Throw a SPOOKY pool party!

Two days until Halloween!

Entertain some friends with great food, drinks and spooky decor! 

Hallowine Sangria

Ingredients

1/4 cup Sugar 
2 red wine ( bottles, 750 milliliter, Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon ) 
1 cup orange juice 
1/4 cup orange liqueur 
24 ounces club soda ( chilled ) 
2 oranges ( Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon ) 
1 cup blackberries ( fresh, plus additional for garnish ) 

(YUM)

SPOOKY DECOR 

Bloody Pool

But whatever you do, do NOT scare your guest with one of these.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Contact The Blue Lagoons For a weekly service quote

How to drain a Residential Pool !!!

October 22, 2015 | posted by Tina H in Pools No Comments

Summer’s nearly over and many backyard swimming pool owners will soon undertake their annual “pool draining ritual.” Draining the water helps prevent damage to pools in geographic areas subject to freeze-thaw cycles. This article provides information to help you drain your pool responsibly.

What’s the Big Deal?

It’s easy enough to fill your pool with water, so why is draining it a big deal? First, all summer your swimming pool water has been treated with chemicals to help keep it safe for you and your family. Chlorine-based sanitizers, for example, probably were used to help destroy waterborne pathogens that can cause diarrhea, swimmer’s ear and skin infections. These germs can enter the pool on the bodies of swimmers and in animal feces. Chlorinated pools also prevent your backyard pool from becoming a mosquito breeding ground; mosquitoes potentially spread diseases like West Nile virus. But the same low levels of chlorine-based sanitizer that help keep pool water safe for your swimmers can be harmful to fish and wildlife.
The second reason to stop and think before you pull the plug is to consider the sheer volume of water and where it will flow to or pond outside the pool. Will it flow onto your neighbor’s property? Will it pond in a depression? Are you planning to drain your pool directly into a sewer? Better find out what type of sewers are nearby. A storm sewer will channel your pool water directly into a natural stream or other body of water with no treatment. Only sanitary sewers channel wastewater flow to treatment facilities.

Tips to the Drainers

• Consult your local municipal Department of Environment Quality for specific guidelines or codes. The US Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) website highlights, for example, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Department of Environmental Protection guidelines.
• According to a Department of Environmental Quality Fact Sheet, if possible, swimming pool water should be sent to a treatment plant via a sanitary sewer. This is most important for large (especially community) pools, and happens automatically when in-ground pools are built with a drain that goes to a sanitary sewer.
• If drainage to a sanitary sewer is not possible, water may be allowed to evaporate to a lower level for the winter, if desired, or disposed of on the ground or used to irrigate your property. Water should be released, however, only after the pool owner stops adding chlorine or other treatment chemicals, or shuts off the chlorination system and holds the water in the pool for at least one week while chlorine levels drop.
• When disposing of pool water on the property or using it to irrigate your property, do so in a manner that water will not flow off your property or into a stream or storm sewer.
• When disposing of pool water on your property, do so in a manner that water will not pond for a prolonged period, resulting in nuisances such as odors and insect breeding conditions.
• If discharge to the ground will result in flow to a stream ditch or storm sewer, increase the holding time of water in the pool with no added chlorination to at least two weeks to allow chlorine to dissipate.
• Use a pool test kit to measure the chlorine level of the pool water prior to draining to ensure there is no detectable chlorine level. A longer holding period may be necessary if free chlorine levels are 

How to Prepare Your Pool Before a Rain Storm

How to Prepare Your Pool Before a Rain Storm 

Keep the pool full – Never drain the pool before a rain storm. The weight of the water will help hold the pool in place in case the ground around it becomes heavily saturated with rainwater, which could cause the pool to lift out of the ground. If you’re afraid the pool will overflow, lower the water level no more than 2 – 3 inches and close the skimmer valve to prevent damage to the pump.

Remove loose items from the pool area – High winds can blow items such as floats, lounge chairs, and other patio furniture into the pool which can cause major damage. Place pool floats, toys, and other items in a safe place, such as a garage, shed, or storage bin. Cover patio furniture or tie it down if you’re not able to bring it indoors.

Turn off power to the pool equipment – Turn the power off at the circuit breaker for the pump, motor, filter, heater, and lighting to avoid dangerous electrical problems due to flooding.

Protect the pool equipment – Even with the power turned off, your pool’s equipment are vulnerable to damage from high winds and heavy amounts of rainwater. It’s best to remove the pump motor and bring it indoors, or cover it with a plastic tarp and tightly tie it down to prevent water from getting inside.

