Chlorine Is Only Part of the Equation

First and foremost, understand that maintaining good swimming pool chemistry doesn’t depend on chlorination alone. New pool owners can wrongly make this assumption, but then wonder why their pools are constantly clouding, irritating swimmers, or actually damage the pool itself. Maintaining proper pool chemistry largely depends on pH and alkalinity instead.

pH

Without going too much into a chemistry lesson, pH is a measure of the acid-alkalinity balance in water. It provides a scale that ranges from 0 to 14, where 7 is neutral and greater than 7 is more alkaline (also termed basic) and less than 7 is more acidic. You need to keep an eye on this level because too much acid will corrode metal, eat away at plaster and vinyl, and irritate the heck out of your swimmers! Too much alkali will put scales (calcium deposits) on your pool walls and plumbing, thus clouding the water. Too much of either diminish the effect of chlorination. A perfect pH level for any swimming pool is between 7.2 and 7.8.

Total Alkalinity

While pH is a measure of the balance between acidity and alkalinity, total alkalinity (TA) measures the quantity of alkaline substances alone, regardless of the amount of acid in the water. High levels of TA act as a buffer that prevents fluctuations in the water’s pH. Therefore total alkalinity is also referred to as buffering. The pH level of water that’s too buffered (i.e. high TA) will be difficult to adjust, should the need arise, while water that’s not buffered enough can experience rapid fluctuations in pH levels.

Therefore it is important to keep a proper measure of TA to be able to control the pool’s pH level. The appropriate level of TA for plaster coated concrete pools is between 80 and 125 parts per million (ppm), and the appropriate level for painted plaster, vinyl and fiberglass pools is between 125 and 150 ppm.

When taking care of your pool water chemistry, it is easier to start by fixing the TA levels first, and then proceeding to balance the pH. This is because, good TA will lead to water that has stable, yet readily adjustable pH.

Calcium Hardness

The hardness of water is a term that describes the amount of minerals dissolved in the water. Water is said to be hard if it contains lots of minerals, of which calcium is the most dominant, and soft if it doesn’t.

Too much calcium in the water, i.e. water that’s too hard, contributes to cloudy water problems, high pH levels, and the formation of calcium sales. On the other hand water that’s too soft is very dangerous to the pool systems. It is corrosive to metal pipes, contributes to the softening of plaster and tile grout, and causes cracks in vinyl liners. Swimming pool calcium ion content should be maintained at levels between 200 and 400 ppm.

Not all pool chemistry testing kits include calcium hardness tests, as it need only be tested once at the beginning of each season for a normally used backyard pool. If your kit doesn’t include this test, you can sample your water and get it tested at your local pool shop.

Calcium ion levels can be increased by a adding a chemical such as calcium chloride dehydrate into the water. Lowering the levels is a bit trickier. The most straight forward way to soften the water in your pool is to drain some of your pool out, and add fresh, softer water. If this proves too difficult, a pool professional can filter the calcium out with a nano-filter that can take out the smallest of particles out of the water.

Total Dissolved Solids

Total dissolved solids (TDS) is a measure of the overall quantity of matter in the pool that isn’t water, including minerals, chemicals, body oils, sunscreen, etc. These concentration of these materials increases in the pool as more “stuff” is added to the pool and its water evaporates. This eventually leads to cloudy water, decreased effectiveness of sanitizers, a salty water taste, and a friendlier environment for the growth of algae.

You can test your pools TDS levels with a TDS meter, or alternatively take a sample of water to a swimming pool shop. TDS levels should not exceed 2500 ppm, and ideally they should be under 2000 ppm. To keep TDS levels low, you could treat your pool by regularly adding alum-based clarifiers, such as aluminum sulfate, to the water. These clarifiers work by making small particles stick together and settle to the bottom, where they can be vacuumed out of the pool. A very effective method of keeping your pool’s TDS levels low is occasionally draining the pool a few inches and adding fresh water.

Please note that the salt required by salt water chlorinators will substantially increase the TDS level. Therefore, in salt water pools, it is best to consider the TDS level after the required amount of salt has been added to a freshly filled pool as the baseline level.

