Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Pool reminder Tip
In the summer heavy pool usage + hot weather will use up the sanitizer much faster. Keep it balanced so the chlorine will last as long as possible. If it rains heavily, my pool usually needs soda thrown in the next day. If I didn't keep this balanced (ph and alkalinity), my chlorine would fade out to nothing in no time. I have never bought alkalinity increaser--just use the baking soda that I buy in 12 lb bags at Sams Club. We probably buy 3-4 bags per summer to maintain. We buy grandulated chlorine one time every two yrs in a 50 lb tub. I noticed Sams sells this now--also has algae preventative in it. Not sure about needing that. Scroll to my other posts and you will see a link for Seaclear--the product that we have used successfully for many years and never have had a problem since then.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Schedule for Maintaining your own pool year round
CHEAP WAY TO MAINTAIN A SPARKLING CLEAR POOL
Since we have learned to maintain pool balance, our pool has stayed in good shape. I'm talking about year round for the past eight years. Here is the order of maintaining during the spring, summer and fall:
When your water begins to look a little murky in the glass tube attached to your filter, then it is time to
1. BACKWASH then rinse
2. Adjust/raise ph if necessary by adding baking soda (we buy ours at Sams)--most of the time after a big rainfall, I notice that the ph and alkalinity gets low
3. Add granular chlorine 3-5 lbs to oxygenate the water and clean it
4. If it is the beginning of the pool season, this is a good time to add the liquid algaecide directly to the pool. We didn't buy the algaecide from just any store--we ordered it from http://www.spadepot.com/ . It is the brand SeaClear. We also get our clarifier there. We tried all kinds of algaecides from pool places and Walmart--like for mustard algae, black algae--all that--back when we were in the black lagoon mode--none worked for us--but keep in mind that the ORDER that you do things is very important, and I may not have known that back then.
5. Add 4 or so chlorine tablets to chlorinater
6. Then next day add some clarifier directly to pool
Now we only add algaecide once a year even though the product says apply every 3 months--everything is still great--but we do keep our pool clean year round.
WINTER water MAINTENANCE:
Turn the pump on a few hrs a day to keep debris to a minimum
When below freezing always keep turned on.
Add chlorine tablets monthly. I do not have to shock unless the winter months are above 60 degrees for an extended period. (hasn't happened yet, but with this weather...)
REMEMBER THIS IS ONLY A GUIDELINE BECAUSE EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME WEATHER OR FOLIAGE AROUND THEIR POOL. BUT I DO KNOW THAT KEEPING IT CLEAN YEAR ROUND IS WHAT WORKS FOR US AS WELL AS THE PREVENTATIVE ALGAECIDE.
Since we have learned to maintain pool balance, our pool has stayed in good shape. I'm talking about year round for the past eight years. Here is the order of maintaining during the spring, summer and fall:
When your water begins to look a little murky in the glass tube attached to your filter, then it is time to
1. BACKWASH then rinse
2. Adjust/raise ph if necessary by adding baking soda (we buy ours at Sams)--most of the time after a big rainfall, I notice that the ph and alkalinity gets low
3. Add granular chlorine 3-5 lbs to oxygenate the water and clean it
4. If it is the beginning of the pool season, this is a good time to add the liquid algaecide directly to the pool. We didn't buy the algaecide from just any store--we ordered it from http://www.spadepot.com/ . It is the brand SeaClear. We also get our clarifier there. We tried all kinds of algaecides from pool places and Walmart--like for mustard algae, black algae--all that--back when we were in the black lagoon mode--none worked for us--but keep in mind that the ORDER that you do things is very important, and I may not have known that back then.
5. Add 4 or so chlorine tablets to chlorinater
6. Then next day add some clarifier directly to pool
Now we only add algaecide once a year even though the product says apply every 3 months--everything is still great--but we do keep our pool clean year round.
WINTER water MAINTENANCE:
Turn the pump on a few hrs a day to keep debris to a minimum
When below freezing always keep turned on.