Balance the water and add algaecide – Rainwater carries many organic contaminants from the atmosphere. Balancing the water and adding algaecide or extra chlorine before a storm will help ease contamination and save you a lot of trouble during the clean-up process.

If you have a mesh safety cover, put it on – A lightweight solar pool cover can easily be blown off or into the pool during high winds and a solid tie-down cover can tear if it accumulates too much rainwater; in most cases, it is best to leave these covers off of the pool. Mesh safety covers are better equipped to withstand harsh winds since they are tightly anchored to the pool deck with minimal gaps where wind can enter and blow the cover off. The mesh material also allows rainwater to filter through the cover and into the pool, so it will not collect on top. [Cover Concerns: Some pool owners prefer to leave their pool uncovered during storms fearing that fallen tree branches or other harsh debris will destroy the cover; however, these items can cause considerable damage to the pool's interior, which can be more difficult and expensive to replace than a pool cover. Decide which investment is more important to you.]

WINTERIZING POOL TIPS

CLEAN OUT THE POOL.

The first step is to clean out any leaves, insects, dirt and debris. Use your pool vacuum, or just fish them out with a net. Clean out the skimmer and the pump basket, too.

Clean the tile line with tile cleaner. Easier now than next spring, when the scum has had all winter to set.

BALANCE THE WATER CHEMISTRY.

This protects the pool from corrosion or scale buildup. Using a water test kit, adjust the water to the recommended levels of pH, total alkalinity, calcium (hardness) and chlorination.

If you want to add a winterization chemical kit, do it now. These kits put high levels of chlorine and algaecide in the water to prepare it for the winter months ahead. Your pool retailer offers ready-made kits for the purpose; use according to the maker's directions. In the case of larger pools, you may be directed to supplement the kit with additional quantities of some chemicals, too.

DON'T LET YOUR CHEMICALS DAMAGE YOUR POOL.

Don't add tablets or a floater that contains chlorine or bromine—they can damage the equipment nearest them. If you already have chlorine or bromine tablets in your feeder, let them run out so that none remain. If you're adding winterizing chemicals, pour them into a bucket and then into the pool. Some of these chemicals instruct you to turn on the pool filter while you add the chemicals. Make sure you do, especially if you have a vinyl liner pool—you don't want stains on your liner from un-dissolved granules or damage to your equipment from concentrations of chemicals in the water.

THE #1 ENEMY: FREEZING.

When water freezes, it expands with enormous force. It's the force that breaks up highways, splits garden hoses, explodes beverage cans in your freezer, and it's the force that expands and cracks pool pipes, filters, pumps and skimmer baskets. If you are closing up your pool for the winter, you should always take precautions to protect from freeze damage no matter where you live—even pool owners in the South have learned, to their regret, that freezing temperatures are an ever-present risk.

To start the process, drain the water down below the skimmer mouth. DO NOT EMPTY THE POOL! The expansion of the soil under the pool as the water in the soil freezes can jack the pool right out of the ground; it needs the weight of some water to keep it firmly in place.

BE GOOD TO YOUR PUMP AND HEATER.

Disconnect your pump and filter. Make sure all water is completely drained from the pump. For insurance, turn it upside down once and dump any excess water out. Remove the drain plugs from it (there may be one or two); they'd trap water inside, which is bad. Once you've drained the pump, turn it on for just a second or two (no more—the seal is vulnerable to damage) to expel any remaining water from the impeller. Store any small plugs or parts in the pump basket, so they're easy to find next year.

If you have a heater, drain it and make sure there is no standing water inside.  Blow it out with a compressor or shop vac. Drain the heater completely, remove any drain plugs, and stash those plugs too in the pump basket for next season.

Remove all return jet fittings (the entire fitting!). If you crack a fitting while removing it, don't panic! You can get a replacement come spring.  Remove all skimmer baskets. Put fittings and any other items that you remove in one of the skimmer baskets or the pump basket to avoid loss (this includes the dive board bolts too).

NO WATER IN THE PIPES = NO FREEZE DAMAGE.

Unscrew and loosen any quick-disconnect fittings or unions at your pump and filter system, then blow out the pipes. A wet-dry shop vacuum or air compressor is ideal for this. Force the air from your pump down the skimmer and through the skimmer (or "suction side") pipes.

Blow out the return plumbing by hooking up your compressor to the return lines at the filter system, or by screwing it into the pump's drain plug. Keep at it until you see air bubbles emerge from the return jets, then tightly plug the fitting below the water line. Close up all exposed pipes with plugs.

Also blow out the main drain line (if any). No diving necessary to plug up the drain pipe—when you see bubbles coming out of the drain, plug the pipe on your end or close the gate valve. This will create an "air lock" in the line, ensuring that no more water can enter it from the pool side, which protects the main drain line.

