The Worst Scenario A Leak
If you have eliminated all of the other possible causes then you will have to look at the unpleasant possibility that your pool may actually have a leak. I would suggest that you do this pretty quickly as the longer you leave it the worse it is likely to get, and probably more expensive it will be to repair.
Cleaning Up After A Storm Or Heavy Rain
If you find that your pool has overflowed, you may need to drain some of the water, following the steps above. Clean the skimmer baskets and use your pool rake to remove the debris floating in the pool. Then, vacuum your swimming pool. You will probably have to run the pump for an extended period of time to clean debris. If you were able to safely remove the pump before a hurricane, then you will need to reinstall it.
After getting the debris out of the pool, test the water chemistry and add start the process of balancing it. The faster you can start this, the easier it will be to get things back in place. If your pool is looking green after a storm, you can take some simple steps to get it looking crystal clear again.
Youll also want to check your pressure gauge to see if you need to clean the filter. Running the pump continuously can reduce the time in between cleanings. Make sure to check it before and after running the pump.
You can shock your pool with chlorine to help get it back in balance and kill any remaining algae.
Who Is The General
The man, the myth, the legend.we just call him The General. His organized, systematic approach to pool installations over the years had his crew members calling him The General and it stuck. The General has over 30 years experience in the pool and spa industry, working for one of Pool and Spa News Top 50 Pool Builders.
Over that time, he designed, sold, project-managed and installed over a thousand inground swimming pools. As a pool owner himself, hes the perfect authority to give you the inside scoop, with amazing tips and tricks to make pool ownership a breeze!
Recommended Reading: How To Take Calcium Off Pool Tile
Done With Numbers Call In A Pro
Are you at the point where if you have to do one more math problem, youre going to just cover the pool and call it a year? We hear you.
If a pool volume chart or pool calculator doesnt work properly for you because you have an unusual pool shape, or you just want everything to be accurate to the decimal point, you can have a pool professional take the measurements and figure out the volume for you.
Pool Calculator And Other Related Tools
If you’re thinking about constructing your own pool or pondpond in the backyard, you may want to calculate the amount of paint or tiles needed, and also the amount of pool salt and chlorine to be added.
The pool may also bring holidays to your mind – when laying on the beach or by the pool, don’t forget about putting sunscreen on! Make sure you know how long you can safely stay in the sun and which SPF factor to use – have a look at our amazing sunbathing calculator to find the answers.
If you associate the word pool with sports and fitness, you may want to check how many calories you’ll burn during a swim – give this calories burned calculator a go! Also, you may find the tools for assessing your speed or pace quite useful.
Also Check: How To Keep Bugs Out Of Pool
Little Or No Free Chlorine
To understand this, we need to explain the three types of chlorine in your pool:
- free chlorine
- total chlorine.
What is free chlorine?
Free chlorine is the amount of chlorine that hasnt been used up in effect so is still available to kill algae and deal with other contaminants.
What is combined chlorine ?
Free chlorine reacts with other things in the water, killing unwanted algae and other contaminants. When it does so it reacts with them to form combined chlorine, also known as chloramines. Once this happens it is effectively used up and no longer available to keep the pool clean.
What is total chlorine?
Total chlorine is, as the name suggests, the total amount of chlorine in the pool. This includes both the free chlorine and the combined chlorine.
When you measure chlorine, you measure the total amount of chlorine in the pool, which means that there might be more combined chlorine than free chlorine despite high chlorine readings.
I suggest that you use a test system that measures the free chlorine as well as the total chlorine so you will then know what the actual situation is with regard to chlorine in your pool.
The JNW Direct Pool and Spa Test Strips give you readings for both total chlorine and free chlorine and also total hardness, pH, CTA , total alkalinity and even bromine if you use that.
How To Measure The Length And Width Of The Pool
If its rectangular, measure only one of the two long sides and one of the two short sides.;If it is square, measure only one side, since in a square all four sides are the same length.;If your pool is round, measure only the diameter, which is a straight line that passes through the center and cuts the circumference at two points.
You May Like: Where To Buy Swimming Pools
How To Calculate The Volume Of An Irregular Oblong Or Kidney Shaped Pool
The volume of a oblong or kidney shaped pool is a little more complicated. You can calculate its volume by multiplying the length in feet times times .45 times the average depth in feet times 7.48.
volume = length × × .45 × depth × 7.48
The first part × .45) is used to find the area, and then the volume is found by multiplying by the depth. Like before, multiplying by 7.48 finds the number of gallons in the pool.
