job. It's an unavoidable occupational hazard. However, you should be aware of some of the more dangerous smells so you don't fall into harm's way. #1 on the list would be Trichlor tablets in a small body of water. This can happen when the lid of a Trichlor tablet bucket is not secure, and water gets into the bucket. Or this could happen when a Trichlor chlorinator is full of tablets, but they fail to dissolve, and you remove the lid. Since Thrichlor is made up of chlorine and acid (Cyanuric Acid), the smell is likened to Mustard Gas used in WWI and can be overwhelming and debilitating. It can cause your lungs to stop working and, depending on how much you have to breathe in, could become a medical emergency.    There was one member of my group who suffered lung damage and, for months, could not take a deep breath after opening a Trichlor bucket that was full of tablets and water. Be extremely cautious when opening a Trichlor tablet bucket...

 Running a pool service business involves more than just maintaining pools. Providing excellent service and value to your customers is essential for success. Here are some ways to add value to your pool service business. Professionalism and Reliability: Be punctual and reliable. Show up when you say you will. Maintain a professional appearance and demeanor. Clearly communicate with clients about scheduling and any changes. Quality Workmanship: Ensure that your pool cleaning and maintenance services are thorough and effective. Use high-quality cleaning equipment and chemicals. Education and Training: Stay updated on the latest pool maintenance techniques, equipment, and chemicals. Provide educational resources for your customers on how to maintain their pools between service visits. Customer Service: Be responsive to inquiries and concerns. Listen to your customers and address their specific needs and preferences. Customized Service Plans: Offer personalized service plans tailored t...