Spring brings a lot of challenges for swimming pool owners. The water begins to warm up, the weather gets nicer, and people want to spend more time around the pool. But as Mother Nature begins a new cycle, all sorts of things start happening around the pool.
Pollen is everywhere – in the atmosphere and around the pool. There is also plenty of rain and wind, ensuring that whatever is in the atmosphere is washed right in to the pool. As these contaminants end up in the pool water, it can cause severe issues with circulation, filtration and chemistry.
A closed water system (like a swimming pool) takes time to circulate and filter contaminants out of the water. Often during the spring months, the pool can look less than ideal, even though the weather outside is nice. So the best action you can take is to maintain the pool an absolute minimum of 20 minutes per week. This will help to ensure the pool stays “healthy” and will rebound as soon as the pollen, wind and rain stop damaging it.
In some instances, twice weekly or even daily maintenance may be required. In fact, in certain isolated circumstances, even daily maintenance may not be not enough to keep the pool in pristine condition. Therefore, it’s critically important this time of year to make sure the pool filter pump is running enough to achieve a minimum of “three turn-overs per day.” For most systems, that means running your filter pump at least 10 to 12 hours per day.
It’s equally important to make sure that skimmer and pump baskets stay clear of debris, that filters stay clean, and the filter pressure stays at good operating level (which is typically no more than 10 PSI over the normal “clean” pressure). Doing so will ensure the best possible water quality, while minimizing the seasonal increase in Chlorine demand.
This time of year, it’s also smart to use enzymes (such as CV700 by Orenda, or “Pool Perfect” by Natural Chemistry) to eliminate organic material in the water, and use a phosphate remover (such as PR10,000 by Orenda, or PhosFree by Natural Chemistry) to inhibit algae growth. This will help mitigate the increases in chemical demand, and ensure the best possible water quality and condition.
If the water temperature is too cold for your liking, but the beautiful sunny days want to make you jump in, you can increase your pool water temperature by adding a liquid solar cover. For just a few dollars a week, a liquid solar cover can raise your pool water temperature 3 to 5 degrees by reducing the evaporation in your pool, which causes heat loss.
I also recommend changing the back-up batteries on your automation system, and double-checking the programming to make sure the pumps are running efficiently and at the right times of day. (By the way – Did you know you can save money on electricity by turning off your pumps between the hours of 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM? That’s because this is when electricity rates are the highest – sometimes as much as 4 to 10 times higher than electricity rates in the middle of the night.)
One other option to reduce overall cost of maintenance would be to install a variable-speed pump. If you currently have a single speed pump, this can instantly reduce your energy costs by as much as $1000 per year, which means it can pay for itself in a very short period of time. As a bonus, these pumps run quieter too, and come with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. Call us if you’d like to know more about having us install one of these money-saving pumps on your pool.
Meanwhile, I hope that you (like me) are ready for the warmer weather that’s just around the corner. And as always, if you ever have swimming pool questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call!
Sincerely,
Rick Beaubouef.
President, Easy Pools.
