Special Process For Mineral Removal
If your pool water contains high amounts of calcium, deposits may form on the filter materials. This issue tends to be limited to certain municipalities around the country with hard water. These deposits look like the rough, white blemishes you see on surfaces like rock and pool tile.
To address this issue, you can use a product that you likely have on hand for pool water maintenance: muriatic acid. Unless your owners manual advises against doing so, this chemicalin a diluted formcan be used attack the hard built up.
In a bucket or large trash can, make a mixture of one part muriatic acid and 30 parts water. For safety, be sure to add the acid to the waterNOT the water to the acid! In addition, wear appropriate protective gear.
When you place the cartridge into the acid bath, there may be some fizzing. This is the calcium reacting with the acid . The reaction may continue for a few minutes. When it stops, you can let the cartridge soak another 10 to 15 minutes, then its time to thoroughly rinse the cartridge with a hose.
A word of warning: Some pool owners regularly use muriatic acid for routine cartridge maintenance, but some experts advise against doing so except in special cases for calcium removal. The reason: If there are sticky bather wastes in the cartridge, the acid can actually lock any oils into the material, clogging it up.
Disconnect Change Filter Settings And Do A Final Cleanup
Once your pool is vacuumed to your satisfaction, you can disconnect your vacuum head and hoses. Make sure to clear out the bottom of the skimmer, too. If you changed your filter pump settings, make sure to change them back . For a finishing touch, attach a brush to your telescoping pole and give the pool floor and sides a good scrubbing.
Pro tip: To ensure that your pool water remains balanced, test your water after you vacuum your pool.
Clean The Sides And Bottom Of The Pool
Now that your pool water is finally looking a lot more inviting, youll simply need to brush the surfaces and vacuum the pool floor. But if there is a lot of debris, dont risk it. Its best to contact professional swimming pool cleaning services than end up clogging and damaging your filtration system.
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Can I Use A Pressure Washer To Clean Pool Tile
The first question that most people would ask in this situation is whether or not you can pressure wash pool tiles as pressure washers are extremely strong. The main concern here would be that the pressure washer would damage the tiles.
The answer is YES, pressure washers can clean pool tiles without damaging them if used properly.
Pool tiles are usually made out of either ceramic or porcelain. All of these can be damaged by a pressure washer if you use too strong of a pressure to clean these floors. Thats why there are techniques on how to clean pool tiles with pressure washers.
Later on, well discuss some of the ways to power wash pool tiles the proper way to keep from damaging them. Just keep in mind that it is possible if you know how to.
Cleaning Up Poop And Vomit
Regular care of your private pool or hot/tub spa is important to keep the water clean and balanced and your equipment functioning properly. However, accidents will happen, especially with young swimmers. Below you will find information about how to handle a fecal incident in your private pool.
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Safely Dispose Of Unused Acid
Contact your local pool supply business or municipality to learn how to dispose of any unused muriatic acid. Do not simply throw it away or pour it down a drain.
Because muriatic acid is so much stronger than vinegar or the other cleaning agents mentioned above, it can remove calcium deposits that are much more advanced. That being said, with deposits that have been growing and hardening for a long time, sometimes not even muriatic acid is enough.
If thats your situation, you have two remaining options: a pumice stone and a lot of elbow grease, or pressure washing.
Since we already spent time on the intense nature of cleaning with muriatic acid, we will skip the pumice stone method to give you a break and talk about pressureor beadwashing.
How To Manage Your Pool On A Daily Basis
The best way to enjoy a crystal-clear pool is to manage it on a daily basis. Just spending 10 minutes per day is all it takes.
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How Often Should A Pool Be Cleaned
You need to maintain your pool weekly and monthly. Heres how:
Weekly Maintenance: You need to do it every week. For weekly maintenance, the pool owner must spend some time skimming the pool surface using a skimmer. With regular skimming, you can keep dirt from getting to the bottom of the pool.
You also need to clean the pools strainer basket once a week. Also, run a pool vacuum for keeping the pool floor clean. Finally, you need to keep a tab on the pH levels of the pool weekly. The pH level of a pool should be between 7.2 and 7.8.
Monthly Maintenance: While regular cleaning is important, over-cleaning can also damage your pool. So, it is best to consult professionals about specific maintenance outlines. Some pool filters may need monthly cleaning, whereas others may require cleaning every two, three, or four months. You also need to check the water level of the pool once a month.
