So Whats The Solution Build A Reverse Osmosis Kit
This set-up should remove approximately 95 of all minerals and contaminates in the pool water, making itin my opinion reasonably safe for human consumption IF there is no other alternative.
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One other point: if your power goes out, your pool pump goes out, too. Which means that within a few days, your pool is going to turn a lovely emerald green.
This we do not want. At least, not any sooner than is avoidable.
So if you dont already keep your pool covered, be sure to have a dark tarp on hand that you can toss across the pool the second you realize that youre going to be without power for the foreseeable future. The tarp/cover wont make your pool immune to an eventual algal bloom, but itll delay it. Itll also help cut down on evaporation of a precious resource.
And once that algae does appear, which it inevitably will? Just treat it with a camp filter to take out the big chunks before running the water through your trusty RO set-up.
Its not that your RO system cant handle algal water directly; its just that pre-filtering your slimly pool muck will extend the life of your RO cartridges that much longer.
Test The Chlorine Level
Chlorine is essential for pool water because it kills harmful algae, bacteria and microorganisms. Unfortunately, chlorine breaks down when exposed to the sun and chemicals from sunscreen, sweat and more. A pool should have a chlorine level between two and four parts per million . Make sure your above ground pool has enough by testing your water about every other day with chlorine test strips, such as these Aqua Chek Test Strips. Learn more about maintaining your pools chemicals.
Check Your Water Quality
Look at your water quality.; You can buy a cheap pool opening kit that has test strips and detailed instructions on testing your water.
Alternatively, take a sample of your water to a swimming pool store.; They will test it and give a report on what you need to adjust.
Follow their advice and add the chemicals that are recommended.; Balance the pH, alkalinity, calcium and chlorine.; The ideal pH is between 7.4 and 7.6.
It is important to have the right;chemical balance.; Not having that can lead to illness and skin reactions not something you want for your family!
If your water is incredibly dirty, you may need to add gallons of chlorine solution or shock your pool.; If you need to do that, you will need to run the filter and backwash several times.
Shocking does two things: it kills algae that is in your pool and adds enough chlorine that new algae doesnt grow.
But dont dive in just yet!; You will need to continue to clean your filter every day until your water is clear.
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How To Quickly Fix Your Cloudy Swimming Pool Water
No sane person will want to jump into a pool filled with cloudy pool water, more so when the water resembles a big bowl of milk! This type of water is not only scary, but theres a possibility that it might be damaging the pool as well as its circulation system. If left untreated for long, it may also start breeding dangerous bacteria.
Before you can start implementing solutions aimed at clearing the swimming pool water, you will want to know what caused it to turn cloudy. Its the most efficient way to prevent the outbreak and spread of potentially serious illnesses. Additionally, it also ensures your pool wont sustain too much damage. Solutions recommended for use are dependent on the underlying cause.
Skim Leaves & Clean Storm Debris From Pool Surface
The first step to getting your pool back in shape after a storm is to remove the debris that is either floating on the pool surface or that has settled to the bottom of the pool. Using a skimmer or a leaf net, along with an extendable telepole, rake the leaves and debris from your pool. You will most likely need to clean out the skimmer basket often due the amount of debris in your pool. Do not worry about the small dirt particles; they will be vacuumed up later in the cleaning process.
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Backwash Your Filter Bi
While regularly cleaning your filter is a top priority, theres one other thing you can do to keep it running at peak performance.
Backwashing.
Its more of a quick fix for keeping things in order, but doing it regularly helps prevent debris buildup. And the less buildup, the longer your filter stays clean.
When you backwash your filter, youre essentially pumping your pool water backward into the filter.
Think of it like rinsing your mouth with Listerine the concept is pretty much the same. Its a quick way to rinse off any loose debris in the filter media and prevent clogging/buildup.
For the best results:
- Backwash your pool filter at least once a week
- For busier month, backwash twice a week
Vacuuming Pool To Waste
This means we are not going to try and filter the water, we are going to pump it onto the lawn, or nearby wood line. This is a recommended procedure when opening a pool with a mesh pool cover. Algae grow in pools with mesh covers, and dirt sifts through the as well. Again, filters were never meant to clean super filthy water.
I use a side vac , meaning I bring my own equipment. I use a ;Hayward 1.5 HP Super Pump, a 30, or 40-foot I-Helix Vacuum hose, a vacuum head with bristles, and relief valves. Many pool filters have a waste setting, but you run the risk of clogging the skimmer line with acorns, broken pieces of tile, small rocks, etc. With a hose connected right to the front of my super pump, I dont run the risk of clogging or damaging the customers plumbing.
