How to Close Your Swimming Pool for the Winter

Properly closing your pool for the winter saves a lot of time and money when you reopen it in the spring. Close the pool a few weeks before the weather turns cold to ensure it’s well protected from possible freeze damage (when depends on your weather zone; you might ask knowledgeable neighbors with similar pools and pump/filter systems, or at a pool supply in you area). You might wait to close until the water temperature is well below 60 degrees so, algae is less likely to grow, and if it does, it grows slowly. This article outlines the steps you need to take to winterize your pool. 

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3 Maintenance Hacks to Clean Your Pool

Maintenance hacks can be a lifesaver when you can’t run to the store but you need to fix something on your pool. Always expanding your knowledge of how to fix things and make sure things stay in their place will enable you to rest easy because you’ll have a full bag of tricks when it comes to maintenance hacks.

Maintenance Hacks for You

Need to filter out debris before it enters your pool’s filter? Hello, old pantyhose! Grab an old pair of pantyhose and put them around your skimmer baskets. These works get for collecting fine debris because of the material of the pantyhose. The normal skimmer basket is good for collecting debris but not as good as old pantyhose. You can easily replace the pantyhose with another pair when they get full.

Grab a tennis ball for this next one out of the maintenance hacks. This will help you remove oils from the surface of the water. The tennis ball absorbs oils left behind by swimmers. Yes, that’s right, swimmer pools like suntan lotion, hairspray, and other various products. Just put it in the water and let it float or you can put them in your skimmer as long as you keep the skimmer basket where it goes

Enter baking soda stage right (you can also use soda ash) to increase the alkalinity in your pool water. This will also increase the pH. Alkalinity is a pH buffer and you want to keep it between 100 and 150 ppm. PPM = Parts per million.

Maintenance Hacks and Pool Ownership

While some maintenance hacks are totally fine, you do want to make sure that whatever you are doing is doing its job to keep your pool safe. If your way of doing things is not getting the job done, make sure you invest in equipment that is going to do well with your pool. Instead of being frustrated with your pool, make sure you are taking care of it properly as well.

Owning your own pool can be a lot of responsibility, but it doesn’t have to be a pain. Just like keeping up with proper maintenance on your car, you need to make sure that you do that with your pool as well. Regularly checking up on your pool and making sure that the chemicals are at the proper levels is going to make your life as a pool owner much easier. There are plenty of guidelines to follow and expert advice so you don’t have to be working in the dark.

Maybe you aren’t a pool owner yet. If you aren’t, get excited because pool ownership is an amazing gift. Being able to go onto your pool property for an amazing swim is extremely gratifying. Just think about looking out your back door and seeing your favorite pool in the world – your pool! Speak with a professional that knows how to help your design come to life and that feeling and that vision could be yours. 

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How Often Should I Change my Hot Tub Water?

Ah, the joys of having a hot tub, but then you get to thinking – how long has it been since I’ve changed my hot tub water? Have I ever changed it? How often should I change my hot tubwater? I’m glad that you asked because if you don’t change the water in your hot tub you are not going to be happy.

Why Should I Change the Water in My Hot Tub?

Your hot tub has a pump so that the water filter can filter the water and during that time the water gets its dose of chemicals and sanitizer. This is the same as a swimming pool. The difference is a swimming pool doesn’t need to be drained and then filled again. Confused? Why does one need it and not the other?

#1 – A hot tub has a much smaller amount of water than your swimming pool but most of the time the same amount of people are going to be hopping in and enjoying it.

#2 – The temperature makes a difference and because your hot tub is at a temperature that is much higher than a swimming pool that has an effect on what needs to happen with it in order to keep the water clean.

The chemicals and filter are either going to remove a lot of the impurities or oxidize them when they get into the water of course, but it isn’t going to get all of them. Just think about all of the body oils, sweat, and soaps that get into the hot tub. Because of this your water will become foamy, cloudy and may even begin to have a smell. Yuck!

How Do I Know When to Change the Hot Tub Water?

Make sure you are testing your hot tub water often so you don’t have to get to the smelling and foamy look. You can get a TDS test strip to put into your hot tub to see if it needs to be changed.

