Home Pool owners amaze me .!Many e-zine readers have home Pools - Please assist them! Think about it - the basic difference between having a sparkling clear pool in your garden, versus an embarrassing green duck pond is quite simple: (a) You're spending a few minutes a week, doing it right, or (b) You're spending a small fortune on chemicals, and wasting hours of time to rectify pool problems that should not have occurred if you were in the (a) group, doing it right. Swimming Pool chemical manufacturers make billions of dollars out of the (b) group annually with a mind-boggling array of products to fix problems that should not have occurred in the first place. As with most things in life, doing it right for your Home Pool, requires a bit of discipline. Note - DISCIPLINE, not WORK. So, let's take a look at a few of the basics: * H2O (water) is natural stuff - don't let it spook you. * You have a few thousand gallons of this stuff in a container, (your pool), and you need to look after it. * With a chunk of water this size - Prevention is always better than cure - and always less costly. * Advice is free - Chemicals cost money. Now, let's see how the (a) group gets this right; with a few fundamental rules: * Rule 1 - Buy a TEST-KIT; it always amazes me how Pool owners will spend hundreds of dollars to sort out some pool problem, which could have been averted with the use of a $5 test kit. * Rule 2 - Be patient; remember, your swimming pool is a large body of water, and any substance you throw into it will take some time to have the desired effect. After tossing anything in, wait at least 12 (preferably 24) hours before using your TEST KIT to gauge the effect. * Rule 3 - Get the pH right, and always maintain it between the upper & lower limits (7.0 to 7.4 for fiberglass pools, and 7.2 to 7.6 for plastered pools) This is so important it could be called Rule 1A. When using pool acid or alkaline to either lower or raise the pH, apply the patience Rule diligently. Remember, expensive pool chemicals will have very little, or no effect if the pH is not right. USE YOUR TEST KIT..! * Rule 4 - Sunshine + Water = ALGAE. Don't let this happen, algae is horrid stuff to get rid of. Use your TEST KIT religiously to ensure the ideal residual ppm (parts per million) as per the instructions on whatever brand of sanitizing / sterilizing product you're using. * Rule 5 - Prevention is always better than Cure. Adhering to the above and also spending a few minutes a week on normal maintenance routines, such as back washing your filter, cleaning the pump and weir leaf traps, etc. will ensure a sparkling clear pool all year round. Also, for pool water that sparkles, use your TEST KIT to get the Total Alkalinity and Calcium hardness of your pool water right. * Rule 6 - Advice is Free. Besides your local Pool Shop, the Internet is a great place to find free advice. A few of my favorites are: * http://www.poolsearch.com/ - the most comprehensive pool & spa site on the web. Their discussion forums offer a wealth of useful tips & fixes. * http://www.poolmanual.com/ - the pool owner's Bible. The answer to any pool problem you'll ever encounter can be found here. * http://www.jacksmagic.com/ - the stain identification & fix site. Love this web site; you'll enjoy Jack's humorous way of putting pool stains & fixes into perspective. * http://www.ezPoolBrush.com/ - this summer, spend more time in your pool - instead of on the side brushing the darn thing. So simple - like all great ideas that really work..! About the Author Author: Leon (inventor / patent holder - ezPoolBrush). Resident: Sunny South Africa - where the Kreepy-Krauly was invented 25 years ago. Contact: leon@ezpoolbrush.com This article courtesy of http://alltopspas.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact. |
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