Add chlorine tablets monthly. I do not have to shock unless the winter months are above 60 degrees for an extended period. (hasn't happened yet, but with this weather...)
REMEMBER THIS IS ONLY A GUIDELINE BECAUSE EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME WEATHER OR FOLIAGE AROUND THEIR POOL. BUT I DO KNOW THAT KEEPING IT CLEAN YEAR ROUND IS WHAT WORKS FOR US AS WELL AS THE PREVENTATIVE ALGAECIDE.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Use a preventive algaecide
We use a 3 month algacide that has really done the trick! Prior to this discovery we were in the black lagoon and since then we have had a crystal clear pool---it has been truly amazing--don't wait until you have evidence of the need for an algaecide--use it to prevent it!!
Then don't use anything else but soda, chlorine, maybe some clarifier, and the tablets in the skimmer. Where we live the alkalinity of the water tends to get low instead of high---I use a dip stick to check it before I think it may be time to shock (monthly) and if it looks low I just dump several lbs of soda in the water--brush it around a little--then add the chlorine directly to the skimmer with the pump in recirculate mode. This takes care of it just fine---remember that it is better to put less than too much chemicals into your pool.
Soda, chlorine, and clarifier--that's all you need
Then don't use anything else but soda, chlorine, maybe some clarifier, and the tablets in the skimmer. Where we live the alkalinity of the water tends to get low instead of high---I use a dip stick to check it before I think it may be time to shock (monthly) and if it looks low I just dump several lbs of soda in the water--brush it around a little--then add the chlorine directly to the skimmer with the pump in recirculate mode. This takes care of it just fine---remember that it is better to put less than too much chemicals into your pool.
Soda, chlorine, and clarifier--that's all you need
Monday, October 29, 2007
Pools are like a baby
It's like having a baby--Pools need to be on a schedule.
We haven't had a bit of trouble with our pool since we started doing less, but doing it on a schedule and in a pattern.. For example---We use an algaecide as a preventive maintenance
every 3-4 months. We run our pool 12 months of the year even though we only swim in the summer. I use chlorine only every month to shock in the spring, summer and fall--none in the winter of course--this is Alabama but it can get cold---ALso, with a polaris you can get a routine of running it twice a week---then remember to drop 4 or 5 tablets in every week and easy enough, you have a well maintained pool---we used to go through such difficulty--and so much chlorine--now I use only a 150 lb pail every 2 years--so that is only $75 per year because we pay $150 for it. We go through a 40 lb bucket of tablets every year--that is about $70 at Sams---oh and I almost forgot--my husband loves to put clarifier in the pool once in a while----but the pool is kind of like a baby--it'll let you know when it's diaper needs a change---so don't wait too long to back wash--and remember to backwash before you shock--always rinse after you backwash--and there is no need to backwash as often as they tell you to---just use good sense--how dirty has the water been?? how much pollen has been in the air?
Happy Pool days!
We haven't had a bit of trouble with our pool since we started doing less, but doing it on a schedule and in a pattern.. For example---We use an algaecide as a preventive maintenance
every 3-4 months. We run our pool 12 months of the year even though we only swim in the summer. I use chlorine only every month to shock in the spring, summer and fall--none in the winter of course--this is Alabama but it can get cold---ALso, with a polaris you can get a routine of running it twice a week---then remember to drop 4 or 5 tablets in every week and easy enough, you have a well maintained pool---we used to go through such difficulty--and so much chlorine--now I use only a 150 lb pail every 2 years--so that is only $75 per year because we pay $150 for it. We go through a 40 lb bucket of tablets every year--that is about $70 at Sams---oh and I almost forgot--my husband loves to put clarifier in the pool once in a while----but the pool is kind of like a baby--it'll let you know when it's diaper needs a change---so don't wait too long to back wash--and remember to backwash before you shock--always rinse after you backwash--and there is no need to backwash as often as they tell you to---just use good sense--how dirty has the water been?? how much pollen has been in the air?
Happy Pool days!
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