If you just don’t feel like going to get a TDS test strip you can use a formula to figure out if it needs changing. First, you need to know how much water you have in your hot tub. If you have a 4 seat hot tub you may have around 1250 liters of water in the hot tub. You can call the manufacturer if needed so you can see what the exact volume of your make and model is in case you don’t already have the information.

After that, you need to have the “bather load” of your hot tub. Meaning how many people are able to use it and how often they are able to use it. Now you want to take the liters of water, divide it by the average number of people in the hot tub for 20 minutes each day and then divide it by 12. This is going to give you the number of days you can go without changing the water. Most of the time you are going to get about once every 3 months.

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Pool Safety for Dogs – Keep Your Pup Safe

Pool safety isn’t just for two-legged people, it is also for our furry friends. We want to make sure that our dogs are safe around the pool as well as ourselves and our kids. In this article, we are going to go over some tips that will make sure that you are able to keep your dog on point with pool safety.

Training Your Dog On Pool Safety

While you may think that your dog will be just fine because of course, they are able to doggy paddle. While they can doggy paddle, there are still other things to think about. Dogs are amazingly loyal and fun to lay with but they don’t have the foresight to understand what could happen in different situations.

If your dog doesn’t understand how to get out of the pool because they aren’t used to a ladder they could actually get stuck trying to get on the ladder and actually drown because they aren’t able to make it. This is why it is important for you to stay with your dog and make sure they understand how to get in and out of the pool without getting frustrated or panicked.

You can show your dog where they are supposed to go and where they should not go. If your dog is not a strong swimmer because they are older or possibly have been injured then you should make sure to keep an extra close on him or her, but you also want to make sure they know their limits through proper training.

Watch Out for the Heat – Pool Safety

The heat can get a little crazy whenever you are out in the pool and you may not think about it with your dog but they can get overheated just like a human. With all of the fur on most dogs, it can be easy for them to get overheated. Besides for heat exhaustion, they could also hurt their feet on the concrete or other surfaces so make sure you are keeping an eye on them.

If your dog is overweight, swimming is a good way to get some weight off on them, but you still need to make sure that your dog is not overdoing it.

Pool Safety for Your Dog Conclusion

Instead of just hoping that your dog is going to do well with pool safety, you can also take them to special dog swimming lessons to make sure that they are up to par on their swimming technique. Dogs do drown and being able to have all of the help to keep that from happening is important.

You want to have fun in your swimming pool and part of that fun is your dog so make sure that they are safe. Your dog loves the water and loves having fun times with the family and friends, but you are the one that knows what your dog’s limits are going to be. Make sure they don’t overdo it.

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Pool Slide Ideas

Slides are a great addition to a pool, especially if you have kids. There are many different ideas you can make slides to be creative. For example, a tunnel slide made out of rocks and also with a small waterfall, a slide with access from a two story house with a patio, and even a simple and easy slide at a lower level that will still give you speed.

Call Premier Pools and Spas, we want to help you construct your dream swimming pool! (855) 212-2210

 

New Orleans: Tips on Pool Maintenance

Top 7 pool maintenance tips are:

1. Enzymes in the off season
2. Use a mid-winter Algaecide
3. Use the right cover
4. Add chlorine
5. Trim your trees
6. Air pillows
7. Do not drain the pool

How Does Sunscreen Work?

Whether you’re lounging on the beach, jetting down a ski slope or hiking up a mountain, when you’re outside, you’re pummeled by invisible rays that can cause your skin to darken and burn. This ultraviolet (UV) radiation can also damage DNA in your skin cells, causing genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer. Fortunately, you can protect against many of the damaging effects of these rays with sunscreen.

Sunscreens, which can be sprays, lotions, gels or waxes, are usually made up of a mix of chemicals. Inorganic chemicals in sunscreen can reflect or scatter the light away from the skin, and organic (carbon-based) ones can absorb UV rays so that our skin doesn’t.

Some inorganic chemicals, including minerals such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, act as a physical sunblock. They reflect UV rays, similar to how white paint reflects light. The white-colored noses on beach-goers in the 1980s and 1990s were due to these compounds; because manufacturers make the inorganic particles much smaller now, we don’t see the visible white.