Excessively high TDS levels may require more drastic measures such as a complete pool drain and refill, or professional water filtering, as a complete water drain may damage some pools.

Solar pool heaters in fact, are gaining interest for several good reasons with energy savings being the most significant. Since these heaters operate from solar energy, they can reduce or even completely eliminate the energy costs associated with electric, gas or oil heating devices.

Of course reaping the most advantages from a solar heater requires a little creative thinking. You’ll need to think about your overall climate and then think about the position of your pool. Obviously, pools that are shaded decrease the advantages of natural sunlight while pools that face the south or southwest direction virtually purge the need for a heating system for most of the swimming season. If you have a pool that faces a different direction, a solar collector would help keep it warm.

Solar collectors are unique devices that maintain a pool’s temperature through heat transfer. Separate from the pool itself, a solar collector that sits on top of a roof for example captures heat with a black metal plate. A system that sits on the ground on the other hand, can be positioned close to the pool that it warms. As a “temperature” filter of sorts, a solar pool heater essentially removes cold water from a pool and then replaces it with water warmed by its solar plate. But because it sends heat through water filled tubes, a plumbing system that’s situated far from a pool will actually lose heat. Adequate warmth is then only achieved with a solar collector that measures 75% of a pool’s surface area. That’s a pretty big and cumbersome system and it’s a pretty big drawback as well.

Even a solar pool heater that sits on a roof may require an additional pump — a pressure pump in fact that’s strong enough to push water through long tubes. That’s why solar collectors aren’t 100% self sufficient.

Some solar heaters are part of a combination system. Combination systems employ the use of conventional, electric pool heaters during times when solar collectors aren’t usable. Winter months and dark rainy seasons are good examples that warrant the need for a combination system because sunlight isn’t available every day or all day. When a solar heater fails to adequately heat a pool, the electrical component of a combination system will kick in to compensate.

Be aware that this sort of heater comes with a hefty price. When looking to buy your own solar swimming pool heater, expect to pay around $3,000 to $5,000. You’ll want to look for a heating unit that puts out 20,000 - 200,000 BTUs of heat. (A BTU is a British Thermal Unit and it represents how much heat is required to raise a single pound of water one degree.) Generally, year-round swimming will need a heater that puts out more BTUs than summer pool activity - a period in which a 50,000 BTU heater sufficiently removes the uncomfortable sting in pure cold water.

For example, failing to fill a newly plastered concrete pool will cause its plaster to shrink and crack. And failing to fill it in an inconsistent manner could stain its walls. To properly fill a newly plastered pool, you mustn’t stop once you start the “bottom-up procedure”. Stopping and restarting the process of filling a concrete pool will etch water lines onto its plaster while allowing the water to splash into the pool will stain its sides. That’s why it’s so important to follow swimming pool care instructions and fill it with a hose long enough to lie on a pool’s floor. Shorter hoses will splash water all over the place and stain a pool to the point that it looks dirty when it really isn’t.

Of course one of the biggest challenges in filling a pool is accommodating a large size. If a small 15-foot pool can hold 5,000 gallons of water, imagine how much water a 40-foot long swimming pool can hold. (It could be a whopping 35,000 gallons!) Depending on the size of your pool, a simple water hose may suffice. But if your pool wasn’t purchased from a toy store, chances are local water restrictions and rates will affect you.

Why? Filling a large pool could literally take days and the problem with this part of swimming pool care is cost. Contingent upon the regulations of your community, you could face hundred dollar fees that range from water usage to sewer usage. Some communities will give you a break and only charge you for filling a pool while other communities will charge you for filling and emptying one. You must therefore ask about installing a diversion meter into your plumbing supply. If you can get one, you can reduce your costs since this meter will monitor water going “in” vs. water going “out,” and only charge you based on inflow.

If you think that this meter is unnecessary, think again. The fees associated with a pool’s outflow can be more expensive than the meter itself! And filling one with a regular water hose can be just as expensive.

Remember that it can take anywhere from a single day to a full workweek to fill a large swimming pool. That’s going to send your water bill through the roof and it will use up resources reserved for others. Save yourself a lot more money and neighborhood friendships by purchasing water delivered in a tanker truck instead. A tanker truck can fill your pool for about $35 dollars a gallon. For a 35,000 gallon pool, that only amounts to a mere grand.