You can see an example is this, in the short video below. When customers are not around to see how bad the pool looks under the cover. I like to shoot a quick video to show them, and justify my bill! I usually charge 150.00 for a side vac.
The pool in this video, had minimal leaves, so I was able to vacuum the heavy algae and dirt straight to waste. I usually run a garden hose adding water to the pool while vacuuming to waste, even in cases where the pool is overfilled.
With this method. My customer , will have a clean and clear pool by the next day! Watch the next short video below to see complete set up.
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Do Not Remove Water From Your Pool
Even if your water is filthy and saturated with dirt and debris, you should never remove all of the water from your swimming pool while cleaning after a storm. Although it may be tempting to drain your pool and start over with clean water, removing water from your pool can be dangerous, as this can lead to your pool floating or popping out of the ground due to an elevated water table. Your best bet is to clean the water currently in your pool, no matter how dirty it may look.
Creating A Regular Maintenance Schedule
Pools sound like a lot of work at first, but the truth is that most maintenance only takes a few minutes per day. Thats easy to fit into any schedule, but consistency is the key to overall performance. Set a weekly and daily schedule for yourself that includes cleaning the pool at set times, measuring the chemicals with a water testing kit, and adding chlorine tablets and other chemicals and performing shocks as needed.
Done properly, cleaning the pool will become a habit for you. If your pool is unusually large, you can make it a family activity or rotate the duties, so nobody has to spend too much time, too often, on cleaning the pool.
Still sound like too much work? Consider hiring a pool service that will do it all for you. Be sure to avoid the most common pool maintenance mistakes too.
Questions? Let us know!
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Extreme Cases Of Green Pool
If you have an extreme case, with a ton of algae and leaves on the bottom of the pool. As in cases where the pool has been closed for the winter, or for multiple seasons, or even worse, the cover has fallen into the pool. You should attempt to vacuum the pool to waste before proceeding with the above instructions.
If there is to much debris, and you cannot vacuum. You have no choice but to leaf rake the entire pool with a;leaf net. Continue removing debris with leaf net until you can make a pass, and only catch a few leaves in the net. You may have to let the pool settle, and then leaf rake the entire pool again.
How To Clean The Water In The Swimming Pool
Keeping the swimming pool clean means more than just cleaning the floor and the water line. You also have to filter the water sufficiently. In summer, we advise a minimum of 12 hours filtering per day. This will filter out all dirt particles as quickly as possible.
To keep the water quality healthy, you need to add;maintenance products;to the swimming pool. First ensure that the acidity or pH value is correct. To be able to swim in the pool, the pH should be between 7.0 and 7.6, with an ideal value of 7.2.
For this, you should test the water quality with a;test kit. If necessary, add pH Plus or pH Min to the water.
The swimming pool also needs to be disinfected against bacteria. To do this, you can add;chlorine;to the water. The ideal chlorine value for an outdoor pool in the garden is 1mg/l. You can easily check this using your test kit.
You should easily be able to keep your swimming pool clean by following the tips set out above. If you still have a problem, please do not hesitate to contact us. Investing a bit of time every week in keeping your swimming pool clean means that youll never have that much work. Putting the maintenance off and only doing it once a month will cost you a lot more time in the end.
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Clean & Backwash Pool Filter After Storm
Due to the large amounts of dirt, dust, and small particles in your water, your filter most likely will need to be cleaned or backwashed before running the filtration system as well as several times during cleaning, depending on the severity of the storm. When cleaning or backwashing the filter, make sure to reference the manufacturers operation guide to ensure you are cleaning it correctly.
If you use a DE filter, now might be a good time to replace the DE filter media. If you use a cartridge filter, it might also be a good time to remove the cartridges and clean them individually, or even replace the cartridges.
How To Clean Your Swimming Pool
The dirt can be removed from the pool floor by using a;manual swimming pool vacuum cleaner. You can find out how to use a manual swimming pool vacuum cleaner below.
- First of all, attach the manual vacuum cleaner to the;telescopic handle. Use the simple click system to do this.
- Then slide the floating hose onto the suction point of the vacuum cleaner.
- Place the vacuum cleaner in the corner of the swimming pool and lower the vacuum cleaner together with the hose to the bottom of the pool.
- Now grasp the;vacuum cleaner hose;at the water line. Push the hose down below the water line vertically metre by metre until you reach the end of the hose. This will vent the vacuum cleaner hose. If you dont do this, your swimming pool pump will be damaged.
