Tag Archives: Pool and Spa Equipment

Pool and Spa Safety

Diving Board Safety Tips

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Do This IN The Pool NOT Off The Diving Board!

Properly installed Diving Boards can add great fun your pool activities this summer. Kids love them, but parents have been told over and over how dangerous they can be.  Like most activities surrounding a  swimming pool, diving boards can be risky, but knowing how to use one properly will allow you and your kids to have fun safely this summer. Following these important safety tips will help insure safe, exciting, and fun times for all:

  • NEVER run onto or along the diving board.
  • NEVER dive off the side of a diving board
  • NEVER dive into an above ground pool
  • NO  back dives.
  • ALWAYS know the depth of water before you dive.
  • ALWAYS have a adult supervise children while diving and swimming
  • NEVER dive alone!!!

Most of these tips sound like nothing more than common sense, but taking the time to discuss these rules with your kids and their friends can keep everyone happy and safe this swimming season.

As you search for the perfect diving board for your backyard inground swimming pool, the S. R. Smith Diving Boards are highly recommend.  Both BackyardCityPools.com and our vendors  support the efforts of spreading the importance of swimming pool and diving board saftey.  Happy and Safe Summer To All!

Outdoor Entertaining, Pool Accessories, Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Fun

Time For The Pool Parties To Begin!

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It is that time of year….we are all eager to get out and enjoy our swimming pools.  Most of us are busy purchasing all our pool chemicals so we can get our pool water balanced so that just as soon as the kids want to “jump” they can.  Many of us are also wondering….turn on the heater…don’t turn on the heater?  Obviously, the answer to these questions are relative to which part of the country you live in so I am not going to touch on these points today.  I am just so excited to share with you a new product that we are offering this Spring. Check out this new patio PoolParty Furniture!  It goes right in the pool.  How great would this be for your first pool party?! And the umbrellas come in different styles and sizes to fit your individual pool needs.  These are specifically designed to be placed in the pool.  Kind of reminds me of those nice hotels I used to go to that had the tiki bars in the pools that you could swim right up too.

Seems like a little bit of paradise in my own backyard.

And The Party Begins!

And The Party Begins!

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Safety, Pool Fun

Affordable Family Fun

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Many of us this summer are choosing to stay close to home this summer for various reasons…maybe it is a financial decision or even because of the latest media scare….the dreaded Swine Flu….Whatever your reason may be –  it is important to know that if you take the right steps to provide your kids with an outlet for fun, you will find your summer is memorable even if it is spent primarily in your own backyard.

If you don’t already have an inground swimming pool now is the time consider an high quality,economical, easy to manage Above Ground Swimming Pool.

An above ground swimming pool will enhance the beauty of your backyard, and at the same time provide a way for you and your family to get more pleasure out of those hot summer months.

Keep cool and make fun memories this summer in the comfort of your own backyard swimming pool.

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Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Equipment

Pool Chemicals Made Simple

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Pool Chemicals Dictionary

 

Which pool chemicals are which and what pool chemicals are what????

It is that time again, every year opening your swimming pool can sometimes leave you confused and frustrated.  Understanding all these chemicals is quite an undertaking.  We are providing a list of major chemicals and their meanings, hopefully to make your pool opening easier this year.  Let us know if this helps……..

ALGAECIDE A natural or synthetic chemical designed to kill, destroy or control algae.

ALKALINITY Also called total alkalinity. A measure of the pH-buffering capacity of water or water’s resistance to change in pH. Composed of the hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonates in the water. One of the basic water tests necessary to determine water balance.

BALANCED WATER The correct ratio of mineral content and pH level that prevents the water from being corrosive or scale forming.

BROMINE A halogen element in the same group as chlorine and fluorine. Also a common name for several chemical compounds containing bromine that are used as disinfectants to destroy bacteria and algae in swimming pools and spas. Most commonly available as organic bromine in a tablet or granular, or as sodium bromide, a granular salt.

CALCIUM HARDNESS The calcium content of the water. Calcium hardness is sometimes confused with the terms water hardness and total hardness. Too little calcium hardness and the water is corrosive. Too much calcium hardness and the water is scale forming. One of the basic water tests necessary to determine water balance. Minimum level is 150 ppm. Ideal range is 200-400 ppm.

CHLORINE A term used to describe any type of chlorine compound used as a disinfectant in swimming pool and spa water or to kill, destroy or control bacteria and algae. In addition, chlorine oxidizes ammonia and nitrogen compounds (swimmer and bather waste).

CLARIFIER Also called coagulant or flocculant. A chemical compound used to gather (coagulate or agglomerate), or to precipitate suspended particles so they may be removed by vacuuming or filtration. There are two types; inorganic salts of aluminum (alum) or water-soluble organic polyelectrolytes.

