Pool Tips by Savol Pools

Many of the pool tips that are read here were written by our late Service Manager, Chris Duff. Chris passed away in the fall of 2007 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?
Heater doesn’t work
Tile Problems
Pump won't prime
Can’t vacuum
Triclor tabs not dissolving
How can I save money on running my pool?
Do you subcontract work?
My light won't work
Can I swim after shocking my pool?
What types of filters are available?
Do I need tochange my sand every year?
What are the signalsto change sand?
Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act
Do I need to drain my pool to install a new main draincover?
Isit ok to drain a vinyl liner pool?

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. 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.
• Calcium Hardness : 200ppm to 400ppm. Calcium hardness is the main factor in scale/corrosive water. High equals scale and low corrosive.
• Chlorine Stabilizer / Cyanuric Acid : 20ppm to 30ppm. Chlorine stabilizer is cyanuric acid and is used with unstabilized 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. There are test strips or liquid kits.

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 won’t 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.

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 or 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.

Heater doesn’t work

• Check the gas supply. If you use propane, do you have any in your tank?
• Is the switch on?
• Check to make sure the filter is clean. You may need to backwash or clean the filter.
• Clean the skimmers and pump basket.
• If you just hear clicking, call a service technician!
• If you do everything above and it still doesn’t work, call a service technician.

Tile Problems

• Some tile may come off during the winter; the ice cake may have gotten too high and damaged the tiles.
• Check for a crack in the wall behind the tile.
• The grout on the tile band may be shot and needs to be regrouted.

Pump Won’t Prime

• Check to make sure the water in the pool is high enough
• Make sure the valve to the pump is in the open position
• Clean the skimmers and the pump basket
• Make sure the pump basket lid gasket is in place

Can’t Vacuum

• Make sure that the swivel end of the hose is on the vacuum head in the bottom of the pool and the stationary end is in the skimmer
• Make sure the vacuum hose is “primed”. Priming the hose is filling it with water; you can put it in front of the return and wait until the bubbles stop from the vacuum head.
• Make sure there are no holes in the vacuum hose.

Trichlor tabs are not dissolving

• Make sure there is sufficient water is flowing thru the chlorinator and back out to the pool
• Do not put the tablets into the skimmer basket. They create a very acidic environment and can damage the liner, paint and piping.

How Can I Save Money on Running My Pool?

• Many companies are coming out with “green” products.
• There are now pumps that run on the same technology as hybrid cars and they will save you money.
• Companies are coming out with energy saving pool lights.
• Installing a solar heating system will save on heating costs.
• Putting a solar cover on your pool will keep the pool warmer. This is a must if you have a heater!

Do you subcontract work?

• All of the work is done by our own licensed staff.

My pool light doesn’t work

• Check the breaker.
• Make sure the timer is set correctly; we may have had a power outage.
• If the bulb is out, call Savol to change it.

Can I swim after shocking my pool?

• You shouldn’t swim if the chlorine level is over 5ppm. You can shock it at night so the chlorine will work while you are sleeping.

What types of filters are available?

• Sand filters which are low maintenance, but they only filter to 25 microns.
• DE filters require more maintenance, but will filter down to 2 to 4 microns.
• Cartridge filters are easy to use; you will need to replace the cartridge every few years. We recommend purchasing a spare cartridge, so while one is being cleaned, your pool will still be filtering. They filter to 15 microns.

Table salt is 100 microns, a human hair is 70 microns, and a red blood cell is 8 microns. The limit of human visibility is 40 microns.

Do I need to change the sand in my filter every year?

• No. The typical life of the sand is 10 to 12 years. If you degrease your filters each year you will ensure proper pressure in your filter.

What are the signals to change the sand?

• Sand particles will start to get thrown back into the pool. This may also be the sign of other problems.
• You may also have a hard time getting the water to stay clear.

What can you tell me about the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act (VGB)?

• While this is not yet a Federal law for residential pools, we are recommending that you take the initiative to have Savol install new main drain covers. These new covers are designed to prevent 4 out of the 5 forms of entrapment: Body, limb, mechanical and hair. We have a safety checklist available so you can evaluate your pool.

Do I need to drain my pool to install the new main drain cover?

• No. Savol has a SP licensed PADI diver who can change the cover while there is water in the pool.

Is it ok for me to drain my vinyl liner to pool to clean out the leaves?

• NO!

Why not?

• You will be calling us for a new liner because yours will shrink and loose all elasticity.