Raise A Pools Alkalinity With Baking Soda
Adding chlorine to a pool can lower the pH of the water. When you test your pools pH, you may find that it is lower than the ideal of between 7.2 and 7.8. A pool with low pH will also have low alkalinity.
To increase the pH, you can amend the pool water with a product to raise its alkalinity or by adding sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda. The pH of baking soda is 8, which means it is alkaline.
How to clear a cloudy pool with baking soda:
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Trust Abc For All Your Pool Needs
Having a pool on your property is great, especially when you live in warm climates. As with most additions to your property, however, having a pool adds a responsibility and added chore to your routine maintenance list. Luckily, ABC Home & Commercial is here to help. Our team of licensed specialists can fix any pool-related problem, whether its a faulty pump or filter or any other mechanical problem. We can demonstrate how you can properly maintain your homes pool system or take care of your pool maintenance for you. We look forward to helping you keep your pool crystal clear for years to come.
Tips For Cleaning Waterline Pool Tiles
Finishing a swimming pool with waterline tiles instead of tiling the entire interior is a popular choice. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, it is also a cost-effective option. However, dirty waterline tiles can ruin the entire appearance of your pool and make swimming a whole lot less appealing.
The waterline is where the pool water meets the tile edge and its prone to getting grimy and discoloured over time. If youre not hiring a pool maintenance team to blast your tiles clean, here are a few strategies to make cleaning waterline pool tiles a breeze all year long.
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Test Pool Water And Add Chemicals
Test your pool water frequently and add chemicals as necessary, following manufacturer’s directions.
Chemicals are typically added to the pool daily. These pool chemicals include various kinds of disinfectants and sanitizers which work to control the growth of certain kinds of algae and bacteria in the pool water.
Regular shock treatments cleanse the water of algae, bacteria, dirt and any other organic matter that may have entered the pool. Follow manufacturer’s directions for shock treatments.
Dont Stay In One Spot Too Long
Lastly, dont stay in one spot for too long. Even if youre using the right nozzle, are at the right distance, and are using less pressure, spraying at one spot for a long time can still cause quite a bit of damage. We recommend that you work 30 seconds per spot and then check for damage. If the algae or grime is stubborn in some areas, you can spray longer on those areas but dont spray continuously. Spray for 30 seconds, then stop, then go at it again.
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Understand Your Valve Or Filter
If you are using a DE filter, most of them will have a multi-port valve with a “waste” position on them. Some cartridge filter systems I’ve seen are plumbed for filtration and recirculation, but with no way to drain or vacuum the dust out to waste.
What to Do If You Don’t Have a Waste Valve:
- One solution would be to open the filter, take out the cartridge, and vacuum with the water overflowing out of the cartridge and away from the pool. Unfortunately, this method will flood the area around the pump, but at least some of it is going out to waste.
- If you don’t have a return line shut-off, some will still get back into the pool.
- I highly recommend having a waste line plumbed in. You’ll only need to install a valve or two. You’ll need some glue and some fittings. It’s not difficult or expensive to install.
Vacuuming to waste with no waste valve. Notice I’ve taken the filter out while vacuuming the pool. Click to view larger image.
Shock Water & Balance Chemistry
Even though your pool will look clean and clear after a few rounds of vacuuming, there will still be a good amount of microscopic and potentially harmful organic contaminants still floating around from the storm. If left unchecked, this can lead to algae growth, as well as potentially harmful bacteria in your pool. To stop the growth of these contaminants, begin by using a powerful pool shock such as Cal-Hypo or chlorine-free. Add enough shock to raise the chlorine level to around 10.0 ppm.
Once the pool has been shocked and the chlorine level has subsided to around 3.0 ppm, start to balance your water chemistry, beginning with Total Alkalinity. After the Total Alkalinity has been brought to normal levels between 80 and 120 ppm you can easily adjust the pH, chlorine, and calcium hardness of your water. Once it has been balanced, run your filtration system until all the water has been properly sanitized.
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Cartridge Hot Tub Filter
Cartridge hot tub filters are the most simple to clean and replace. There is a cartridge inside the filter housing that removes dirt and debris from your hot tub water as it goes through this media. Cleaning these filters simply requires removing them and rinsing off the particles stuck to the surface with a garden hose. Be sure to spray between the pleats and other crevices to remove all debris and algae. If the filter cartridge is especially dirty, it may require soaking in a filter cleaner to restore it.