CONDITIONER Also called stabilizer or cyanuric acid. It is a chemical that slows down the degradation of chlorine in the water by sunlight. The minimum effective level is 20 ppm as measured by a test kit. Very high levels of Cyanuric acid (above 300 ppm) can slow down chlorine activity or effectiveness. Conditioner does not protect bromine from sunlight.

COPPER ALGAECIDE  A chemical compound that contains the element copper. Copper sulfate was one of the original copper algaecides. Too much copper in the water can cause green-colored stains or water. Newer copper algaecides contain an ingredient that prevents the copper from staining but does not affect copper’s ability to kill algae. These special copper algaecides are called chelated copper algaecides.

CYANURIC ACID Also called conditioner or stabilizer, this chemical compound protects chlorine in the water from being destroyed by sunlight. The minimum level is 20 ppm. Very high levels of Cyanuric acid (above 300 ppm) can slow down chlorine activity or effectiveness. Cyanuric acid does not protect bromine from sunlight.

HYPOCHLORITE The name given to a family of chlorine containing compounds, including calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite and lithium hypochlorite, that are used as disinfectants and sanitizers in pool and spa water.

NON-CHLORINE SHOCK A term given to a class of chemical compounds that are used to oxidize or shock the water (destroy ammonia, nitrogen and swimmer waste). They contain no chlorine or bromine and do not kill living organisms. swimmers may re-enter the pool in only 15 minutes after adding a non-chlorine shock.

OXIDIZER A shocking or sanitizing compound that removes or destroys built-up contaminants and chloramines in pool water. Most chlorinating, brominating, and oxygenating compounds are considered oxidizers. Usually the fast dissolving oxidizers which contain chlorine, such as hypochlorites, are typically used to “superchlorinate” the water.

pH A term used to indicate the level of acidity or alkalinity of pool water. The pH being too low causes etched plaster, metal corrosion and eye irritation. The pH being too high causes scale formation, poor chlorine efficiency and eye irritation. The ideal range for pH in swimming pools is 7.4-7.6

SCALE The precipitate that forms on surfaces in contact with water when the calcium hardness, pH or total alkalinity levels are too high. Results from chemically unbalanced pool and spa water. Scale may appear as gray, white or dark streaks on the plaster, fiberglass or vinyl. It may also appear as a hard crust around the tile.

SHOCK TREAT The practice of adding significant amounts of fast-dissolving oxidizing chemical to the water to destroy ammonia and nitrogen compounds or swimmer waste.

STABILIZED CHLORINE A family of chlorine pool sanitizers that contain conditioner (cyanuric acid) to protect the chlorine from the degrading UV rays in sunlight. Most common types are sodium dichlor and trichlor. The granular form is dichlor, which is fast-dissolving and can be used for regular chlorination or super-chlorination by broadcasting into the pool or spa. Tablet or stick form is trichlor (which is usually used in a chlorine feeder- either the floating type or an in-line erosion type) used for regular chlorination only.

TURBIDITY The cloudy condition of the water due to the presence of extremely fine particles in suspension that cannot be trapped by the filter because they are too small. Adding a clarifier will coagulate the particles and make the filter more efficient.

WATER CLARIFIER Also called coagulant or flocculant. A chemical compound used to gather or to precipitate suspended particles so they may be removed by vacuuming or filtration.

 

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Maintenance

How to Locate a Leak in Your Pool

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There are several steps you can take to try to locate a leak in your pool. There are several areas where your swimming pool may leak:

Any leaks in the underground plumbing will require professional attention; however, you may be able to find obvious leaks in other parts of the pool using simple visual inspection techniques.

Check for signs of moisture or drips around the pool equipment. Also check to make sure that your multi-port valve is not positioned to allow water loss to waste.

Underwater leaks in the pool shell or fittings can be identified with a dye test. You can make your own dye tester by using some dark food coloring and a turkey baster or a plastic syringe. If using a baster, slowly depress bulb to allow a slow steady stream of the dye to be injected into the pool. A Dye Tester allows placement of a small amount of colorant near (within ¼”) a suspected leak. Liquid follows the path of least resistance so dye will be drawn out of the pool where there is a leak. Start by testing suspect areas such as cracks in the tile or plaster, and places where return fittings, skimmers or stairs join to the pool shell. Much of this testing can be done from the pool deck; however, you will eventually have to get into the pool with a dive mask to completely inspect the structure of the pool.

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find anything; most leaks are not visibly obvious, or may be in parts of the pool (such as the underground plumbing system), that are inaccessible. A qualified pool leak professional utilizing specialized equipment should be able to find a leak anywhere in your pool within an hour or two (some complicated jobs may take longer).