Discolored Water

Discolored water is one of many pool water problems and though no diligent caretaker wants to admit it, it’s often the result of poor maintenance. The difficult part of clearing some kinds of discolored water is determining what caused it in the first place — especially when it comes to chlorine. Too little and too much chlorine will cloud water and it’s why using a water testing kit as part of your regular maintenance routine is so important.

This kit will help you achieve appropriate chlorination and eliminate the suspicion that you may be under- or over- doing it. If the testing kit reads normal, then persistent cloudy water could be the result of debris introduced by swimmers (lotions, perfumes, cosmetics, etc.). In the latter case, make sure that you regularly clean your filter and run it prior to chlorinating and/or shocking it the pool. Adding pool shock almost always clears cloudy water.

If your water looks cloudy AND green however, then you’re looking at a swimming pool algae issue. Essentially, you’re not chlorinating enough. To get rid of these pool water problems, you’ll need to brush your pool’s walls to loosen existing algae and then double your dose of chlorine or shock the pool.

Rusty water indicates a presence of metal corrosion brought on from an inadequate pH level. This is a relatively easy fix since you can replace whatever has rusted with its plastic version. But you may need to drain the pool and remove leftover stains to clear the effects of severe corrosion.

Swimmer Irritation

Irritated eyes or throats are the result of unbalanced (too high or too low) pH levels or the existence of too many chloramines in the water. Use a dose of dry acid to lower the pH level or soda ash to increase it. Pool shock will remove chloramines. Just remember to use a water testing kit to check on your pool’s chemistry.

Unsolicited Makeovers

If your blond swimmers start whining about their hair turning green, you’ve either put too much algaecide in the water or you’re facing corrosion swimming pool problems as well. In the latter case, the corrosion is coming from copper pipes. Like with rusty water, this corrosion is again the result of low pH levels. Circumvent this problem by raising your pool’s pH level. If you suspect that you’ve added too much algaecide, dilute it by adding more water.

Plain old water can become a nasty beast when swimmers don’t recognize its potential for danger. That’s why you’ll continue to see an inventory of swimming pool safety equipment sold in stores that seemingly focus on things like pool maintenance. You’ll not only see that inventory in stores, but you’ll also see it here, described on this page.

Rescue Tube

You’re probably already familiar with this piece of equipment — especially if you were an avid Bay Watch fan. The rescue tube is a flotation device covered with foam. The hook at one of its ends wraps around an unconscious floater, who is then pulled to safety with the tube’s towrope.

Ring Buoy

The ring buoy is another floatation device that’s thrown to a struggling conscious swimmer. Its foam material helps those in need stay afloat while being pulled out of the water with an attached rope. The thing that makes the ring buoy work is the length of its rope. Since the entire device may need to reach the far end of a pool, its rope should adequately extend that distance.

Shepard’s Crook

Similar to the telepole, the shepard’s crook is a 12-16 foot long pole that lets you reach far across or deep into a large swimming pool. Its long flexible loop is what helps you retrieve an unconscious swimmer.

Although these devices can be enough to save a person’s life, they aren’t very useful if they’re out of reach. Ideally, each device (and you should own all three in addition to a first-aid kit) should be kept on the pool site and within reach. Keeping them locked away in a shed that sits 14 feet away is not acceptable since a person can drown during the time it takes you to retrieve these items!

Falling Tiles

There are a number of reasons why swimming pool tiles may fall out of place, however the most prominent cause is probably due to poor installation. A tile that isn’t securely attached to its pool’s side might not have fully bound with the mud used to fix it into place. There may have been something wrong with the mud used to glue the tile on, or maybe there was something wrong with the method in which the mud was applied.

Another reason why tiles may fall is a cracked beam behind a pool’s wall — evidenced by a horizontal crack along the backside of a tile piece. If it seems as though a tile simply popped out of its place however, the culprit could be a lack of sufficient caulking. When water gets behind tile and then freezes during the winter months, ice’s natural propensity to expand will push tile from its support. Frozen water that exists between where a pool wall and its deck meets will damage the beam — eventually popping out a whole series of tiles within a short period of time.