CLEAN THE FILTER.

Remove the filter hoses. Spray the cartridge filter elements and D.E. (diatomaceous earth) grids with Filter Cleaner, then rinse them clean with a garden hose. For D.E. filters, drain the filter tanks and leave the backwash valve open. If you have a sand filter, clean it by back washing.

Important: Don't acid wash a D.E. filter at pool closing time. Wait until spring, when you can conveniently run pool water through the system to rinse it out. Simply rinsing off the acid and putting away the filter will give the acid all winter to attack the filter components.

Open the drain at the bottom of the filter to let out any water in the filter outlet; be sure to open the air relief valve on top if you have one. Put the multiport valve in the closed or "winter" position—blow the water out of it if necessary—and remove the pressure gauge. Stow the drain plug with the other removed items you're stashed in the pump basket.

YOUR FINAL FREEZE INSURANCE: THE FLOTATION DEVICE.

Before you put on the cover, you'll want to install a flotation device in the center of the pool. This device needn't be anything fancy—it can be a "pillow" sold at your local pool retailer or a truck inner tube. The float balances the rainwater and ice sure to form on your pool's cover over the winter. Even more important, it eases pressure on the pool walls by allowing winter's ice to push in on the flotation device, not outward on the walls.

LAST STEP: THE WINTER COVER.

The winter cover is important for both the pool and the people around it. It's stronger than a summer cover, both to withstand the weight of snow and ice, and to protect people or pets from accidentally falling through the cover into the water.

If your cover has any rips, fix them. If they're beyond repair, replace the cover. Stretch the cover over the pool, black side down. If any sharp points are protruding from beneath, cushion them with cardboard or rags. Then stretch the cover very tightly across the pool (this can be a 2-3 person job). Run a strong wire through the holes around the perimeter of the cover, and snug it up using a wrench so the cover stays down in winter's winds and rains.

TIME FOR STORAGE.

Remove rope and floats from pool and put with the rest of the supplies. Store any dive board and ladders in the shed or garage, with your pump and filter. Store your dive bolts or ladder bumpers in the pump basket. If you have a sand filter, just leave it outside.

YOU'RE DONE.

Your pool is ready for winter's worst. Your investment is protected. And your spring pool opening should be an easy step to another season of swimming enjoyment!

Leaves in the Pool: How to Deal

Plant deciduous trees around a pool, those that lose their leaves annually, and you'll spend some time getting the leaves out of the pool. Leaves and other debris in your pool affects water balance, consumes chemicals and can stain your pool surfaces. 

Having no trees around the pool also has drawbacks like reducing your pool privacy. Trees also provide nice shade on a hot summer day, and a place for birds to perch and sing.

Here's some ways to keep leaves out of the pool, how to skim leaves from the surface quickly and effectively, and how to remove leaves from the pool floor.

How to Keep Leaves out of the Pool

Leaf Nets are normally used over top of a solid winter cover, and are removed easily, after all of the leaves have fallen - but they also make great fall and spring covers for pools in warmer regions or for pools that are kept open late into autumn. Leaf Nets are laid over the pool, loosely or tightly. For spring and fall use, leaf nets can be secured with a few bungee cords or twine connected to the grommets, or weights like planters or cover water bags.Click the swatch to see a close up view of the Leaf Net mesh material.

Pool leaf nets are very lightweight and easy to work with. One person can install or remove a leaf net from an average pool. Leaf nets are perfect for the southern pool that doesn't winterize, because it keeps the pool clean and reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the pool water.

Landscaping is either part of the solution, or - part of the problem. A substantial trimming to your surrounding trees every few years, in addition to pruning the dead branches every fall, will keep your work load down. Trimming back the length of very long and heavy branches, may prevent an unexpected break due to it's size, especially in heavy wind or ice storms.

Pool friendly plants and trees around the pool will reduce your workload. A good choice are small-medium size trees, (15-30 ft mature height), large leafed, tropical, non-fruiting and non-flowering. Some trees like the sycamore have invasive root systems that may harm the shell of your pool, and some, like eucalyptus will shed leaves andbark all year long. 

You may have the wrong type of trees planted around the pool, or too many trees. Younger trees tend to be more manageable, but as they mature, the amount of litter can become overwhelming to your skimmers and pool cleaner. Good trees around the pool would include magnolia trees, myrtle, dogwood and most evergreen trees. Bad trees to have around the pool include pines, cottonwood, oaks, elms, and my personal nemesis - the Tulip Poplar.

