Welcome to the Water Warehouse Blog!

Well here I go ready or not, the idea is to give some useful info on pool maintenance, feature some swimming pool owners with real problems and solutions, have some valuble customer feedback on good (and bad) pool products and give you an inside look at our company. Well have some contests along the way, give away some pool supplies, hopefully have a little fun. After all thats what a swimming pool is all about. If you want to see anything in particular or offer some advice comment at will.

Comments

[John Spitler]

This is advice for Susie who asked about daughter's green hair.... I converted to a non-chlorine system -> copper/lithium system by Eco-Smarte. # 1-800-ion-swim

[Theresa Teresavage]

I have a question. I kept my inground pool closed this summer. My husband lost his job and we could not afford to open the pool. Do I have to winterize it again? I would appreciate any advice on this matter.

[Nancy]

In answer to Susies question about her daughters hair turning green. My hair dresser says to use conditioner on dry hair before jumping in the pool. I've tried it and so far it works. Or she can wet her hair in running tap water before entering the pool.

[Darren]

Mary Lou-
I'm not sure what the water distribution is like between your pool and spa- however sometimes if water is not constantly flowing, water in the spa lines will just drain back into the pool- however if this is something that has just started happening, (and filter cycles haven't been altered) I would certainly call the builder. Because in an ideal situation would not want all the warm water from the spa flowing out of the spa and into the pool, becuase it will just cause your heater to run longer to get spa water back up to desired temperature.

[Mary Lou]

We have a inground pool with attached spa.I've noticed in the last week or so the spa has been very low in the morning before the filter comes on. We are in dispute with our pool company at the moment and I hate to have to call them(Carlton).This morning it was almost a foot low but when the filter came on it was fine. Do you think there is reason to worry? Thank you for your time.

Mary Lou

[Darren]

Rhonda-
I would suggest that you do not put a pillow in the water, buy a solid cover, and add about 3 inches of water to the cover to make sure it stays down in the wind.

[John]

Rhonda - have you thought about a Skirted Winter Cover? Take a look at the bottom of http://www.waterwarehouse.com/Winter-Pool-Covers.html.

[Ronda]

Does anyone have a good experience with winter covers that LAST in high wind areas? We live in SW Oklahoma and our cover was shredded after just one winter. We regularly have 25mph+ sustained north winter winds and our pool faces north, to a 5ac open pasture (so nothing to slow it down!). It looked like a JiffyPop for most of the winter. We cable/winched it, shrink wrapped and added water bottles - to really no avail. Suggestions / help??

[Susie]

Can you please suggest something to help keep my daughter's blonde hair from turning green in our pool? Our levels are good, it's just her blonde hair really grabs the chlorine.

Thanks!

[Darren]

Bernie-
that is what the manufacture of no more problems is claiming- I am not exactly sure how the product eliminates shocking, but I encourgage you to visit their web site at www.swimpool.com- product is extremely popular and we have heard great things from people that have used it.

[Bernie]

one more question. according to product description, if i use "no more problems" i will not need to use a weekly shock..is that correct?

[Darren]

Bernie-
Calcium Hypochlorite is a much harsher chemical- and needs to be disolved in water before puting in water- chlorine level will dissipate quickly with calcium Hypochlorite as well- (that's why it makes a good shock) Sodium Di-chlor disolves easier, not as harsh and will not disipate as quickly-(so it will hold cl2 reading longer)

[Bernie]

can you tell me the difference between calcium hypochlorite and sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione?

[Frances]

Hi Everyone
My new home came with an inground pool.I am a bit overwhelmed and will apologize upfront if I ask dumb questions.
I got the pool professionally opened in May and since then have been maintaining it myself. So far i believe I am doing a fair job since i frequently test the water and get great results (I run my filters,the turbo aquabotic, use chorline tablets and the PH balance stuff). Today I decided to focus on all the the big machines in my backyard related to the pool.
I realized that my "pool frog cylinder" is empty. Do I need to worry about this? Based on what I am reading on your website I think that everything the pool frog does I have been doing it manually. If I need to but something can you tell me what it is?
The sand filter machine (big round thing from the brand Heyward) how often do I have to backwash the water? Do I have to add sand?
Thanks
Frances

[John Puder]

Paul - take a look at our videos at http://www.waterwarehouse.com/poolsupplies/12-By-18-Rectangle-Cover.html?tab=Videos. If you still have questions let me know.