In simple cases — that is when a damaged beam is not the cause of falling tiles — re-grouting is all that’s needed to restore them. Waterproof tile grout provides a sufficient binder.

Cruddy Tiles

Over time, you may notice that your swimming pool tile sports unwanted white spots. These white spots could be mineral salts released from the tile’s grout, or they could be scale debris. “Scale” is calcium carbonate — a natural salt in chalk form. Hard water can certainly contribute to this condition but its remains can be fortunately removed via scraping or burning with tile acid.

Cracked Tile

A cracked tile is almost always the result of frozen water pressing up against the pool walls. That’s why you should remove about eighteen inches of pool water during the winterizing process. Removing this much water is important because as water freezes, it expands and rises. Lowering a pool’s water level prior to winter will prevent thick ice from reaching its tiles in the first place.

Of course it could be the result of a cracked beam as well. There really isn’t any way to repair cracked tile other than to replace it.

Introduce Yourself to an Unlikely Couple

Since we’re dealing with swimming pools, there’s water involved. Since water and electricity make deadly bedfellows, we need to take special care in selecting high-quality waterproofed materials and equipment (emphasis on waterproofed!). The lighting system that you choose must meet safety codes and depending on your preferred setting, it may require professional installation.

Take the Easy Route

Should you decide to install an inexpensive yet fun set-up yourself, you can opt for a low-voltage (less hazardous) external lighting system. Setting up this kind of arrangement is a simple matter of installing a transformer and then planting the bottom stems of floodlights into the ground. Or it could be a simple matter of hanging small streetlight-style lamps along a fence. As a harmless way to light up a pool, these particular swimming pool lights are easily removed, allowing you to change the look and feel of your environment as many times as you like.

The alternative would be to hire a professional electrician who’ll want to bury waterproofed pipes in your yard. Conforming to city safety codes, the 120-volt lighting system that requires this much work will be an expensive installation!

Fixture Ideas

Regardless of what kind of swimming pool light fixture you use (the post cap light, three-tiered path, or solar light), you must understand that it’s the placement of these lights that creates ambiance. The locations of your lights will serve as beacons and they’ll call attention to wherever they’re placed. Although lighting up the entrance, stairway, or pathway to a pool is more of a functional approach, you could arrange the lights at the entrance, stairway, or pathway in a unique pattern (zigzagged, curved, etc.) to emphasize creativity and safety at the same time.

Experiment with easy to remove fixtures and be sure to arrange wires out of the path of pool users. Covering wires with wood chips or other elements of the environment (leaves, pebbles, etc.) make a swimming pool lighting arrangement even more attractive.

Cartridge Filters

The cartridge swimming pool filter is the most popular choice among pool owners because it’s easy to maintain, change, and clean. These filters are all capable of catching particles as small as 6 microns (1 micron = 1 millionth of a meter) with a polyester or paper type material. Debris that enters this kind of filter latches on to a cartridge that can be hosed off and reused when dirty. Replacing the cartridge every year however, helps keep the pool cleaner and healthier all season. This type of filter is the most practical choice for private backyard swimming pools.

Diatomaceous Earth Filters

The diatomaceous earth filter catches debris with grids covered in a light coat of fossilized sea diatoms. To us, this coat looks like powder, but to tiny particles, it looks like rocks with very sharp edges. And it’s these edges that catch that debris passed this kind of filter. Unlike the cartridge filter above, the diatomaceous earth filter catches particles as small as 5 microns but unlike the high-rate sand filter below, it’s much smaller in size. It does however require frequent backwashing with as much as 500 gallons of water — a fact which may not be significant since it’s the preferred device for public swimming pools. Most home pools do not use this kind of filter. Do note however that since diatomaceous earth is considered hazardous waste, your community may regulate the way that it’s disposed.

High-Rate Sand Filters

The high-rate sand filter catches debris with a specific grade of sand. The tanks that hold this sand are made of fiberglass, stainless steel, or plastic, and the debris trapped by them can be as small as 5 microns — making them another preference for public swimming pools. Using a pressure system, the filter pushes debris deep into the sand before it sends its filtered product back into the pool. Frequent backwashing keeps the filtering system clean enough to work. And like with the diatomaceous earth filters, this task also requires large quantities of water.

