Basic Pool Maintenance

Rob and Jane give great tips on what pool maintenance can easily be done by pool owners and how to do it safely.

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How To Do a Backwash Service on a Pool Filter.

Rob takes us through a detailed step-by-step process of how the professionals perform a backwash on a DE Pool Filter and why this service is necessary.

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How To Clean a Pool Salt Cell

Learn how to clean a pool salt cell with this helpful step-by-step video with Sean from Reliable Pool Solutions.

Servicing a DE Pool Filter

Follow Sean in this step by step servicing of a DE Pool Filter and discover what exactly the professionals look for when they are determining the need of service and how they go about doing it.

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Summer Solutions for a Crystal Clear Swimming Pool

One of our Facebook Fans had a great question on prepping the swimming pool this summer for a long enjoyable season! We decided to post a blog that includes an emphasis on 2 key items for ensuring a crystal clear swimming pool.

# 1 – Professionally service your pool filter

• Why professionally??? Because we are entering into the hottest time of the year. If there is any chance of a clogged filter or a poorly maintenced filter, you will run a HUGE risk of dirty/cloudy water.

#2 – ALGAE FREE POOLS are 95% about properly balanced CHLORINE (SANITATION) LEVELS

Why you ask?…Chlorine is an anti-bacterial chemical that KILLS bacterial (Algae) growth and is what’s used to sanitize our domestic drinking water. But there is a little more you should know about chlorine levels before you go blasting your swimming pool with 4 gallons of liquid chlorine:

• Warm weather breeds algae, so whether you have a salt water pool or you are using traditional chlorine (liquid or dry tablet form) KEEP YOUR CHLORINE LEVELS on the HIGHER SIDE (3.0/ppm) this SUMMER.

• The down side of higher chlorine levels are this: Eye irritation, bleached swim suits, undesired odors, and it can be harsh on your pool plaster or equipment. By keeping your pH also balanced (7.4/ppm) each week this will help to minimized the chlorine consumption. However, you should also know that pH levels that are too low can cause the same effects with eye irritation and be harsh on pool equipment. It is all a subtle balance with a stronger emphasis on Chlorine levels. Check out some SECRET TIPS for a simplistic approach to GREAT water chemistry!

• SECRET TIP (Semi-Annual TEST): SALT WATER POOLS; check the sodium level (2700 – 3400/ppm) NO More, NO Less!

• SECRET TIP (Semi-Annual TEST): **FOR ALL POOLS; Check you CONDITIONER LEVEL (80/ppm) NO More, NO Less! So many people forget this step and it is equally important as chlorine is to a pool. Conditioner is what will retain the chlorine levels within your pool. Without it, 2 gallons of chlorine will become dissipated in 2 days on a hot summer day ~ trust me, the green algae monster will rear its ugly head if you don’t!

• SECRET TIP: Consider purchasing a Pool Rx Natural Mineral Purifier to add to your pool this summer. This product you can purchase at a pool supply store or online. What it does is help aid in minimizing the need to over chlorinate your pool to fight off the GREEN MONSTER. This device can be placed inside the pool pump basket or the skimmer basket and can treat up to 20,000 gallon pools. This will usually will last for 1 to 2 seasons before it needs to be replaced. Many pool pros use these to dazzle their customers with the crystal clear effect it has on their pool water and it is totally safe to use!

Invest a little up front this summer and a little GREEN MONSTER prevention in the beginning of the summer season will go a long ways! Not to mention it will leave you feeling totally stress free when it comes to your swimming pool maintenance. Happy swimming! Any comments or questions about this article, post them on Reliable Pool Solutions – Facebook! We will follow up with our best response and hopefully help others out as well.

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Can I use a Fire Hydrant to refill my swimming pool?!

One option you may consider is utilizing a fire hydrant that is located close to your house. But before you do, know this! When hooking up that fire hydrant and running a hose to your back yard, there are a few things you must know. First and for most, utilizing the local water districts fire hydrant is illegal. There are ways around this. The water that is supplied to the hydrant is typically city owned water.

First check with the pool service company to see if this will damage your new plaster. Second, contact you water district before taking action on filling up your pool. A lot of water districts will send someone out to hook up a meter onto the fire hydrant. This give the water district the ability to monitor water usage so they can bill you later. This will save time if time is of concern to you. The quicker the pool is filled the quicker you can start up your pool equipment.

As previously state, when you are using a fire hydrant to fill your pool, always check with your pool service company first. Pool plaster usually takes a least 24 hours to begin a solid cure. The plaster starts setting immediately, however the total curing process takes about a week. If you blast your brand new pool plaster with 125 gpm (gallons per minute) your plaster could be damaged. Make sure you get some guidance from your pool plaster company to ensure a smooth filling operation.

Effective Ways To Clean Your Pool & Spa

When it comes to trying to save money with pool & spa service, some enjoy cleaning there own swimming pool. If you are a new pool owner and are looking to maintenance your own swimming pool, there is a simple process  to help keep your pool looking great all season long.

