Service and Maintenace Frequently Asked Questions?
Water Balance
What makes balanced pool water? Pool water balance is very important. There are five important components:
What makes a pool turn green? Green pools have a variety of causes. First and foremost is the correct amount of chlorine so check the chlorine first. If you have a good reading and the water is green or there are green formations on the walls fo the pool, then you will still need to add chlorine and/or algaecide in high levels to rid the pool of algae. Poor pool circulation or not enough filter & pump running time are also a problem. Let the circulation pump run for several days 24/7 with tha addition of chlorine, brush the walls if algae is present. Check the skimmer and pump trap baskets for blockage. A small amount of debris can cause poor circulation. Clean the skimmer and pump baskets after you've mowed your lawn. This is a common problem when grass clippings stop up the pump basket. This is also what causes cloudy water. It would mark the beginning of an algae or circulation problem. The quicker you respond to a green pool the faster you will have clean, clear water again. Contact us promptly if you still have any problems.
What makes the children's eyes turn red? Check the PH and Alkalinity of the water. Low PH or high PH can cause eye irritation. Adjust the alkalinity to the proper level (120ppm recommended level for a vinyl liner pool) (150ppm recommended for a concrete pool) and the the PH (7.4 to 7.6). Most of the time the addition of Alkalinity increaser (sodium bicarbonate) will buffer the PH back to the appropriate levels with no required addition of PH increaser.
Chloramines in the water also can cause skin & eye irritation. Chloramines (combined chlorine) are caused when chlorine bonds to ammonia from urine and perspiration. It is a common mistake to "smell high chlorine" and what you actually smell is the ammonia odor that chloramines release into the air. If you smell an odor to your water, then add chlorine (break-point chlorination) and this will correct the chloramines level and the odor goes away and so does the irratation. Follow the directions on the label for break-point chlorination. Follow the directios on the label for the correct amount of sodium bicarbonate for alkalinity and PH adjustment.
What are some other common things to watch out for? Sometimes if the water becomes corrosive (low PH), the corrosive water will corrode the metal parts on the light niche and water from the pool will leak out the back fo the light niche. You will not see water standing on the ground around a pool that is leaking unless it's in a plumbing line that is close to the surfact of the ground. Our Pool Technicians can help with other checks for a pool leak, but it is better left to a professional at this point. *Never let the water level get below the water table in your area. Check with our Pool Technicians before allowing the water level in any pool to just continue to go down.
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