Along with inorganic chemicals, sunscreens often contain organic chemicals, with names such as avobenzone or oxybenzone. Instead of physically deflecting UV light, these molecules absorb UV radiation through their chemical bonds. As the bonds absorb UV radiation, the components of the sunscreen slowly break down and release heat.

The lowdown on SPF

The SPF on sunscreen bottles stands for Sun Protection Factor, and refers to how well the sunscreen protects against one type of UV radiation, called UVB (it may be helpful to think B for burning). UVB rays cause sunburn and several types of skin cancer.

Another type of radiation, called UVA radiation, penetrates deeper into the skin and can cause premature wrinkling, age spots and can also heighten the risk for some skin cancers . Sunscreen lotions labeled broad-spectrum block against both UVA and UVB, but currently there is no standard for listing UVA blocking power. Inorganic chemicals that deflect sunlight will deflect both UVA and UVB rays.

Most organizations recommend using sunscreen with an SPF between 15 and 50 (SPF ratings higher than 50 have not been proven to be more effective than SPF 50). A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 protects against about 93 percent of UVB rays, and one with an SPF of 30 protects against 97 percent of rays, according to the Mayo Clinic. No SPF can block 100 percent of UV rays.

Because some UV radiation still gets through the sunscreen and into your skin, the SPF number refers to roughly how long it will take for a person’s skin to turn red. Sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will prevent your skin from getting red for approximately 15 times longer than usual (so if you start to burn in 10 minutes, sunscreen with SPF 15 will prevent burning for about 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours), according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

But because most people don’t use enough sunscreen and because sunscreen tends to rub or wash off, the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends reapplying sunscreen within two hours regardless of its strength, and using at least an ounce (a shot glass-full) for maximum protection.

Some of the chemicals in sunscreen have recently come under fire for possibly being carcinogenic (cancer-causing) or otherwise harmful, according to a report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an advocacy group based in Washington D.C. Scientists found that oxybenzone absorbs into the skin and is present in urine long after sunscreen is applied, so some researchers have suggested not using sunscreens containing this chemical on children, according to the EWG report. And in a preliminary study last year, titanium dioxide was shown to cause genetic damage in mice.

In any case, because sunscreen is not an end-all solution, health organizations strongly recommend also using a hat and sunglasses, clothing and shade to protect your skin.

Draining your pool

Why should I drain my pool?

With differences depending on your climate and how often you maintain your pool, pool industry experts recommend you replace your pool water every 5 to 7 years. As pool water is subject to harsh chemicals, a potentially harsh environment, and biological remains such as dead skin, oils, and hair, pool water can no longer be effectively treated after those 5-7 years.

 

Pool water that is too old or has been unmaintained can also damage the surface of your pool. Environmental conditions can often lead to hard water, which will eventually leave calcium and mineral deposits that can easily damage pool tiles and grout. Maintaining your pool water is preferable –and cheaper– to repairing damaged pool tiles and finishes.

 

When should I drain my pool?

As stated in the previous section, most in-ground pools should be completely drained and the water replaced every 5 to 7 years. Exactly how often will depend on your maintenance schedule, how frequently the pool is used, and what kind of environment your pool is in.

 

Pools should be drained during the mild seasons to prevent unnecessary sun, heat, or moisture damage to the pool surfaces and filtration systems.

In almost all cases, pools should not ever be drained for cleaning, as this can be done underwater.

 

Pools should not be drained after significant rain or storms as the water table will add extra pessure to the bottom of your pool.

 

How do I drain my pool?

First, speak to a professional to determine whether your pool needs to be drained. Most pool maintenance can be done with the pool at least partially full. If you have determined your pool needs to be drained, but are not one hundred percent comfortable draining and completing the repairs yourself, hire a professional pool maintenance contractor or company. A botched draining will cost significantly more to fix than hiring experts.

 

The first step in draining your pool is to gather the required tools. You’ll need a sump pump, a bucket, and a hose with spray nozzle.

 

You can rent a sump pump from home improvement and equipment stores, usually by the hour or day. The pump should come with the pump and hoses.

