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Pump repair - Ahwatukee - replaced pump and sand filter (painted PVC with Hayward taupe color)

11/16/2017

 
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Used Hayward taupe paint on this install and love the way it looks!

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Pool service - water chemistry - TDS and calcium hardness

10/30/2016

 
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. This is the measurement of everything that has ever dissolved in your pool water. Chemicals, algaecides, sweat, hairspray, deodorant, body oils, dead skin, hair, dirt, leaves etc. A swimming pool is a closed system and as the level of TDS rises over time, it can cause problems, reducing chlorine efficacy, giving water a dull appearance and increasing the odds that algae will bloom more easily. Also contained in high levels of TDS are often high levels of phosphates and/or nitrates, which can increase the chlorine demand and provide nutrients to algae.

The TDS level should be under 2000 ppm. When it gets higher than this it can cause skin and eye irritation and metal corrosion of your pool equipment like ladders or hand rails. Cloudy water and scaly deposits also occur more easily when the TDS levels are high. Just like TDS, Calcium hardness is another measurement I like to test once a year, to make sure it does not exceed 1000 ppm. In other states, calcium hardness is considered high at 400 ppm, but in Arizona, water is very hard out of the tap and can be over 300 on a newly filled pool. I personally let it go to 1000 here before I contact a customer about it. Like TDS, high calcium hardness can cause issues with your pool. Cloudy water, calcification of filter cartridges (calcium build up) reducing water flow, and scale build up on tile or metal parts like ladders or hand rails.

When one, or both of these measure high, it is time to change the pool water. It is ideal to swap out the pool water every 3-5 years, but I do test for TDS and calcium hardness every fall.


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Algae blooms

3/18/2015

 
I've run into a handful of pools recently with a small amount of mustard algae growing on the wall, or steps. Its called mustard algae, because of its greenish/yellow color. Unfortunately it's common to see algae growing in pools this time of year. With warmer temperatures and the fresh feeling of spring, it starts to get windy, or even breezy for days at a time. Flower pollen covers the surface of the water and the dying leaves are falling from the trees as summer approaches. All of these factors all contribute to algae growth. In pebble tech pools, black algae will start to grow on the wall, along the water line, where the pollen is clinging to the pebble tech. Or mustard algae on the wall where dirt had recently been blown into the pool.

Im often surprised to see that algae can survive in the winter, in chlorinated water with a good pH and alkalinity reading, even in temperatures below 55 degrees fahrenheit. Sometimes it's just necessary to add a phosphate remover, to kill off the algae's food source, then I add an algaecide to make the water even less hospitable to the organism. I like an ammonia based algaecide, because copper based products often stain plaster and cleaner hoses purple, requiring an acid wash by a good pool guy to remove the stains. If the algae growth keeps reoccurring, I have been using a mineral rod called Pool Rx. That goes in the pump basket and charges the water with minerals. Water flow thru the basket recharges the water for up to 6 months. I had good luck with that last year when algae kept coming back.

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Monsoons are just around the corner, have you thought about your landscaping yet?

2/27/2015

 
This past week has been breezy and that reminds me that the monsoons are right around the corner. This is a perfect time to trim the bushes back and clean up all the dead leaves, fallen bark and fruit. Debris around the yard easily makes its way into your pool when its windy. Keeping your yard clean will reduce the stress on your cleaning system, help to maintain your water quality and keep the pool looking good all week long. 

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Heat Pumps

2/4/2015

 
A heat pumps ability to heat pool water depends on the outside air temperature, pool size, the current water temperature, the desired water temperature, and use of a solar blanket. Air temperature is important, because heat pumps heat the surrounding air to warm the pool water. Heat pumps operate best in temperatures that exceed 50°F. In temperatures below an average of 50°F, heat pumps cannot efficiently heat the outside air and therefore require more time to warm the pool.

Heat pumps are great for extending the swim season in the spring and fall and are up to 70% more efficient than gas and propane heaters, making them much more affordable to run.


Swimming pool heaters are sized according to their British Thermal Units (BTU) per hour. One BTU raises one pound of water by 1°F. One gallon of water is equal to 8.34 pounds of water, so 8.34 BTUs raises one gallon of water by 1°F. I typically suggest 85,000-145,000 BTU heaters depending on the size of the pool, based on 10,000 gallons to 20,000 gallons, but the larger the heat pump, the faster the pool will warm up. The greater the difference is between your current and desired water temperature, the longer you will need to run your heat pump.