Step #1:

You should start with is brushing the tile. This will dislodge any debris that has collected on the edges of your swimming pool. Using a brush that is secured on a pole is the single best method for completing this task. A mild tile soap is good when scrubbing the sides because it will help to loosen up any residue that has accumulate along the tile line. Finding tile soap at most local pool supplies is not difficult either. Make sure the tile soap that you are using is made for swimming pools and not a liquid detergent. Liquid detergent will turn your pool into a bubble bath in your pool and that is a whole other problem in itself.

Step #2

Netting the surface of your swimming pool. Once the tile is  scrubbed, the leaves and debris has now been dislodged from the sides of the pool. Now netting the surface of your pool allows you to get the maximum amount of debris out of the pool prior to vacuuming. I recommend using a net that has a mess bag within the net. The nets that are designed with a tight flat mess surface are not nearly as effective. Quality pool accessories for cleaning a pool are import because they will make the process much more effortless on your part.

Step #3

Vacuuming the pool. If you are not using a automatic pool cleaner than you will need to vacuum the pool by manually. Secure the vacuum head onto a long telescoping 6 foot pole. This will allow you to extend the pole up to 12 feet to reach those leaves in the deep end. Place the vacuum head in the water and maintain control of both the pole and the hose once it enters the water. Failure to achieve control of both of the vacuum hose and the pole may require you to go swimming to retrieve them. Grab the hose on the vacuum head side as it enters the water and gently force the hose under water using a hand of hand method. This will cause the pool water to fill the vacuum hose. The idea here is to evacuating any air that was previously inside the hose. If not done properly, when the hose is plugged into the skimmer you will lose the prime on your pump.  Once the vacuum hose is filled completely with water you can now plug the opposite end of the hose into the skimmer. Of course, make sure your pool circulation pump is running when you plug it into the skimmer otherwise you may have trouble making a connection inside the skimmer. Some skimmers have 2 holes inside of it. Alway plug it into the hole that is furthest away from the side wall of the pool. This hole goes directly to the suction side of your pool pump.

Step #4

Checking the water chemistry. I mention this now because once you splash your vacuum hose into the pool; you break the surface tension of the pool making it very difficult to visualize the bottom floor. If you check the water chemistry now, it will give the water time to settle before you vacuum. Alway check the chlorine levels and PH balance every week. Staying diligent with this every week will minimize the chances for algae growth.

Step #5

Vacuuming. Once you are done vacuuming you can remove the vacuum head which will suck all the water out of the hose. You need to be quick at this step otherwise you will lose the prime in your pump. So be aware, you must remove the vacuum hose from the skimmer before all the air is evacuated from the hose. If you fail unplug the vacuum hose from the skimmer quickly, it will drawl air into the suction line resulting in a lost prime. Now you will have to stop what you are doing in order to regain the prime you have lost. This will create a whole different challenge in itself to regain the prime.

Step #6

Brushing the walls. After the pool vacuum is removed you should always brush down the walls. This will remove any part of the pool that the vacuumed did not pick up and also any early signs of algae and put it into suspension. When the algae or debris is brushed into suspension, it allows the pool circulation pump to filter out these impurities and filter the water to a crystal clear fresh quality.

Step #7

Add pool chemicals. Base on the results of your test, add any necessary chemicals to maintain a proper balance keeping your pool free from unnecessary algae growth or excessive calcium growth along the pools edge. Also check all of your leaf baskets to ensure they are completely empty. If not, the water cannot circulate freely and filter the water as efficiently.

These basic step by step process will seem like a daunting task to handle. This is why so many pool owners choose to hire a pool professional to handle these tasks. Some times after factoring the expensive cost for chemicals and your time it makes more sense to hire a professional who does this 10 to 15 times each day leaving you more free time to enjoy your pool!

My Pool Looks Like a Bubble Foam Party, How Do I Fix It?!

Attention all parents with teenagers, never leave on vacation with your teenager in charge! Well this might be a bit over dramatic of course. If anyone has teenagers and their teenagers have friends than here is a situation you could be faced with. You leave the house for a nice mellow get away with the wife and come home to find your teenage had a party at the house and your swimming pool is overflowing with foam and detergent bubbles! How can this problem be fixed.

Well to be honest with you, I was a teenager once. However I never tried this stunt because my mom would have kicked my butt! There is a solution to a foam filled pool but it isn’t a easy simple 1 – 2 – 3 fix.

Netting out the foam will not work. Backwashing the pool filter out to the street will not work either and here is why. The backwash valve on the filter will only allow you to drain your pool a couple of inches and never lower than the skimmer line. Also, sucking detergent through your pool equipment could reek havoc on your pool pump seals as well as your pool filter internal parts and filter grids. You will need to drain your pool water down low enough to get rid of a majority of the detergent.

