Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

I sat down with Alicia Stephens & Brian Trenck of KIK/BioLab and we discussed all things related to phosphates in a swimming pool. Phosphates are an emerging problem in the industry Orthophosphate into the water system to prevent pipes from rusting That goes into your pool when you refill it Phosphates also enter the water through various consumer products If you have algae in your pool, you have phosphates in the water Test your pool phosphate level with a photometer or phosphate test strips Phosphates are measured in PPB Any phosphate level will lead to algae growth if left untreated Phosphates are one food source for algae 300 BBP or more should be treated  Phopfree is an excellent option –  After you remove the phosphates, use a maintenance dose of Phospfree or a blended formula.  Perfect Weekly or Phosefree and Pool Perfect Important: Algae must be treated before testing and lowering phosphates. Chlorine must be under 5ppm before testing phosphates. Make sure you...

If you're new to pool ownership by having a pool constructed or purchasing a house with a pool, you have already learned that having a pool can be expensive. I am not talking about just the chemicals you need for each pool season but the electricity use and the replacement and repair of the pool equipment over time. These two costs, higher utility bills and equipment replacement, strain your household budget. The best way to save money on utility bills is to replace your standard single-speed pump with a Variable Speed Pump or VS pump. This will significantly lower your monthly electricity bill by dropping your total usage. I will go over this in a separate article in more detail, but if you can make the switch, do it. Your single-speed pool pump is your home's number one energy consumer next to your Air Conditioner. I wanted to touch more on equipment replacement costs and how long a piece of equipment will last based on my experience in the industry. Like everything else, the...

Swim Check Fix™ Phosphate is an innovative, hassle-free solution designed to remove phosphates and maintain crystal-clear water effectively. Add the easy-to-use tablets directly to your skimmer basket. Even after the tablet dissolves, it removes phosphates, ensuring a stress-free experience for pool owners. NO LIQUIDS! NO FLOC! NO CLOUDY WATER! This is an intelligent alternative to liquid phosphate removers and an effective method. I like putting it in the skimmer basket and then forgetting about it. There is no need to redo the pool; keep the chlorine in balance, which will take care of the phosphates in the pool, thereby eliminating a food source for algae.  The main difference between these and liquid phosphate removers is that these won’t cloud the pool, and since they release the phosphate remover in small doses over four weeks, you will not see your filter pressure rise. The liquid phosphate removers tend to cause the pool filter PSI to rise. Not so with these slow-dissolving...

The Aiper Surfer S1 Solar Powered Surface Cleaner is a solid entry into this cleaner category. Made out of durable plastic and featuring robust parts, it works very well at what it is designed for -cleaning the leaves and acceptable debris off the pool surface. I like the gigantic debris tray, which has a very fine mesh, so this is great for excellent particle surface debris as well as large leaf debris. I don't like the slide-back top for accessing the debris canister. It works fine, but you need more real estate to open it, and there is nothing wrong with a flip-open top found on another solar-surface cleaner. That is just a knock on the style; as far as function, this works perfectly fine. It maneuvers around the entire pool and has no problem cleaning the surface.  Like all solar surface cleaners, the #1 problem is the cleaner getting pulled into the skimmer when running. Cutting a pool noodle and sticking one or two pieces in the skimmer is a viable solution – creating a drain...

Surface debris can be unsightly and can also cause your pool to consume more chlorine. If your skimmer is getting full each week, a few products can help with the heavy surface debris.  This sounds simple, and it is probably the thing that will help the most, but it is one thing many customers do not want to do. Trim the trees and keep them trimmed back every season. Trimming the trees around the pool can go a long way in eliminating excessive leaf debris. It is probably overdue if you haven’t trimmed your trees in years. Cutting the trees removes all the leaf debris that would fall into the pool over time and prevents many leaves that would fall in from overhanging branches. I have had many clients also take a tree or several trees out because managing the debris was a losing battle. But simply trimming the trees around the pool will help. A device that I love and works surprisingly well is the PoolSkim. It is a simple device that you connect to one of your pool’s return lines and...

 If you have been waiting to purchase a Primate Carbon Fiber Pool Pole and were looking at the P3X but didn’t like the way the 3rdsection extended and used a V-clip to lock it in place, now you can purchase the P3X with a 2nd Level Lock. If you have an older P3X pole, you can easily add a 2nd Lever lock with the P3X RETRO FITTED LOCK KIT.  This unique, retro-fitted lever lock kit is engineered to convert your current P3X snap button system to a lever locking system. This lock is fitted to be installed on the 2nd and 3rd extension of your P3X pole. If you own any version of the P3X before March 2024, you can use this retro lock system on your pole.  The kit includes: • A lever lock. • A specially engineered insert for the lock. • Three pieces of a special non-slip reflector tape. **THIS LOCK IS ONLY COMPATIBLE ON THE P3X MODEL** This is a specialized lock kit designed for the 2nd and 3rd extending tubes of the P3X. The P3X now uses one standard lock on the first tube and t...

 Mickey's Quick Coupler: Building 2- Piece Couplers I make a 2-piece Coupler that fits the Pentair and Hayward Salt cells. It goes on in a minute without cutting or replumbing. It takes longer to break/cut the old one off!    I am making other sizes for different applications. I get requests from repair folks to build more, so I will keep after it! I am working on two new couplers that will replace a Hayward 200 and the 3200 couplers. The pool repair guys have been asking for those 2. https://www.mikeysquickcoupler.com/ Multi-Tork: I love the Multi-Tork Filter Socket set and use it on all my filters. They also make other great tools for your filter cleaning and multi-purpose tools for pool equipment. Here are some videos featuring their great products and where to purchase them. https://multi-tork.com/ Leaf Bone: Please measure your ladder – ONLY intended for In-Ground Pools with 1.9" steel ladders It will not fit a 1.5" diameter ladder handrail Fits most pool leaf rake n...