 

Make sure to open the hydrostatic valve at the bottom of your pool before starting to pump the water. This prevents the hydrostatic pressure from lifting the entirety of your pool out of the ground. Opening the valve might require pliers. If there is water pressure from the valve when you open it, close the valve and cease the draining process.

 

Begin pumping the pool. Refer to the instructions provided by your rental supplier.

As the water level drops, spray down the edges of your pool to keep the edges clean and prevent sediment lines.

 

Once the water is below the level the pump can drain, use your bucket to scoop out what remains.

 

You’ve now drained your pool and are able to perform your repairs. Be warned, you should not keep your pool drained for any significant period of time, as this will likely result in basin damage.

Disadvantages of having a salt water pool

Disadvantages of Salt Water Pools

Given many advantages, it would seem that salt water chlorination is the perfect solution to the many hassles of chlorine. Not so fast. Here are some qualities of salt water swimming pools that might make you think twice:

 

More Expensive. A salt water system requires a hefty initial investment, which may total $5000 or more. Of course, with the money you’re saving on chlorine, the system could pay for itself in a few short years. But, as we pointed out in our article devoted to the cost question, any potential savings are theoretical and dependent on a lot of factors. In other words, it’s quite possible that you’ll never recoup your money.

 

More Complex. If you have a sanitation problem with a typical swimming pool, the answer is often to add more chlorine (or some other chemical). With modern electronic salt water systems, any problems that crop up are more likely to require the help of an experienced technician.

 

Potentially Damaging to Pool Accessories. There are reports of salt water systems damaging fixtures, heaters, liners, underwater lighting, and even masonry work. However, some of this information may be outdated or apply only to older equipment. Also, as with any system, a lot depends on whether it is properly installed and maintained.

When is the best time to install a pool?

Many homeowners ask what time of year is best for buying a new pool. With temperatures rising and days getting longer, many of us start to dream of owning a pool. So, we thought this would be a good time to share what we’ve learned.

First, there is not a best time of year for everybody. Each family has their own needs and desires. We suggest that, the best time to buy a pool, is when you are ready. There are lots of decisions to be made and before starting you need to have a good idea of what you want. Making decisions early can save time and prevent delays.

Spring?

If you want to be able to swim this summer, the early spring is a good time to get started. If you can get an early start, pool contractors aren’t fully booked yet. Installing a pool in the spring means you can use it all summer. There are some other advantages to getting a start in the spring. Many new products come to the market after the first of the year. You get to choose from the latest products and liner pattern designs. Sometimes deals are available on discontinued items, as new products take their place. There are some disadvantages to buying a pool in the spring. Spring weather is unpredictable and can delay construction. The rain and mud can cause problems as heavy equipment and foot traffic make a mess of the yard.

Summer?


Once it gets closer to summer, the advantages start to decrease and the disadvantages increase. Most pool builders are fully booked by summer. This is also when they start opening pools so they have less time for new construction. A later start means the landscaping and lawn won’t have time to recover. So, if you may have a pool but the yard won’t be ready. If the you are able to schedule an installation, they won’t get to use the pool much before the end of the season.

Fall? 

If you aren’t in a hurry to use your new pool, the fall can be a great time to install it. Once the pool season ends, pool dealers are more free to take on new construction projects. Typically, the weather is better suited with drier conditions. When you start in the fall there isn’t a rush to complete the project so there is less pressure. That makes the project more relaxed for you and the builder and that can yield a better result. Plus, by starting in the off season, there is ample time to get all of the decking done and the landscaping in place. When swim season does arrive, the project is complete and the entire yard is re-established and ready to enjoy.

Winter?


In the winter, a pool is the last thing on most people’s minds. However, in many parts of the country winter can still be a time to build a pool. This year temperatures in the south rarely got below freezing. If the temperature is below freezing and there’s snow on the ground, homeowners can still start their pool project. The winter is probably the best time to begin planning a new pool. Dealers have time to work with homeowners during the off-season. A plan can be laid out and decisions can be made so that as soon as the weather is decent, the project can begin.

While there are pros and cons to every time of year, the early spring and early to mid fall are probably the best time for most people. It still comes down to your needs and what you want most.