Pool Covers are an obvious solution to your leaf problem. In addition to the Leaf Net mesh cover mentioned above, Automatic pool covers will keep your pool clean while also conserving heat energy in the pool. Cleaning the auto cover is a bit of a trade-off, but is easier than cleaning the pool. To clean an automatic cover, pump most water off, and use a leaf blower or garden hose to clean the cover as it rolls up. When you are left with only 5-6 ft of cover still over the pool, use a leaf rake on a pole to scoop the leaves up.

Mesh safety covers can also keep a pool clean during fall. I know some people who put their mesh pool cover on the pool in September and keep the filter running a few hours daily during October. When they want to use the pool, they just remove 2/3 of the springs, and fold the cover on top of itself, on one side. They use a blower beforehand to blow all of the leaves off of the cover and from the pool deck.

Solar blankets will keep the pool cleaner, but if you've ever had to clean one full of leaves, you may put it away earlier next year. Solar blankets don't usually come over the edge of the pool, and with rain or pool water on top, become hard to clean. If you use a solar reel however, the Cover Catch accessory makes it easy to catch the leaves falling off a solar blanket as you roll it up. Cover catch is a floating net, approximately 2'x4', that slides under the edge of your solar blanket. As you roll up the blanket, use the hose to spray the cover clean, then spray the leaves to one end where the Cover Catch will catch 'em!

Leaf Blocks - hedges and bushes, low fences, storage boxes and retaining walls - set up to block the prevailing wind across the pool, can help keep leaves out of the pool. If trees are shedding a lot of litter around your pool, bushes, ground covers and decorative fences can help keep the leaves up against a barrier and away from the pool.

How to Skim Leaves in the Pool

 Adjust the Flow. By reducing the suction from the main drain of the pool, you will increase the flow to your skimmers. Close your main drain valve halfway to improve your skimmer draw. If you don't have a separate main drain valve, rotate your skimmer diverted, under the skimmer basket, to full skimmer action.

If you have two skimmers, you can also adjust the valves to equalize the suction from each. For example, open the far skimmer fully, while opening the near skimmer only 75%, to adjust for the closeness to the pool pump. Optimizing your skimmer flow to draw more leaves in faster, will keep the leaves from sinking to the floor.

Skimmer weirs - is yours in place - that flapper door thingy? Skimmer weirs speed up the water flowing into the skimmer, creating a waterfall into the basket. When the pump shuts off, the skimmer weir floats to a vertical position, which traps the leaves inside the skimmer, and prevents them from floating out back over the pool.

 Skim-it! If you have a vinyl pool, using a skimmer diverter arm, known as a Skim-it!, will help direct leaves into the skimmer basket. These are very popular with in ground vinyl and aboveground pool owners, especially those with only one skimmer in the pool. Clips on easily to your skimmer faceplate, and keeps leaves from just blowing by the skimmer. 

Circular flow patterns are best to keep sending the leaves in front of the skimmer. Aimyour return fittings so that there is a slight ripple on the surface, to keep the leaves moving. Sync your eyeball return fittings so that they are both pointing in the same direction, creating a slight ripple that continues around the pool. The surface disruption should fade as you get closer to the skimmer, or else the leaves will blow right past the skimmer.

Water level - Keep your water level in the middle of the tile so that the skimmer can do its job. If the water level is too high, the leaves will just but up against the top of the skimmer, and not be skimmed. Of course if the water is too low, the skimmer sucks air, and you may lose prime or even damage the pool pump. 

Last year, we replaced the skimmer baskets at my cousin's pool. He had a continuous problem over the years with his skimmer baskets getting packed so full of leaves that it would split out the sides of the basket. We tried several basket brands and they all broke the first year.

Finally, we tried the Skim pro pool basket. This basket, which is made for only the 3 most common types of in ground pool skimmers, has a central tower which allows pump suction to continue, even when the basket becomes full. This "tower" also makes a nice handle to pull the basket out. It's now survived two seasons without splitting the sides. Great skimmer basket for pools with heavy leaf problems.
 

How to Remove Leaves in the Pool

Removing leaves from the floor of the pool, especially when there are deep layers of leaves in the pool, can be challenging, but not impossible. Here's some of my favorite tools for removing piles of leaves in the pool.

Leaf Rakes are my favorite tool for removing leaves from the pool. Leaf Rakes have a bag or a deep pocket. This allows it to be used as a "drag bag" pulling it behind you, or you can push it across the surface for faster cleaning than is possible from the flat, dip & flip type of skimmer nets.