Solar blankets  reduce the required heating time. 75% of a swimming pool’s heat loss is because of evaporation. Adding a solar blanket will retain heat by minimizing evaporation. It acts as a barrier between the water and the air. It's easier to manage solar blankets when they are cut into 2'x2' squares, so they can be easily removed and stacked when not in use in a storage bin. 

Overall, a heat pump usually requires between 24 and 72 hours to heat a swimming pool by 20°F depending on the factors mentioned above. 
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Val Pak replacement baskets

11/26/2014

 


My favorite brand of baskets is the Val Pak brand. Available for a variety of skimmers and pumps, these baskets are more than 3x the thickness of a standard basket. Not only are they really tuff and hold up for years, the built in molded handles won't break, or pop out like the handles of cheap baskets. 
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Another great benefit of the Val Pak skimmer baskets like the one Im showing in this post, is the weight on the bottom. Cheap baskets have little, to no weight to hold them down, so they float up when ever the pump isn't running. It's not uncommon for people, or pool professionals to add small rocks to weigh the baskets down, or even twist tie fishing sinkers [small lead weights] to the bottom of a basket to keep it from floating up. When baskets float, it allows leaves and other debris to get under the basket, or the basket can get turned upside down, making the skimmer useless. Val Pak stays put whether the pump is running or not. It's an awesome product and well worth the money.

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What causes calcium nodules

7/13/2014

 
The text and images in this blog post are credited to onBalance and www.poolhelp.com. Many people over the years have asked me where calcium nodules come from? High water hardness and high pH will cause a uniform layer of calcium scale throughout a pool surface, not isolated and individual spots (bumps) on the floor of the pool, or a vein on the wall. Pool owners or pool professionals servicing the pool are are not the cause. Balanced water will not prevent nodules from forming, but actually facilitates the visible growth that exposes the underlying problem.

What are calcium nodules? 

In swimming pools and spas, they are small mounds, bumps, deposits, or “slag” piles of calcium carbonate which are formed from material that has been released from the plaster. The small calcium nodules are rough to the touch, hard, are generally gritty and can cut your feet if you walk on them. Nodules may form singularly (far apart or sporadically), or many and close together along a crack in the plaster surface.
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The most common type of nodule is the “delamination” nodule. These nodules grow because of a void (usually a bond separation) between plaster and its substrate. Here is the sequence:

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Under normal conditions, the plaster (white) is exposed to the water (blue), which is bonded to the gunite substrate, or concrete (speckled), which in turn rests on dirt (tan).
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Sometimes, an air cavity (a bond failure) can form between the gunite and the plaster, or between multiple layers of plaster. This is referred to as “delamination” and the cavity is referred to as a “void.” As long as the void is not connected to the surface of the plaster, the fact that the void even exists may not be known. Unless the plaster completely breaks free from the surrounding plaster, creating what is referred to as a “pop–off,” or unless the delamination is extensive, this is not considered by the plaster industry to be a defect.
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In some cases, however, the void is connected to the surface by a small pinhole or hairline crack. Pinholes and cracks are often created from structural flexing of the delaminated plaster. 
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Gradually, water from the pool penetrates the void via the hole or crack, and creates a localized chemistry environment completely separate from the water balance in the pool. As calcium hydroxide, from the plaster itself, bleeds into the void water, it creates a calcium–rich, high pH solution like a little “calcium/pH factory” beneath the plaster surface. The pinhole or crack is not of sufficient size to create a rinsing effect like that which occurs at a new plaster surface.
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Calcium–rich void water and the pool waters natural alkalinity, come into contact with each other at the plaster surface, then react with each other, which results in the production of an insoluble calcium carbonate by-product. This insoluble calcium carbonate can build up a “slag pile” around the exit point, thus forming a nodule.

It is important to keep in mind that nodules are a symptom, rather than the disease itself. The disease is bond failure, cracking or some other imperfection in the plaster from the pour, so acid washing them does not fix the problem. I have removed the build up to eliminate the chance of someone cutting their foot on the sharp slag, but the spot where the the top layer of plaster delaminated remains.  
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Pool service - on deck auto leveler

5/5/2014

 
Jason the Pool Guy auto leveller swimming pool
Some pools were never built with an auto leveller, to keep the water level full as the water evaporates. I can make levellers out of 3/4" PVC pipe that hang over the edge of the deck to keep the water level up. This is important. If the water level drops too low as a result of evaporation, the skimmer will draw in air, the pump will loose prime and can overheat. 

