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Direct Pool Supplies

Tips for keeping your pool in pristine condition:

• Learn a bit about water chemistry...  A little knowledge of water balance will help you understand why it is very important in maintaining your pool water's correct pH, Total Alkalinity & Calcium Hardness.....  
  pH: A system for measuring the acidity/alkalinity of water. Readings above 7 are alkaline; readings below 7 are acidic. The ideal range is 7.4 - 7.6
  TOTAL ALKALINITY: This helps the water resist changes in pH. Ideal level is between 100-150. Always correct Total Alkalinity first as adjustments can alter pH.
  CALCIUM HARDNESS: The amount of calcium or magnesium dissolved in the water. High levels contribute to scale deposits. Low levels can cause etching of pool surfaces. Correct Calcium Hardness is critical in concrete pools.
  If you keep the above three at the correct levels, chlorine will work at its best. Outside the correct ranges, chlorine will be hugely affected in its ability to sanitise & oxidise. This is when problems arise such as cloudy pool water & algae growth appearing. It is vitally important to keep your pools water in balance.
  At Direct Pool Supplies we have all the chemicals you need to keep your water in perfect balance. Details here... 

• Maintain correct chlorine levels - What most pool owners do not realise is that on a sunny day, up to 95% of the available chlorine in a pool can be lost into the atmosphere in as little as 3-4 hours. Pool water conditions constantly change due to the additions of chemicals, wind blown debris, heat, storms, contaminates and the number of swimmers. Your pool water should always look fresh, clear & sparkling. Low chlorine levels is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow in. Bacteria will mainly come from the swimmers and also from water top up and debris such as leaves and grass. Pets will contribute to bacteria growth immensely if allowed to enter your pool.

• Bacteria can be easily treated by making sure free chlorine levels are constantly maintained. Correct levels are 1.0 - 3.0ppm. Have on hand a good quality 4-1 test kit or test strips. Testing should be done daily on holidays & weekends then weekly at other times of non-swimming.

• Make sure your salt chlorinator is turned up to maximum in summer and in freshwater pools testing and addition of chlorine is critical in keeping your pool water free from bacteria. The addition of stabiliser into your pool will help greatly in keeping free chlorine levels correct. Stabiliser is a product that floats on the water surface forming a barrier so the sun doesn't "eat" away chlorine levels. Remember in times of heavy rain, pumping out the pool, and backwashing will also reduce the stabiliser levels as it floats on the surface, so it may need to be topped up constantly during the swimming seasons.

• Pool water should be "shocked" at least weekly in summer whether the pool is saltwater chlorinated or freshwater. Saltwater pool owners sometimes can be under a false belief that they do not need the addition of extra chlorine. Most salt chlorinators do not have the ability to "shock" the water. They are usually designed to simply maintain chlorine levels. Pool water must be shocked at least weekly during summer. Best time to do this is on a Sunday afternoon after swimming has ceased for the week.

• In non swimming times it is best to let the stabiliser levels to fall to zero as water temperatures cool, because chlorine levels can rise dramatically, which is not a good thing. High chlorine can make the water corrosive. This can damage pool surfaces, ladders and can attack plastics such as pool cleaners and pool covers. The addition of pool covers can also cause chlorine levels to rise, so testing is vitally important to keep chlorine within the acceptable levels.

• Saltwater pool owners should always adjust chlorine output down in non swimming periods. This will also increase cell life!

• Modern salt chlorinators are usually self cleaning. Little maintenance is required for these. In non self-cleaning models, regularly check for calcium build up on the electrodes. This build up causes lower chlorine production. Plus it can cause overheating of the electrodes due to less water cooling, thus reduced cell life. Cleaning cells more often makes this chore much easier as it takes less time to remove the build up. Leaving it go can cause massive issues, such as low free chlorine as mentioned above, reduced cell life, and frustration due to high build up & the time it takes to clean the cell. Please note that even if your chlorinator is a self cleaning model, it WILL still need to be cleaned occasionally. A pre-mixed cell cleaning solution is available here..
  The average life on any salt cell is around 4-5 years.

• Brushing your pools surface is very important especially in concrete pools as dirt & other contaminants can gather in the surface cavities creating a breeding place for algae growth. Can cause outbreaks of the notorious Black Spot algae. A good brushing of the pool surface should be done weekly in the swimming season.

• Never have the false belief that a pool cleaner will do this work for you, because it won't! Your pool is a major investment, look after it. A quick brushing weekly will do wonders for your pool, plus it is great exercise!

• Check skimmer and pump baskets for debris & clean as required. Don't think that small leaf matter in the basket will be OK until later. It won't! You would be surprised how much strain it puts on the pump with even a small leaf debris restricting the flow. KEEP BASKETS COMPLETELY CLEAN.

• Ideal water level is halfway up the skimmer. This allows for good skimming for the pools surface. Higher water levels reduces the skimmers ability to skim the surface correctly. Too low a level can cause the pump to start sucking in air, which of course can damage the pump.

• Regularly check the pressure gauge on the filter. Backwash a sand filter and hose out a cartridge when required. Remember sand should be replaced every 5-6 years. Cartridges should be changed every 3-4 years.  Degreasing of cartridges should be done twice a year, as hosing doesn't remove body fats, suntan creams etc...

• Turn the pool lights on for at least 30 minutes once a week (summer & winter) to prevent build up of moisture within the light and wiring. If you are feed up with replacing the halogen globe often, you should consider changing to the latest LED pool lights. These lights are far superior to the older pool lights. They are much brighter & draw a fraction of the power! The retro fitting lights come with adapter brackets that will fit over existing halogen lights. Getting your light working again will add value to your homes most valuable asset. They come in colour changing too! Great for parties. More details here... 

• The pool pump is the "heart" of your pool. It does a lot of work. Most pool pumps are running around 4-8 hours a day, 356 days day a year. Pumps located out of the weather will last much longer than pumps exposed to the elements. Direct Pool Supplies recommends all pool equipment is protected from wind, rain & sun. Pumps should be replaced around every eight years for safety reasons. Insulation in the electric motor from constant cooling & heating through normal running will eventually deteriorate and brake down. Bearings become noisy. Seals leak. The latest pool pumps are more energy efficient and are now also available in multi speeds. Huge savings in energy costs can be made with these latest pumps. Contact us for a suitable replacement for your existing pool pump.

 

We hope that the above simple tips help in keeping your pool clean & healthy. It is your homes most valuable asset and can add $1000's of value.

Most of all your family can get many, many hours of tremendous fun from a pool. Enjoy!