Inspect the cartridge each time for tears or cracks. If you notice this type of damage to the cartridge it is time to replace it with a new hot tub cartridge filter. Once the filter is clean, inspect the O-ring on the filter tank and apply some lubricant to help maintain its effectiveness.
The Pool Water Looks Clear Can We Take A Swim Now
It only looks clear but there are still some things lurking in the water that we need to deal with before declaring your pool back from the dead! The first one we need to do is add some phosphate remover.
Where there’s leaves and other bio matter, there’s sure to be a healthy amount of phosphates left. And in the world of pool maintenance, phosphates are a big no-no. You don’t need to test your water for phosphates as we can guarantee that 100% you will have phosphates in your pool after a storm. Remove them and starve out the Algae before they have a chance to grow!
In tandem with a phosphate remover, we also recommend dosing your pool with some long-life algaecide as an added layer of protection. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure! Or in our case, an application of algaecide and phosphate removers can save you hours of work and hundreds of dollars in pool maintenance work!
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Additional Pool Cleaning: Youre Not Done Yet
Cleaning the pool is only half the job. After you go to all the trouble to skim, brush, and vacuum your pool, whats the last thing you want? A bunch of leaves, dirt, and other debris to make its way into your water because you neglected to clean the deck and the filter. Dont let all your hard work go to waste.
What Happens When You Dont Keep Your Pool Clean
It would be a shame to have a stunning pool in your backyard that isnt maintained properly. More than a passing annoyance, an unclean pool can be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria that can cause many health issues, including exacerbating chronic conditions.
Additionally, an unclean pool can:
- Leave stains on the surface of your pool and irritate your eyes
- Break down pool filters and pumps, causing components to malfunction
- Contain a wide range of bacteria and viruses, leading to hospitalization
- Cause significant health problems, including ear, nose, and throat infections
Other factors, including rain, airborne microorganisms, and synthetic oils and lotions, can lessen the quality of your pool water. For these reasons, regular pool cleaning and care can help you prevent harmful pollutants from entering and remaining in your pool.
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How To Remove Calcium Deposits From Pool
You do what you can to keep your pool clean and well-maintained. You skim for leaves, bugs and other debris. You sweep. Even when you are not sure you need to, you vacuum.
Compared to some of your neighbors, you feel like a responsible pool owner.
One day, you notice that the plaster seems to be discolored right around the water line. Whats going on?
If this has happened to you, you are absolutely not alone. This is one of the more common questions pool owners have, along with another frequent query: Why is my pool green? Most likely, if you notice stains along your waterline, youre dealing with a calcium deposit. Unfortunately, it tends to be very difficult to clean calcium deposits.
Youre likely wondering how to remove calcium deposits but, what exactly are they?
What Youll Learn:
For The Surface Of Your Pool Water
For the surface of your pool water, youll want to have a skimmer net on a telescopic pole. This ones a pretty basic tool, and if there have been any genius designs on the market, Im not aware of them. If someone seriously redesigns this one, Ill be the first to tell you. In the meantime, make sure you get a sturdy telescopic pole and a skimmer net wide enough to catch debris without you having to cut through the same pool water too many times.
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What Should I Do If Someone Poops In The Hot Tub/spa
- Close the hot tub/spa to bathers.
- Put on disposable gloves.
- Remove the poop using a net or bucket.
- Drain water from the hot tub/spa. This includes draining the piping as much as possible.
- Scrub and clean all accessible surfaces in contact with contaminated water.
- Replace or clean filter media when appropriate.
- Refill hot tub/spa with water.
- Achieve pH 7.27.8 and free chlorine concentration of at least 3 ppm or free bromine concentration of at least 4 ppm. The free chlorine and pH should remain at these levels for 30 minutes.
- Remove as much poop as possible from item used to remove the poop and dispose of it in a sanitary manner.
- Remove and dispose of gloves
Why Do I Need To Vacuum My Pool If I Have A Robotic Pool Cleaner
If youve ever seen your robotic pool cleaner push a pile of waterlogged leaves from one end of your swimming pool to the other, you know what were talking about: Robotic pool cleaners are great for light, day-to-day maintenance, but theyre not designed for heavy lifting. If debris isnt removed promptly, it can wreak havoc on your water quality and lead to maintenance issues like algae. A pool vacuum makes short work of heavy debris, helping you keep your pool clean and inviting and preventing maintenance headaches.
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