!44: Solar Pond Pump Grand Sale: Swimming

!±8± Swimming Pool Pump Facts

You can have the biggest, fanciest pool in the neighborhood, complete with tiles imported from Italy or painted with cool designs, floating rafts and fed by a gushing fountain, but without one specific piece of equipment, that shimmering pool can turn into a duck pond in about a week flat. What's that vital piece of equipment? A swimming pool pump is a crucial piece of mechanics that works hard to keep your pool clean.

A swimming pool pump comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and models. Bigger is not always better, however, so knowing something about pumps and what they do will stand you in good stead as you either build your pool or are in the process of replacing old, battered parts. The size and type of swimming pool you own has a lot to do with the type of pool pump you buy, for manufactures make pumps for above ground and in ground pool needs.

Why is a pool pump so important? Because it works with your pool's filtration system to keep the pool clean of debris. The pump pulls water out of the pool through a skimmer basket and then through the filtering system, and back into the pool. Without the pump, nothing works.

Most types of pumps will state their capacity, so always know what size your pool is before looking for pool equipment. You should know the basic area of your pool as well as how many gallons it holds. Most pumps will designate how much water they can pump either hourly or by the minute.

In most cases, people run a swimming pool pump for six to eight hours a day, especially in the summertime and when the pool is being used. If your pool is small and stays relatively clean, you can cut back that running time in fall and winter months to save electricity.

All pumps should come with some type of straining basket that is designed to catch leaves, sticks, and toys, or whatever else manages to end up in your pool. These baskets can be oblong, square, open or closed, but as long as they keep debris from entering your filtering system, the shape doesn't matter.

When selecting any particular swimming pool pump model, check the energy efficiency of the unit to make sure you're getting the best model to suit your needs. Be prepared to spend anywhere from 0 to 0 for a swimming pool pump. Because it is hard to determine how many hours a day you will need to run your pump, it pays to get a good model, which may be more than you want to spend initially. However, the more efficient the pump, the less electricity will be wasted, so it's up to you where you want to save your money.

When looking for a swimming pool pump, also take into consideration the age of your filtering system. An old system may not be very efficient in filtering water no matter how powerful the pump is, so don't throw good money after bad. A pump moves the water, it doesn't clean it. That's for your filtering system. Carefully watching chemical levels and water clarity, combined with good water circulation, is the best way to achieve good results with your pool.

Swimming Pool Pump Facts

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!±8± How to Manage Swimming Pool Chemicals

The most important element of swimming pool maintenance is monitoring and maintaining the proper water chemistry. While this leaves many people baffled; it's really not that complicated. The first step of the process is to regularly test the water. During the summer months, this should be done either daily or every other day. In the winter you can probably get by with once a week.

If you maintain a regular schedule of testing the water and adjusting the chemical balance accordingly; it should require a minimal amount of time. However if you neglect the job, you run the risk of algae growth and possible damage to your pool and equipment. Learning the following basics will help you avoid difficult cleaning jobs and expensive repairs.

Chlorine - This is the one everyone knows. Chlorine is the chemical that sanitizes the water, kills bacteria, and prevents algae growth. Pool chemistry is measured in parts per: million gallons of water, which you'll see abbreviated as (PPM). The desired chlorine range is 0.5 to 3.0 PPM. If levels drop below this range you run the risk of discolored, murky water and algae growth. If above the acceptable range; the water may irritate the eyes and skin. Adding chlorine to the water is generally done with tablets or granular chlorine through an automatic inline chlorinator. There are also floating chlorinators, but the inline models are preferable because of the ability to regulate the amounts that are dispersed. Occasionally, it will be necessary to super chlorinate or shock the water. The is done as a preventative measure against algae and bacteria. How often you need to do this will depend on the amount of use and the weather conditions. When shocking the pool; allow the chlorine level to return to normal before allowing swimmers. During summer months and warm temperatures chlorine is burned quickly by the heat and sunlight. It's crucial to stay on a regular schedule because the water color will turn quickly when the levels drop and, once it turns, it will take a lot of work to get it back. PH - This is the acidity level of the water. When testing the PH level the acceptable range is 7.2 to 7.6 PPM. PH may be the most important element of pool water chemistry because of it's effect on the other elements and the potential damage it can cause. Low PH can cause high acidity of the water resulting in corrosion of metal components, etching of plaster, and staining. Having low PH is also the most common cause of burning to the eyes and will speed up the burning of chlorine. High PH limits the effectiveness of the chlorine and may cause the water to become cloudy. To lower the pH level add muriatic acid to the water by pouring around the perimeter of the pool. Be careful to stay away from ladders or other metal components due to the highly corrosive nature. It's a good idea to then brush the pool to keep the acid from settling on the plaster. The PH can be raised by adding soda ash (sodium bicarbonate). Chemicals should always be added according to the manufacturers instructions and the MSDS. Total Alkalinity - In technical terms is a measure of the waters ability to neutralize or dissolve the hydrogen ions in acid. Basically, having the desired alkaline level helps control fluctuations in PH when chemicals are added. The desired Total Alkalinity level is between 80 and 120 PPM. Low levels will cause drastic fluctuations in PH, which can be damaging to pool equipment. Higher levels make it difficult to adjust PH and render chlorine less effective. Total alkalinity can be raised by adding sodium bicarbonate or soda ash and can be lowered by adding muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate. Consult the manufactures instruction for the proper amounts of chemical to be added. Calcium Hardness - This is the measure of dissolved calcium in the water. The desired levels are between 250 and 500 PPM. Maintaining the desired levels is important for the protection and life of the plaster. Lower levels will cause calcium to leach from the plaster causing pitting and shortening the lifespan of the surface. High levels may cause scaling and cloudy water. To raise calcium hardness, add calcium chloride. To lower the level, add small amounts of trisodium phosphate of backwash water from the pool and replace with fresh. Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid) - Chlorine molecules are unstable and exposure to sunlight and heat will cause the to dissolve rapidly lowering the amount of free chlorine. Adding cyanuric acid stabilizes the molecules, slowing the dissipation of the chlorine. In other words, adding stabilizer reduces the amount and frequency of adding chlorine to the pool. Some chlorine tablets are stabilized, so you may already have some level of cyanuric acid. The desired level is between 30 and 50 PPM. Cyanuric acid should be added in small amounts to avoid exceeding 50 PPM. Extremely high levels can cause a chlorine lock, which prevents the chlorine from doing it's job, causing the water to cloud or become discolored.

Learning to monitor and control these basics will give you a good start on keeping a clean attractive pool year round. For a complete guide to taking care of your pool and eliminating the need for a maintenance service, take a look at . Written by well-known pool expert Terry Duff, this is an excellent resource for keeping a beautiful pool and saving time and money.