- After venting the vacuum cleaner hose, you can connect the hose to the vacuum cleaner connector or the skimmer. If you wish, you can use a Skimvac for this. You can then leave the filter basket in place.
- To be able vacuum well, the entire suction power must go to the vacuum cleaner connection point. It may be necessary to close certain pipes temporarily, e.g. when using skimmers or floor cleaners. You can close these pipes with the help of the ball valves on the filter installation.
So now everything is ready to clean the pool. Go over the floor of the swimming pool with the vacuum cleaner and suck up the dirt. Try to stir up the other dirt as little as possible. So proceed carefully.
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How Often To Brush Your Pool
At least twice a week, brush the walls, ladders, and corners of your pool. Be sure to get into every nook and cranny possible to brush away any lurking algae formations. Brushing will push the algae into the water, making it easier for chlorine or other sanitizers to kill it.
Note that if your pool has developed a serious algae problem, brushing isnt going to remedy it. Youll need to take more drastic steps to get rid of pool algae.
You could either memorize all this information, or you could take our handy Pool Care Handbook with you for the next pool cleaning session!
Check Your Water Levels
You may notice that your water levels seem a little low.; This can be easily fixed.
Before filling it up, clean your filter first.; You do this by removing your cartridge filter and spray it off.
Next, fill up your swimming pool.; You can just use your regular garden hose!
You want to fill until its up to the middle of the skimmer.; If in doubt, fill a little on the high side to account for evaporation or account for any waste during the rest of the cleaning.
What if you have hard water or you need a lot of water? You can arrange to have water delivered to fill your swimming pool.
If you only need a couple of inches, using tap water from your garden hose will work just fine.
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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.
Cause #: Environmental Effects
If your cloudy water has nothing to do with the chemicals or the filter system, then the only reasonable explanation left is that its being caused by the surrounding environment.
Yep, Mother Nature can be a real b*tch sometimes. Here are some of the likely environmental causes:
Leaves & Small Debris
While leaves will be easy enough to remove before they dirty up your water, its really the build up of smaller dust and particles that can get you into trouble.
Small Animals & Insects
Insects and small animals will always find their way into your pool eventually, but the biggest things to keep an eye out for is droppings, particularly bird poop.
The Dreaded Algae
Insects and small animals will always find their way into your pool eventually, but the biggest things to keep an eye out for is droppings, particularly bird poop.
Surface Runoff
Heavy rain can cause water to accumulate on the ground, in some cases making its way to your pool bringing plenty of other nasties with it .
Dont forget On top of all this, you also have to account for the countless things that we humans take into the pool every time we decide to go for a little swim. Thats right, youre not as clean as you like to think.
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Pool Skimmers And Returns
If your pools filter is its liver, then your skimmers and returns are its veins and arteries. Your skimmersnot to be confused with a net skimmer, the cleaning tool attached to a telescoping polepull water into the filter for cleaning, while the returns push the cleaned water back into your pool. And like your veins and arteries, they work best when theyre clean and clear of obstructions.
No two pools are alike, and youll no doubt encounter pool maintenance challenges specific to your pool as time goes on. But if youve got a firm grasp on these four pool components, youll be well equipped to face down most upkeep challenges.
Cause #: Circulation & Filtration Issues
Pool water that isnt being properly circulated is always at risk of becoming cloudy water.
Thats because circulation pushes your pool water through your filter system, so without it, the filter cant work its magic and keep your water squeaky clean.
There are a few moving parts to this, so lets go through them.
Is Your Pump Powerful Enough?
A pool pump is a core part of your filtration system as it cycles your water through the filter in order to remove debris and maintain circulation, this prevents the water from stagnating which eventually breeds other problems.
With that in mind, you need to make sure your pump has the ability to cycle the entire contents of your pool at least once per day. Whats more, youll need a pump that can complete a turnover in an 8 hour period.
The speed at which a pump completes a turnover is based on two factors:
Note: Flow-rate tells you how many gallons of water pass through the pump each minute, and its appropriately measured in gallons per minute .
To properly size your pump, divide your water volume by 8, then divide again by 60. What youre left with is your pools required turnover rate in GPM. The flow-rate of your pool pump should be at least the same.
Is Your Pump Suited To Your Filter?
You wouldnt put all that effort into correctly sizing your pool pump only to neglect your pool filter, would you?
Are You Maintaining Your Equipment?
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