Basic Design and Uses

Every swimming pool deck consists of footing, vertical supports, horizontal supports, joists, and railings and/or steps. How these items are positioned depends on the deck’s overall design, but you’ll find all of these elements in any arrangement.

This is why planning is so important. Since a deck’s design can influence the position of its elements, you’ll want to consider how the swimming pool decking will be used (partying, barbecues, relaxing, etc.), where it will be located within the landscape of your property, what kind of view you want to provide, and safety issues.

Construction

The latter issue above brings us to our next point: restrictions. Before building a deck, you’ll need to design it around existing utility or drainage lines and then consult your local building commission for permits and additional rules. With your plans, materials list, and estimated costs in hand, you may face limits on the size or height of your deck.

Decking Material Choices

In fact, your community may even limit your choice of materials. These limitations don’t exist without due cause however — they really save lives. In essence, swimming pool decks must be built with durable materials that are resistant to moisture, decay, and insects. Redwood and Cedar make excellent choices since they’re naturally resistant to these things. Just don’t be surprised if you have to readjust your strategy.

Maintenance

The work required for maintaining a deck can influence your design decisions as well. For example, you might want to add small rocks and gravel below the deck to discourage weed growth. Or you might decide that maintaining a wooden deck is too much work and that a different material — like cement — would better accommodate your limited schedule.

At the design stage, it’s important to remember that you’re only throwing ideas around and that you haven’t committed to anything. This gives you the unique opportunity to ask some important “What if” questions that could prompt you to think of ideas you might not have considered before.

What’s the big fuss about chlorine? Chlorine is very effective at both killing live organisms, such as algae & bacteria, and getting rid of undesirable organic compounds, such as sunscreen & body oils. But chlorine is not a very human friendly substance either. Chlorine as a gas will irritate skin, mucous membranes, and the lungs. Over 1000 ppm (parts per million) can kill humans while just the smallest amount can inflame asthmatics. What makes chlorine particularly dangerous to swimmers however is its ability to easily enter the skin and turn into carcinogenic elements.

The following are a few popular chlorine alternatives for pools:

Salt Chlorination

Salt chlorination cleans the pool the same way that standard chlorination does. But instead of using harsh chemicals to chlorinate the pool, it just does it with plain old table salt. But you can’t dump a box of it in your pool and expect it to work. You have to instead, use a chlorine generator, which generates the chlorine from the salt in the water. Salt chlorination does not lead to chlorine free swimming pools, but it greatly reduces the amount of chlorine in the pool at any one time by supplying the pool with a constant low level of chlorination.

Bromine

Bromine is chemically similar to chlorine and is a popular chlorine alternative for pools that are shielded from the sun, i.e. indoor pools. Bromine breaks down quickly when exposed to sunlight and is therefore ineffective in sanitizing outdoor pools. The advantage of bromine is that it combines with organic compounds to form bromamine, a substance that is considerably less hazardous than chlorine’s byproduct, chloramine. Additionally, unlike chloramine, bromamine breaks down naturally in the pool, eliminating the need for the shock treatments required for chlorinated pools.

Ionization

Ionization is a water sanitization technique that utilizes copper and silver ions (charged particles) to kill bacteria and algae. This method relies on a device called an ionizer that releases these ions into the water. Ions kill live organisms but do little to get rid of other undesirable organic gunk such as sunscreen, and body oils. Consequently, swimming pools that rely on ionization as their primary method of purifications also require some chlorination. But the good news is that ionized pools typically need only 20% of the chemicals used by pools that utilize chlorine alone.

Some ionizers produce enough ions to require no standing levels of chlorine, but only periodic shock treatments with high chlorine doses. This makes them an ideal swimming pool chlorine alternative for people concerned about swimming in chlorine of even low concentration.

Ozonation

Ozone is a substance made of three oxygen atoms, and like copper and silver ions discussed above, is another chlorine alternatives for pools that acts to kill bacteria and other live microscopic organism. Ozonation relies on an ozonator device that releases the ozone molecules into the water. Like ionization, ozonation also requires some chlorine treatment to get rid of undesirable organic substances in the pool.