How's Your O-Ring

I'll discuss your o-ring in a moment.  First let's talk about your baskets.  They're located in the pool skimmer (the big hole in the pool wall at the waterline) and over at the pool motor pump housing.  They catch the big stuff before it jams up the pool motor impeller (the enclosed fan blade that moves the water). Cleaning these baskets improves filter performance and catches the icky stuff for you.  So it's a good idea to empty them.  LOOK before reaching in with your bare hand unless you're immune to snake venom and rodent bites.  Seriously, I've found them all lurking in the basket areas. You can use a coat hanger or stick with a hook to lift out the baskets.  SAFETY FIRST! TURN OFF! your pump. No need for serious injuries due to a pump coming on.

Still wondering about your o-ring?  OK. So the pump switch and pump timer are off and you've already emptied the skimmer basket.  Go over to the pump.  The pump basket is not always easy to see.  Look for the plate-size lid by the pump and unscrew it.  You may need a wrench.  Pool stores carry some specialized pump lid wrenches.  But if you've done things properly before, this lid should only be hand tight.  So there is your o-ring!  It's the rubber ring fitted into a groove on the bottom of the lid or on the pump housing.  After emptying the pump basket apply a slight amount of silicone based lubricant to to the o-ring and hand-tighten the pump lid.  If there is the tiniest air leak the pump won't prime (draw water).  After starting the pump and "catching prime" look for a small air relief valve on top of the filter tank.  Use this valve to remove the air that has entered into the system.

Was your o-ring damaged or swollen?  If so replace it.  This makes it easier for the pump to catch prime and for you to open the lid for basket cleaning.  Inspect the lid for fine cracks.  Replace if any are located.  This can prevent some expensive motor replacements.
 

Building a Pool? Consider These Points

Having serviced hundreds of pools for thirty years, we'd like you to consider the following.

• Unless you're a musician, you can decline most of the bells and whistles the builder/salesman wants sell
• Unless you intend to entertain the neighborhood, a ten to fifteen thousand gallon pool is great
• In floor systems are not recommended. Their benefits are limited.  Instead, choose a system that actually sweeps and vacuums debris from the pool surface. Consider Hayward, Polaris, Kreepy Krauly, or Baracuda products
• Choose a sand filter for ease of use. If you want fine filtration use a diatomaceous earth (DE) filter.  DE's require more maintenance.  Avoid cartridge filtration. DE substitutes are available
• Plaster pool surfaces decline in one or two years. Upgrade to plaster with additives or for longevity choose a pebble finish
• Dark pool finishes increase pool temperatures
• Waterline tile and water leveler are highly recommended
• Almost every chlorination system we encounter (except salt) has been disconnected. They are problematic and pricey. As are ionizers and ozonators.  However, ozonators show promise
• Salt systems are expensive and require more knowledge. So be prepared
• Meet safety and construction codes.  Know your contractor; is he licensed, skilled ... Remember, self-locking doors and fencing are only minimum standards. Slides and diving boards are rarely installed for good reason. Six foot depths are fine without boards and slides.
• Add a spa and double your costs
• Plumb the backwash to the sewer clean out. Check with your city first
• Fiber optic lighting is superior to incandescent
• Extra decking will be appreciated. Include deck holes for umbrellas, volleyball, basketball
• Before you "do it yourself"  get bids from small- to mid-size firms and talk them over with a pool service professional or your neighbors that have pools

Filtration Tips

If your filtration media (sand, diatomaceous earth, or cartridge) are in good condition and clean they should remove most of the small particles that cloud pool water. If not, adding a clarifier can help. Clarifiers clump tiny particles together so the filter can catch them.  It helps to keep landscaping trimmed away from the pool.  Set your timer to take advantage of utility cost saving hours.  Add a few hours in the day to cycle the water.

Use chlorine (there are other choices besides chlorine) to sanitize the water and to kill the algae that turns the water green.  You've got a tougher issue if the pool has black algae which sends roots into the pool surface.  There's more to it than just dumping chlorine into the water.  Other chemicals in the pool can interfere with chlorine's effectiveness.  Have your pool water analyzed at the store, take action, and try to reduce your chlorine use.  Pools occasionally need their water changed to reduce mineral content.

If your pool filtration is clean and your pool chemistry correct then you should be able to start to back off on your pump hours and chlorine usage. It's a little bit basic science and a little bit art.

Have You Checked Your Pondus Hydrogenii?

If so, then you have some idea of your pool's acidity. Pondus Hydrogenii, potential hydrogen, is the amount and activity of Hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution. This is the pH in acidity tests.

Testing for pH usually involves a color scale using a phenol red indicator.  Phenol red only measures pH 6.8 to 8.4.  The acidity could be way beyond 8.4 and you wouldn't know it.  (I've seen solid metal pump impellers dissolved to stubs by acidic water.)  Use acid or base demand reagents to determine how far the pH level is off from the measurable range of phenol red.

High levels of chlorine or bromine can alter your readings.  At pH levels above 6.6, very high chlorine levels (10 parts per million) will react with the phenol red to create a dark purple associated with higher pH.  Use sodium thiosulfate reagent to neutralize the chlorine or bromine.  Then get an accurate reading.  Just read the instructions on those test kits.  You can save on chlorine and pump time costs.

Bring us a water sample for a thorough test.