SAVOL - Pool Tips

CT Registration #584241
CT SP1 License #283005

Many of the pool tips that are read here were written by our late Service Manager, Chris Duff. Chris passed away in the fall from cancer. Chris so loved what he did. He was passionate about his job and this surely carried over to all that came to know him. His legacy carries on here.

My Pool Is Green, What I Do Now?
In April of 2003 we received an email that asked this question. At first we thought it was someone making a joke. Further investigation proved it to be a serious question from a real customer. As much as the wording is a sad commentary on the state of the English language in the information age, sadder still is the fact that so many people have a major investment in the backyard and so few know how to care for it in a reasonable and cost effective manner. This is not a failing on the part of the pool owner but on the part of the pool builder and service contractor. Almost anything you buy; a car, TV, garden tractor, cake mixer comes with an owner's manual. A pool can cost from twenty to a hundred thousand dollars or more and comes with no more than an hour of verbal instruction and no written manual.
That hole full of water in your backyard needs proper maintenance involving season start up, winterization, chemical balance, proper filtration, heating and more. Even if you hire a service contractor to do the work for you it would be nice to know what's going on just to make sure you're getting your money's worth. Although our winter climate can be rough on the structure of our pools, our summer is not as demanding on our water quality as what we find the farther south we go. Here in Connecticut there is no reason the pool should ever be green. What follows are some of the things you should know to be a happy and cost effective pool owner.

Water Quality
Calculating the gallonage of your pool
Testing water
Why chlorine is important
Water Balance
Is all pool shock the same?

Water Quality
Water quality is the most important issue you need to be concerned with. This does not simply mean that you can see the bottom of the pool. There are a number of elements to this equation. Out of balance water is either scale forming or corrosive.
Scale forming water causes a crusty mineral build up on the pool surfaces, insides some type of plumbing and especially in heat exchanger of your pool heater. The average heater exchanger should last from five to seven years. If your water is scale forming that exchanger could be clogged in one season, even in one month is the condition is severe. Add $1200.00 to the cost of that exchanger and you could buy a new heater, tax and labor not included. When you let your water become scale forming you're making it possible for me to wine and dine my wife at upscale restaurants.
Corrosive water destroys the finish on the pool which allows contact with the structure causing wall rot, degradation of the grout between the tile causing it to fall off, damage to metal plumbing and pump parts and rot of the heat exchanger in the heater which often leads to terminal damage to the burner tray. Add the cost of the exchanger and burner tray together and you've just spent more than the price of a new heater, tax and labor not included. The cost of repairing the items mentioned at the start of this paragraph is even worse. Repairing pool structures and finishes can approach building costs. And you can forget just filling the pool in with dirt. There are code requirements mandating removal of the structure in most places. If enough of you allow your water quality to become corrosive my dream of retiring to a nice beach side bungalow in Antigua will come true. Truth is I'd be just as happy to cook my wife a nice meal at home and retire in a modest cottage in Florida near her favorite baseball team's spring training camp.
Scared yet? No need, it's easier than it sounds. Before you add chlorine do the following:

Total Alkalinity: 80ppm to 120ppm. Total Alkalinity is responsible for maintaining proper Ph. When Ph fluctuates the effectiveness of the chemical sanitizer you use can be reduced. A poor sanitizer performance equals green water and even if the water is clear, the possibility of bathers becoming sick. It doesn't have to look bad to be bad. Most drinking water is low in total alkalinity; this is the water you fill your pool with. Make this adjustment and allow the pump to run for a minimum of four hours before re-testing.

Ph: 7.4 to 7.6. As noted above Ph controls how well your sanitizer works. Low Ph is acidic and that equals corrosive water.

Calcium Hardness: 200ppm to 400ppm. Calcium hardness is the main factor in scale/corrosive water. High equals scale and low corrosive.

Chlorine Stabilizer: 20ppm to 30ppm. Chlorine stabilizer is cyanuric acid and is used with un-stabilized chlorines like sodium hypochlorite (liquid) and calcium hypochlorite (powder). Care should be used with regard to other chemicals as it may not be needed.

Calculating the gallonage of your pool
It's important to know the approximate number of gallons in your pool to make sure you are adding the right amount of chemicals

For a rectangular pool: Multiply the length x width x average depth
(shallow + deep ÷ 2) x 7.5 = gallons of water

For a kidney shaped pool: Multiply the length x width x average depth
(shallow + deep ÷ 2) x 7.5 = gallons of water

For an oval shaped pool: Multiply the length x width x average depth
(shallow + deep ÷ 2) x 7.5 = gallons of water

If you have an above ground pool you have a constant depth, so put that number in the equation.

Testing water
It's important to test your water at least once a week. There are many ways to test your water.

Why chlorine is important
Maintain your chlorine at a level at 1ppm to 3ppm. The maximum chlorine level for your pool is 5ppm. If the chlorine falls below 1ppm, there wont be disinfectant to kill the bacteria that is introduced into your pool.
The chlorine usage in your pool can vary depending on the weather, the number of bathers and how much debris and dirt is in the pool. Everything that goes into your pool uses up the chlorine.

Water Balance

Chlorine: maintain levels at a minimum of 1ppm to a maximum of 5ppm. This is explained further in "Why chlorine is important"

pH: Ideal pH is from 7.4 to 7.6, acceptable is from 7.2 to 7.8. This is the proper pH for bather comfort and for your equipment and pool surface. If the pH falls below this range it could damage your equipment, the painted surface of your pool. If it falls above the range, scale can form, especially in a heated pool. If you use TriChlor (hockey pucks, slow-tabs) be sure to keep an eye on your pH. TriChlor tabs have a pH of 3, so if unchecked, it will bring your pH down. Use pH Down to reduce the pH and pH Rise to increase the pH.

Alkalinity: The ideal range for the alkalinity is from 80 to 120. The alkalinity will help to prevent pH bounce. To raise the alkalinity in the pool use Alkalinity Rise. If you need to reduce the alkalinity, call our office and we will guide you.

Calcium Hardness: Maintain your hardness levels between 200ppm to 400ppm. When the level goes below 200ppm, water becomes aggressive and will take the calcium it needs from the walls of your pool, shortening the life of your pool finish. If the water goes above 400ppm, scale can form, especially if the pool is heated. To increase the calcium hardness use Hardness Control. The only way to reduce calcium is to replace some of the water in your pool with fresh water.

Chlorine Stabilizer/Cyanuric Acid: Maintain the stabilizer between 20ppm to 30ppm. Some chlorine products are stabilized, such as TriChlor and DiChlor. To increase the stabilizer use Chlorine Stabilizer The only way to reduce stabilizer is to replace some water in your pool with fresh water.

Follow the directions on the container or call our office for the proper dosage for your pool.

Is all pool shock the same?
I often get asked this question and it is a good one. By today's standards, "pool shock" can take its form in a granular or a liquid form. If it's a granular form, then it is called calcium hypochlorite or otherwise called HTH. If it's a liquid form, it is Sodium Hypochlorite/Hypochlorite Solution. Our "pool shock" is sold as the Savol Shock Treatment (liquid form). It's the yellow "stuff"!

Many folks seem to think that you only add this once a week or at the very beginning of the season when opening and/or closing the pool. This simply is not the case. Most of our customers use the Savol Shock Treatment for their daily chlorination. Generations of families have learned that a little of this each day will guarantee them a crystal clear pool.