[Paul]

I purchased a Signature Series Solar Cover Reel and 20 x 40 16 mil cover. Can you give me some help on the best way connect the cover to the reel? I have a Grecian style pool with a diving board at one end and steps at the other.
Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

[Darren]

Sharon-
I don't have a good solution for you. Usually the chlorine level in pools keeps them away (at least after they have been in it once)- I would possibly suggest leaving the chlorine level a little higher than usual for a couple of days, and see if they don't go away.

[Sharon]

I have a 24' above ground pool. This is my 17th season with it. My problem is that I have a problem with frogs. The water is crystal clear and all chemicals are adjusted adequately. However, every morning when I go to start the pool for the day there are frogs and more frequently lately, their eggs floating in my pool. I'd appreciate any help I can get!

[Darren]

mpullen-
Leaf nets are used quite often in seasons other than fall- they are not exactly easy on/ easy off, because in the case of the above ground one's, you would have to string a cable around and ratchet it, or use cover clips to secure down. In the case of an inground leaf net, you would have to weight it down around the perimeter or it would blow away. These covers are light- weight so easy to handle, however do need to be secured.

[mpullen]

Does anyone have experience with a summer leaf cover of any kind? I am looking to not replace my solar cover, but still need protection from all of the leafs that are around my pool. Are these covers easy to put on, and more important take off when they have debris on them?

[Darren]

Anna-
I'm so sorry, I missed your post way back on the 26th of May! I really left you hanging. I hope you got this problem corrected. I would have responded to just make sure that it is #20 grade silica at a size of .45-.55mm. My apologies again.

[Darren]

Tnt-
There are a lot of things that can be going on with your pool- One is just an extremely high chlorine demand- meaning there are orgainic Contaminants that our sucking up the chlorine as soon as it hits the water. A reccomendation for this would be to use an oxidizer shock- this will immediately break up the contaminants without having to satisfy the chlorine demand first. Without knowing your complete readings, this would be my best guess. Also, make sure your testing mechanism weather strips or liquid test, are not compromised or out of date. As far as the green around the bottom edge of the pool- this could definately be related to not having enough free chlorine to fight the algae. What could be the cause of all these problems is phosphates. Phosphates are in a sense algae food, with a high concentrate of phosphates, water can appear greenish, cloudy, even with good readings. If you can find a local pool store that tests water professionally and test for phospates, it would be highly recommended.

[tnt]

it has been 2 weeks since my 24' above ground pool has been open, I have 2 problems:
1. pool is crystal clear except for all about 20 inches all around the edges of the bottom it is greenish and would come off when I scrub it.
2. I can't get a FREE Chlorine read. I am using auto 3 inch chlorinator and shocking it several times a day nothing happens
what I do to get chlorine to register?
thanks

[Darren]

Robert-
I'm not familiar with "silk" tabs- what is the component to that chemical. Is it tri-chlor? My best guess without being sure is that the purple is metalic (a metal coming out of solution and creating a stain) I would try a sequestering agent (or metal out) Water Warehouse sells a highly concentrated one as item 4874. If you are close to a pool store, I would also recommend getting your water professionally tested. They can test for different metals and make sure all the other readings are in order. I would also not recommend putting chlorine tablets directly in the skimmer when you have a heater, because high levels of chlorine are then running straight into your heater and that can damage your heat exchanger and cause it to corrode.

[Robert]

I am a new pool owner and we have been sucessfull maintaining the water levels so far. However all of the sudden we have a purple haze on the walls of our liner. We did run the heater one day and this first occured a week after that. We also started using silk tabs in the skimmer basket about a week ago and it appears this might be the cause also as the haze got stronger in the last week. But I am really not sure. 1) any idea what I can use to clean the liner? It doesn't appear like our dolphin is getting it but it is better after a day of cleaning. Slightly unsure what I should add to the water at this point and if I should stop using the silk tabs in the skimmer basket.