How Many Gallons Is A 1648 Pool
This durable above ground pool features a 1500 gallon Skimmer Plus filter pump with GFCI, cover, Sure Step ladder, ground cloth, and deluxe maintenance kit. Easy and quick set up will have you cooling off in style in no time at all. A/C Filter Cartridge Included with pump Water capacity: 5212 gallons.
How To Measure The Depth Of The Pool
This is the other fundamental dimension to know the volume of a pool.;If yours has a homogeneous depth , you just have to measure the distance between the bottom and the edge .;But if, as in most pools, in yours the depth gradually increases, you will have to measure the minimum depth and the maximum depth .
So here are the formulas to calculate how much water is in your swimming pool:These formulas hold true for both In-ground as well as above-ground pools.
Salt Water Pool Maintenance
Here is more of our research to help you confidently maintain your salt water pool.
- Saltwater pool maintenance guide. We go through the basics of keeping your pool in pristine condition.
- Pool salt options. Dont know what kind of pool salt to buy? Read this guide.
- Salt chlorine generators guide. Everything you need to know about this critical piece of equipment for your pool.
Leaks In The Pools Structure Or Fittings
If you have now reached the conclusion, through a process of elimination, that the leak must be in the pool structure itself then you have two options. You can try to detect the source of the leak yourself by using a pool leak detection kit or you can call in a pool professional.
Using a detection kit you need the water to be as still as possible so turn off your pool pump, shut any valves to the skimmers, pool drain etc and then leave it a while. Ideally you also want there to be little or no wind that could move the water in the pool.
You then systematically go around the pool checking around all the fittings such as :
- the skimmer housing
- the skimmer pipe that goes from the skimmer to the pump and also the equalizer if you have two holes in the skimmer
- the main drain not an easy task as it is at the bottom of your pool
- pool lights check around the fitting
- returns check around the return jets
- the pool itself, which could be a vinyl liner, tiles or fibreglass the most common places are in the corners and where the sides meet the floor
These are basically a bottle of dye and a syringe applicator with a very fine nozzle so that a very thin line of dye is released when the plunger is depressed. You gently put the syringe near somewhere in the pool you suspect could be leaking and release a small jet of dye. If the dye gets sucked into the fitting or wherever you are checking then there is a leak.
Irregularly Shaped Pool Volume
Not all pools are rectangular, square, or round. Some are oval, others are the classic kidney shape, and then some just wiggle all over the place, mimicking natural shorelines.
If you have an irregularly shaped pool, you can still calculate the volume. Youll just have to doyou guessed iteven more math!
The easiest way to calculate an oddly shaped pool is to imagine it broken down into two or more smaller, regularly shaped parts. Try to see smaller, individual squares, rectangles, or circles within the larger, irregular shape.
Once youve mapped them out, measure them, and then use the same formulae that apply to those regular shapes to calculate the volume in each smaller section. Then just add all the volume figures together, and youll have a pretty close approximation of the pools total volume.
Admittedly, this could also be known as the winging it procedure, and youre not going to get a completely accurate volume. If your pool is shaped like a fractal, your best bet is to have a professional take the measurements for you.
Why Does Pool Water Evaporate
There are multiple conditions that govern the rate of evaporation for any body of water, including swimming pools.
These conditions are:
- Temperature. Heat increases the rate of evaporation , so you should expect your water to evaporate faster if you live in a warm climate, and slower if you live in a cold climate.
- Humidity. Air can only hold a certain amount of liquid vapour, so, unlike temperature, the more humid the air is around your pool, the slower the water will evaporate.
- Wind speed. The stronger the wind, the more air it moves. This counteracts humidity by clearing the heavy air and relieving pressure on the water, allowing evaporation to ramp up.
- Surface exposure. If you have a large pool you probably also have a large surface area of water. The more spread out a body of water, the faster it evaporates. You can reduce this using a pool enclosure, however.
Variable Depth Pools: Square And Rectangular
Length x width x average depth x 7.5 = volume
Length times width gives the surface area of the pool. Multiplying that by the average depth gives the volume in cubic feet. Since there are 7.5 gallons in each cubic foot, multiply the cubic feet of the pool by 7.5 to arrive at the volume of the pool .
Measure the length, width, and average depth of the pool, rounding each measurement off to the nearest foot or percentage of one foot. One inch equals 0.0833 feet. Therefore, multiply the number of inches in your measurements by 0.0833 to get the appropriate percentage of one foot.