Scooping leaves off the floor is where a leaf rake is really effective. After some practice with a leaf rake, you can become very skilled in its use. Even pools filled with a foot deep layer of leaves can be cleaned in about an hour with a good leaf rake.

How to Use a Leaf Rake: The technique is to feel the bottom with the leading edge of the leaf rake, slowly pushing forward across the floor. Bounce the net just slightly to create a very small current in front of the net. Extend your pole and work across the pool in rows. As you reach the other side of the pool, make a quick flip-over of the net with a short and sharp pull backwards (towards you) to create a counter current.

Be gentle, you can make too much current as you scoop, which sends leaves to the surface, but not enough current and the leaves will come out of the bag. Similarly, as you pull a full bag up to the surface, do so quickly, to keep the leaves in the bag. Keep a trash can on pool deck to dump the leaves into, or use the technique of flipping the net over the fence.

In Line leaf trap. If your pump is large enough to vacuum manually, but you're tired of stopping every 5 minutes to clean out the pump basket, an in-line leaf strainer can be the answer. Attach your vacuum hose to the incoming port, and a short 3 ft piece of vacuum hose that attaches into the skimmer or vacuum port. Some in-line leaf traps are very large, and can be a large time saver. They can also be used with suction side automatic pool cleaners.

Swivel Skim - If lower back strength is not your strong point, the Swivel Skim has mounted two rope floats on a swiveling axis inside the super sized net. Used on commercial pools or large pools with a lot of area to cover, the Swivel Skim relieves you from holding the leaf rake level with the surface - and, also no spine twisting quick-flip needed when you reach the other side. Just push and pull the Swivel Skim. Unfortunately only effective on surface leaves, you can't use the swivel skim to dredge leaves from the floor of the pool. The floats keep this skimmer net floating on the surface.

Leaf Bagger - connects to a garden hose and to your telescopic pool pole. It has avery large mesh bag attached to the top, and the pressure from a garden hose sprays a dozen water jets upward into the bag. This creates a venturi effect, and as you roll the Leaf Bagger over leaves, they are sucked up into the bag. The more hose pressure you have, the faster it will vacuum.

Indispensable tool in any leaf removal arsenal, the Leaf Bagger, (also known as the Leaf Master, or  Leaf Eater, in some areas) can be used on aboveground pools with small systems, not powerful enough to vacuum with a standard hose and vacuum head.

Stock up and Save on Next Year's Pool Supplies

 

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Tina The Blue Lagoons Pool Service 

You may be getting ready to cover up your pool for fall, but that doesn't mean you can't plan ahead for next year. This is the best time to save money on pool supplies because the demand is low and most companies are placing all items on clearance. You'll still get top-quality products that you can enjoy next season. You'll just be buying a little in advance. Here are some different ways you can stock up and save on next year's pool supplies.

Pool Maintenance Supplies

Running low on chlorine, salt, algaecide, or other chemicals used in your pool? This is the perfect time to buy them. Pay particularly close attention to shifts in inventory, like a company switching labels and selling out products with the old brand on them. You can get these for a steal and be fully prepared for next season. Of course, you won't have to worry about this if you have someone else do your pool maintenance for you, but it can't hurt to compare prices and see what you can save.
Note that some chemicals have expiration dates. Do not buy more than you can use in the effective date range listed on the packaging. If you are concerned about this, ask your pool supply company what you will be able to get the most of if you buy in bulk.

Pool Covers

This may not be the ideal time to buy pool covers because a lot of other people will be investing in one for the fall and winter months. With that in mind, you could still save money on "last year's" pool covers. These may be a slightly different color or pattern, but they will function the same and still add value to your pool. Some people invest in a pool cover when their pool is installed, so there may not be a high demand in your area. If you need a new cover or you simply want one to use as a backup, this is a great time to get it.

Pool Toys

Unlike maintenance supplies, pool toys have no expiration date. A set of pool noodles will work the same a year from now as they will right this moment, as long as they are stored properly. A lot of pool owners take advantage of the savings at this time of year to get expensive inflatables that they didn't buy early on in the season. Want a floating executive chair for your swimming pool? Buy it now for half price and enjoy a life of luxury next summer.

Pool Furniture

Last but certainly not least, you could use this time to save money on outdoor furniture. Get new chairs and couches to go around your pool or a new canopy to hang above your table. The outdoor furniture industry goes through fluctuations more so than the pool industry does, so you can get a ton of great deals on "blow out" sales in your area. If you really want to save, you could buy display models for patio furniture when stores start taking down their displays. Just make sure whatever you buy can stand up to the wetness and humidity near your pool.

Enjoy this money-saving time to shop, and you'll be set to swim when the season starts again!