Author: Sara May

Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Maintenance

How to Clean Your Pool’s Filter Cartridge

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The following directions will help ensure that your swimming pool’s filter cartridge gets a proper cleaning.

1.  Remove the cartridge filter from the filter’s housing following the manufacturer’s instructions.

2.  Use a garden hose to with a straight flow nozzle to wash down the filter cartridge.    Work from the top down, cleaning both the inside and outside.  Hold the spray at a 45 degree angle for best results.   Clean between all the pleats.

3.  Rinse and repeat until dirt and debris are completely gone.

4.  If the filter cartridge is still dirty or has been used in a spa or swimming pool where sun tanning lotions or oils are frequently used, then soak the filter cartridge for at least one hour (overnight is more effective) using one of the following options:

— A commercial filter cleaner,
— A solution of one cup of Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) to five gallons of water, or
— A solution of one cup of dishwashing liquid to five gallons of water.

5.  Rinse the filter cartridge again, and repeat steps 2-4 if needed.

6.  If the filter cartridge has a coating of algae, calcium carbonate (residue from calcium hypochlorite), iron, or any other minerals, soak the filter cartridge in a solution of one part muriatic acid to twenty parts water until the bubbling stops.

WARNING:  Failure to remove all oils and cleaning solutions from steps 2-5 above could result in the permanent restriction of water flow through your cartridge filter resulting in a partial or complete failure of the filter.

7.  Rinse the cartridge filter completely and replace it within the filter’s housing according to manufacturer’s instructions.

NOTE:  It is not recommended to use Diatomaceous Earth (DE) powder with any filter cartridge.   The powder particles will become trapped in the body and will shorten its life expectancy greatly.

Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Maintenance

Get the Skinny on Pool Algae

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Algae makes swimming pool water green

Green Algae in Pool Water

Did you know that there are 21,000 known species of algae?  Luckily, pool owners usually have to contend with only a tiny fraction of these.  Algae are microscopic aquatic plant life that are introduced by rain or wind and grow in colonies that produce nuisance masses.  While algae do not cause disease, they can harbor bacteria, create a high chlorine demand, and pose a dangerous slipping hazard.

The most common types of algae that can grow in swimming pools are black algae, blue-green algae, green algae, and mustard algae (which can be yellow or brown).  Prevention is the key to controlling algae.  Preventing algae growth in swimming pools is as easy as maintaining proper sanitizer levels and proper filtration, brushing pool surfaces,  and using super-chlorination.

To rid a pool of algae once it has become established, the use of a high-quality algaecide is recommended.  The best choice is an algaecide that will not only kill existing algae, but prevent them from forming again.

Pool and Spa Chemicals

Ideal Chemical Levels for Your Pool

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Proper Chemical Balance in Pools

Maintaining chemical balance in your swimming pool’s water is essential for keeping algae and bacteria at bay as well as ensuring that the water is safe and comfortable for swimmers.  Here’s a quick reference guide that gives you the ideal chemical levels and recommendations for how to raise or lower the levels if they are out of balance:

Chlorine

  • Ideal level = 2.0
  • To raise chlorine levels = Shock the pool
  • To lower chlorine levels = Turn the chlorinator down

pH

  • Ideal level = 7.4 (Summer), 7.8 (Winter)
  • To raise pH = Add soda ash
  • To lower pH = Add muriatic acid (diluted) into the pool with the pump running to ensure that the acid spreads throughout the water as quickly as possible.

Total Alkalinity

  • Ideal level = 80-100 ppm
  • To raise total alkalinity = Add baking soda
  • To lower total alkalinity = Add muriatic acid to the deepest part of pool while the pump is off.  Allow this to sit for at least 20 minutes, then turn the pump back on.

Calcium Hardness

  • Ideal level = 250-500 ppm
  • To increase calcium hardness = Add calcium chloride
  • To decrease calcium hardness = Drain pool and refill

Stabilizer

  • Ideal level = 20-50 ppm
  • To raise stabilizer levels = Add cyanuric acid
  • To lower stabilizer levels = Drain pool and refill
Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Maintenance

Pool Filters Explained

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No matter how diligent we may be with our pool cleaners, dirt, debris, and other unsavory bits in our pool water can elude our pool cleaning devices.  Luckily, pool water gets pumped through the pool’s filter system where particulates in the water become trapped.  A swimming pool’s filter system is an essential component for maintaining clean, safe water.  What type of filter system does your swimming pool use?

The three existing types of swimming pool filters are Sand Filters, Cartridge Filters, and Diatomaceous Earth Filters (DE Filters, for short).  Here’s how they each work:

Sand Filters

Sand FiltersSand filters, often considered the easiest filters to own and maintain, use a specially graded sand as the filter media. Water enters the tank through a diffuser.  As the water goes down through the bed of sand, the dirt and debris are trapped between the grains of sand.  When the water reaches the bottom of the filter, it enters the laterals and is returned to the pool.  Sand filters trap debris as small as approximately 40 microns in size.  Anything smaller than 40 microns will often pass through the filter and get circulated back into the pool.

 

 

Cartridge Filters

Cartridge FiltersOne of the most popular choices among the filter systems is the cartridge filter because it can be removed and cleaned with out backwashing, which saves pool-owners time and energy.  Cartridge filters use a paper-type cartridge as the filter media.  They do not filter as finely as DE filters, but they produce about the same water quality as sand filtration.  In the past, cartridge filters were considered a nuisance to maintain, but over the years, manufacturers have developed newer filters with enough surface area (300-500 square feet) to require cleaning only once or twice each year.

 

 

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) Filters

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) FiltersDE filters are the most effective of the three filter systems.  Diatomaceous earth comes from a naturally occurring sedimentary rock that crumbles easily into a fine powder.  The DE filter has plastic grids covered with a plastic type of fabric.  A layer of the diatomaceous earth filter powder covers the grids and filters the water.  As the water passes through the filter powder, any debris down to 5-8 microns is filtered out.  Because the DE is much finer that sand, it is able to filter much more effectively than a sand filter or cartridge filter.

Holidays and Gift Ideas, Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Maintenance

Give Dad a Gift That Really Sucks (Dirt, That Is)

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Dad Needs a Robotic Pool Cleaner

What’s the absolute worst job when it comes to maintaining a swimming pool?  Ask one hundred pool-owning Dads this question, and you’re sure to hear “cleaning the darn thing” as the top answer.  Yes, owning a pool is sheer luxury and fun… when you don’t have to do the regular job of scrubbing and vacuuming to keep the dirt and debris under control.  This job, unfortunately, usually falls onto Dad’s shoulders.

Robotic Pool CleanersLuckily, you can dazzle a pool-cleaning Dad (your own or someone else’s) with the gift of a Robotic Pool Cleaner, which does all the cleaning by itself.  Robotic pool cleaners scrub and vacuum just about every inch of a swimming pool without much guidance or effort by Dad.  He can just sit back and sip a cool drink while the pool cleaner does its thing.  Paradise!

The best gift to give any Dad is the gift of relaxation.  Offer him a double-whammy of a gift that lets him relax while the work gets done, and Dad can enjoy the best Father’s Day ever.  Happy Father’s Day, Dads!