Example: 25 ft, 9 in. = 25 ft +
= 25 + 0.75
= 25.75 ft
If the shallow end is 3 feet and the deep end is 9 feet, and assuming the slope of the pool bottom is gradual and even, then the average depth is 6 feet.
Average depth = / 2
Average depth = / 2 = 6 feet.
If most of the pool is only 3 or 4 feet and then a small area drops off suddenly to 10 feet, you will have a different average depth. In such a case, you might want to treat the pool as two parts. Measure the length, width, and average depth of the shallow section, then take the same measurements for the deeper section. Calculate the volume of the shallow section and add that to the volume you calculate for the deeper section.
Length x width x average depth x 7.5 = volume
25.75 ft x 10 ft x 6 ft x 7.5 = 11,587.5 gallons
Pool Overflowing Problems And How To Prevent Them
Too much water and a pool can be a dangerous combination.;If you find that you have water runoff into your pool from surrounding areas under normal conditions, you need to have someone take a look at your gradient. The deck or grounds and landscaping around your pool should slope away from your pool by ¼ inch for every foot. If you have runoff into your pool after it drizzles, your pool will be at risk of overflowing after a storm or heavy rainfall.
Having an excessive amount of water added to your pool in a relatively short timeframe can lead to several problems, among them, malfunctioning of your pool equipment, the accumulation of algae and deck damage.
Trust The Original Leak Detection Specialists
This convenient water loss calculator can tell you how much water you are losing from a leak. After performing the bucket test, you can take measurements to determine how much water is lost in a 24-hour period.
To use the calculator, input the dimensions of your pool, and the exact amount of inches that were lost in the bucket test. The calculator can display how much water is lost every day, hour, and minute. Tell your results to one of our leak specialists so they can get a feel for the leaks size.
Once you have your results, call 701-5306 for help with a non-invasive leak detection.
How To Calculate Your Water Evaporation Rate
There are pool evaporation calculators you can use, and they work pretty well if you can feed them with accurate information.
Of course, thats easier said than done, especially because you have to consider other factors like rainfall, heavy pool traffic, water splash-out, and even potential leaks .
The truth is, you wont know for sure how much water youre losing to evaporation until you actually test it.
For this, we recommend the Bucket Test:
You could simply mark the side of your pool to the same effect, but using a bucket allows you to remove many of the outside factors mentioned above, and get the most accurate reading on evaporation alone.
Pool Evaporation: How Much Water Do You Actually Lose
- |January 10, 2021
Evaporation is when liquid turns into a gas or vapor.
This process happens to almost any body of water under the right conditions, including swimming pools.
This means, as a pool owner, you lose a measurable amount of pool water every day through evaporation. Several thousands of gallons of water per year for an average residential pool, in fact.
Lets talk about why this happens, how to calculate the amount of water you lose through evaporation, and how to prevent it.
Quick answer: You can expect to lose between 2 mm to 2 inches of water in your pool per week due to evaporation, depending on the various factors well get into in this article.
Skip to:
My Pool Is Green But Chlorine Is High Why And How To Fix
So you have a pool and you keep it nice and sparkling by adding some chlorine tablets each week. Then one day your pool suddenly turns green so you add more chlorine but it stays green. You test the chlorine level and it is high so why is it still green?
A pool can be green but have high chlorine levels when the chemicals are unbalanced. Too much combined chlorine, high pH levels and also high cyanuric acid levels can cause the chlorine to be ineffective with both situations potentially causing algae to grow.
These are just the basics of why your pool is green but chlorine is high. Understanding how to fix this problem is important. There are several facets to pool care that can cause a green pool, learning which will help you create an ever-sparkling pool.
How Long Does Chlorine Last In Pool
Most pool chemicals have a shelf life of 3-5 years, when stored properly: Consistent and cool temperatures, in a dry and dark location. Tight bucket lids and bottle caps, and sealed inner bags to lock out moisture and contaminants. Granular Chlorine can dissolve packaging, repack for long-term storage.
What Contributes To Loss Of Pool Water
While pools typically lose about a half centimeter of water every day, although various factors can speed up or slow down this evaporation rate.
Some factors that contribute to loss of pool water include:
- High average temperatures
- Lack of humidity
- High wind intensity
Depending on your geographic location, you may experience any number of these factors. While these circumstances can contribute to water loss, the effect is usually minimal. If you notice that your pool seems to be losing more water than normal, or you find that you constantly need to refill your pool, you may have a leak. Implementing the bucket test is a simple way that you can check for leaks.