Your solution is to rent a sump pump from a local hardware store or equipment rental facility. Simply drop the sump pump into the pool draining the water level down till you have emptied out approximately 2/3rd the water. Be careful when you are emptying your swimming pool, if your soil has a high water table content then you could run a risk of clacking the pool gunite if too much water is emptied. The best solutions to avoid this is to only empty out no more than 1/3rd the amount of water inside the pool at any one time. Refill it and try running your pool equipment again to see if you still have bubbles building inside your pool.

Once you have refilled the pool and confirmed no more bubble, re-balance the water chemistry and you are now back in business. Brace your self, this could take an entire day to finish the task. Over course any pool service company could also handle this dilemma, however it will be additional expenses for you to do so. In my opinion, it might be worth the added cost to hire some one else, but that is just me.

How often should I add or change my pool filter DE?

DE which is short for Diatomaceous Earth is a  fine fossilized powder that is used for water filtration and is a very commonly used substance for swimming pool filters frequently called DE filters. DE pool filters are capable of filtering water up to 5 micron which is equivalent to 1/10th the size of a human hair. The DE pool filters found on the swimming pool market today are the finest method of filtering pool water from bacteria and debris sediments.

When ever the DE pool filter is backwashed, the water within the DE pool filter is cycled into a reverse direction. When this occurs, all of the contaminants including the DE is forced away from the DE filter grids pushing the DE off of the filter grid and pushed into a designated backwash line. Most backwash lines are plumbed into a separate line that channels into a collection tank and the remainder of the contaminated water flows into a P-trap. However not all DE pool filters are plumbed this way, it all depends on local building codes within each cities jurisdiction.

Backwashing a DE pool filter is typically the first step of cleaning a DE pool filter because it remove approximately 80-90% of the contaminates making the pool filter servicing easier.

When a DE pool filter is backwashed, it is truly imperative that the DE powder is added back into the filter providing a a even and consistent coating on the filter grids.With out applying DE powder back into the filter, contaminants will build onto the filter grid rendering your pool filter ineffective. If the DE is not applied immediately, you can cause unnecessary damage to the filter grids and the filter will be ineffective.

DE filter powder  is added through the skimmer with the circulation pump running. Every DE filter has a different requirement for the amount of DE filter powder that is required. At initial start up for a new swimming pool or after a thorough cleaning, the filter will need to be pre-coated with DE. The filter label will state the amount of DE required.  Start the circulation pump and once the pump is fully primed, measure the DE using a DE scoop. Slowly add the DE into the skimmer allowing the filter powder to dissolve into the water and be sucked down through the skimmer. The pump will draw in the DE and send it into the filter, where it coats the grids. Once all the DE is added, take note of the pool filter gauge reading of the filter’s pressure. This is the clean starting pressure of the filter. When the pressure rises 8-10 PSI above the starting pressure, it is time to backwash or clean the filter again. Frequency of filter cleaning all depends on the size of the filter and the size of your swimming pool.

Why is there algae in my pool?

The single most commonly asked question by pool owner is; why does my pool still have algae?  The answer is simple, however the solution can be tricky and sometimes costly if left neglected.

The first and for most is you always need to start with the water chemistry. Regardless of weather you just checked it. There is just too many variable that most pool owners often over look. If you are not a pool professional, have someone who is qualified to test your pool water. The PH, Chlorine readings, conditioner levels, are all vital factors that need to be properly balanced before moving on to the next step. Any time the pool water is out of balanced, this can permit algae growth or make water cloudy.

If all is good with your swimming pool water chemistry then its time to move on to the next step. If your filter is dirty, the flow of water through your filter may be restricted causing more pool water problem.  It might be necessary to backwash or disassemble the filter for a thorough cleaning. If the filter is new or recently installed, check to ensure the plumbing was installed correctly. Improper water flow through the filter will do you no good.

If that is correct, check the filter operation cycle and make sure it is set to run the filtration long enough to thoroughly filter and clean the pool. Try running the filter for 24 hours, then readjust the running time to a shorter cycle.  The pool circulation time required to keep a pool clean and clear varies due to swimming pool equipment type/age, usage, water temperature, surrounding landscape and proper pool chemistry.  It might take some time to find the correct circulation time for your pool based on these variables. Running the pool circulation too long equals high electrical cost, however not running the pool filter pump long enough will lead to a dirty pool.

If after you have checked all of these items and are certain that there is absolutely no chance that it’s a water chemistry problem or a pool filtration/circulation problem, check and make sure your pool does not have a leak. It the pool is loosing water and you are having to refill it more frequently than normal, this could be your algae problem. Every time you loose treated water and replace it with fresh water you are loosing chemicals. When you loose chemicals, you are also loosing your main defense against algae and other contaminants in the pool water. If you are loosing chemicals due to a water leak, you are loosing the battle and will never catch it until the leak is fixed.

Hope this helps! If you still have problems, consult with a local pool professional. In most cases they won’t rip you off or attempt to sell you something you don’t really need. Believe me, I’ve had that experience before with my own local pool chain store. Good luck and happy swimming!

-Cabana Boy