When pumps run hot, the strainer basket can warp from the heat. Steam is generated in the pump when it runs dry and gets hot. If not realized soon enough, it can cause other problems like a warped shaft, a leak at the shaft seal, the electric motor can overheat and fail, the seal plate can warp, the steam can break down the joint stick that seals the threads on the pumps intake and return nipple, and the steam can debond the PVC glue on fittings near the pump causing leaks. Keeping the water level up is important and will save you money on costly repairs. With a set up like this, the hose used to connect the auto leveller to the spigot should be inspected often and replaced every year. When the hose is under pressure for long periods of time, it can fail at its joints and they do dry out from being in the sun. Hoses are not expensive in a 5/8" diameter and are often on sale. 

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I like to use a single hose faucet timer on a set up like this. This is simply a safety feature. The timer is a valve that takes pressure off the hose. It can be set to run up to 2 hours continuously, every 12 hours, supplying water to the float valve to top off the pool water each day. In case of an accident, the water cannot run any longer than 4 hours each day, minimizing flooding if the hose were to burst, or the hose connector fails. This is very helpful when my customers live out of state most of the year and I am the only one at the property once a week for months at a time, or if they will be out of town for a vacation and are simply not there to monitor the water top off during the week.  


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Broken pool baskets

3/31/2014

 
Jason the pool guy
Falling debris from a flowering lilac tree split this basket
jason the pool guy
A flowering Ash tree is responsible for this basket becoming overfull and warping from the pressure

It is always a good idea to keep your yard clean when you have a pool. Dead leaves, flowers and loose trash [like styrofoam and plastic bags] lying on the ground will get into the pool when the wind kicks up. Debris like this will clog baskets and suction side cleaners, effectively stopping your pools ability to circulate water and keep itself clean. All debris when there is enough of it can cause problems, but flowers, like those from the Bogenvia bush, a lilac, or trumpet flowers for example, are like paper pulp when wet. Keeping Bogenvia bushes from getting too big will help a lot to control debris when it flowers. A small amount of these flowers can line a basket, clog the holes and effect water circulation. One plastic bag from a grocery store, or a sheet of newspaper can cause a loss of water circulation and shut a suction side cleaner down. 

Even if your yard is spotless, remember that your pools cleaning system can easily be effected by a neighbours tree, or a city tree adjacent to your property. You should always check the baskets after a storm if you are able, even if you pay for pool service. I visit my accounts once per week and a lot can happen in just a few hours when a wind storm comes through. Trimming trees like Palms for example when they have dead fronds hanging and seed pods dropping onto the ground should be trimmed back.  

A pump basket splitting open will allow debris to get past the basket and into the pumps impeller. When this happens, water circulation will be greatly effected and the system will lose filter pressure. Floor head systems will not have the pressure required for the pop ups to function and suction side cleaners, if not clogged themselves, will not have the water circulation required to keep them moving. Sometimes a pumps impeller can be cleaned once the basket has been removed, but, depending on the pump, the motor may have to be taken off to access the impeller.

Making the effort to keep your yard clean and check the baskets after a wind storm is important and will save you from a lot of unnecessary problems. 
Jason the pool guy
An Ash tree has claimed yet another basket.
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What is a Skimmer Weir 

3/19/2014

 
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Inside of your skimmer, there is a plastic gate called the weir. The weir is a very small part that makes a very big difference in how clean your pool looks through out the week. Its amazing how often I see the skimmer missing its weir gate and how many people, including pool technicians who clean pools every week, that don't know what it is, or what it does. 


Jason the pool guy weir gate skimmer

The weir gate is simply a way to keep the debris that is sucked into the skimmer, from getting back out into the pool. While the pump is on, the weir gate will be pulled back as water comes into the skimmer and just like the name describes, the water skims over the top of the weir. Styrofoam makes the weir gate buoyant, so when the pump shuts off and there is no longer water pulling across the top of the weir, it stays upright in the skimmer trapping the leaves inside.  


Jason the pool guy weir gate
Here is a great example of the weir gate doing its job. This last week it has been breezy. Many trees in Arizona are flowering, or dropping leaves this time of year which can litter the surrounding yards for weeks at a time. What you see in the basket would have been floating on the surface of the water had the weir gate not held it back. Not only did the weir gate keep the pool looking cleaner during a breezy week and shedding trees, but the amount of time netting the pool has been reduced by a lot. 


Jason the pool guy


Weir gates can break when they become old and brittle, or from a lot of splashing when kids are swimming. If the weir gate is broken, or missing, it should be replaced. You will have a cleaner pool and reduce the time required to net each week as long as the weir is functional. 


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