Pool Maintenance: Weekly, Monthly, Annual

Pool maintenance might not always be the most fun part of owning a pool, but regular care will help to keep your pool clean and your equipment functioning properly. Proper maintenance is the best way to ensure that you are getting the most out of your pool. Accurate pool maintenance can help you save money and extend the life of your pool. You can keep track of your pool’s maintenance by following an organized schedule.

Weekly Pool Maintenance:

• Check the water levels to ensure that the pump can work efficiently
• Test the water and adjust the pH if necessary
• Test the chlorine levels in the pool water
• Test and adjust the alkalinity
• Test oxidizer and stabilizer levels and adjust if needed
• Inspect the pool water and check for clarity and algae growth
• Remove any leaves or debris from the bottom of the pool and skim the surface of the water to remove debris
• Add the appropriate amounts of weekly chlorine
• Check the filter pressure and backwash if necessary
• Shock the pool at least once every 2 weeks to eliminate contaminants and restore clarity to the water

Monthly Pool Maintenance:

• Test the calcium hardness and adjust accordingly
• Test the total alkalinity
• Clean the filter using chemicals
• Inspect equipment such as pump and filter for proper functioning
• If your pool has a liner, inspect the liner for holes and tears and make any necessary repairs
• If you have a concrete, gunite, or fiberglass pool, inspect for cracks.
• Check all other pool equipment including ladders, handrails, diving boards, etc. to make sure nothing is loose and it is working properly

Annual Pool Maintenance:

• Winterize and close your pool by doing the following:

-balance the water levels: pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness

-lower the water levels to avoid freezing and blow out the lines to remove any excess water

-run the filter continuously for about 24 hours

-drain the pump and filter to remove any water

-Thoroughly clean the pool by vacuuming and removing all debris

-Remove skimmer baskets, ladders, and other exterior pool equipment

-Cover the pool

Whether you complete these tasks yourself or hire a professional, proper maintenance is an essential part of owning a pool. Regular maintenance will help to keep your equipment working properly and it will also help you to achieve a clean pool that is healthy and free of bacteria. This is the best way to extend the life of your pool and get the most enjoyment out of it.

If You need maintenance, contact The Blue Lagoons !

Happy Swimming!

Landscaping around your pool

Landscaping Around Your Pool

There is one main challenge that you will face when doing this: choosing lush, colorful plants that don’t hinder you from keeping the pool clean and properly maintained. You want your pool to be a luxury that you can enjoy, rather than a chore.

Plants to Avoid

The first step to choosing pool plants is knowing which ones to avoid. You should steer clear from trees that shed needles, leaves, seeds or bark because they can make it hard to keep your pool clean. Bushes that produce berries and sweet, fruity trees can make a mess around the pool and attract bees and flies. If the fruit gets in the pool, it could clog the filter system and create stains. Thorny plants such as cacti, aloes and roses may be fine for keeping thieves away, but they can also hurt swimmers who get too close. Water-seeking plants such as Weeping Willows seek water so aggressively that they could poke holes in the pool liner to quench their thirst. Finally, plants with invasive root systems such as elm, mulberry or maple trees should be avoided or at least not planted within 15 feet of your pool.

Recommended Plants

To complete the oasis that you started to create, you want plant varieties that provide vivid color as well as the foliage and texture that you need. The bird of paradise has large leaves that spread like a bird’s wings, and the fortnight lily is a perennial with white, blue or yellow blooms that grows up to 24 inches tall and likes full sun. Heavenly bamboo is a rusty red that makes a good screen or background for pool landscapes, and the golden euonymus is a shrub with oval, yellow-edged leaves that brighten up landscapes. Some other great options are the Japanese maple bush, blue sapphire cypress tree and purple heart.

contact The Blue Lagoons for weekly or biweekly service in the Dallas area

When Does My Pool Filter Need Cleaning?

I have a swimming pool that uses cartridge filters. How often should I clean the swimming pool filters?

The answer can vary from filter to filter, but a general guideline on any swimming pool filter is to take a reading when the filter is clean, then clean the pool filter when the pressure rises about 10 psi.

How To Acid Wash a Swimming Pool (Drain & Clean)

How to Acid Wash a Swimming Pool

Whether your pool looks like a swamp, or you just want a fresh, clean-looking appearance, acid-washing your swimming pool can help. Also called "drain and clean," pools need this type of cleaning when winterizing the pool isn't done correctly, or algae has taken over due to the pool not being used or maintained in a while. The acid-wash process essentially strips the top layer of plaster to reveal fresh plaster beneath, so it's not recommended to do it often. But once in a while is a great idea!

1

Drain your pool completely. As you drain, make sure to clean up any debris as you go. If your pool has an autofill, you should make sure that you turn it off during the drain. Once your pool is completely empty, start the acid-wash process.

2

Mix 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of acid with 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water in a watering can. Acid must be added to the water and not the other way around.

3 Wet down one of the walls with the hose. The hose should not have a nozzle and water should be running from the hose at all times.

Here's Allan, Blue Lagoons Pool Tech doing
a Drain & Clean on a commercial pool. 

4 Pour the acid mixture on the wall from top to bottom in 10-foot (300 cm) sections at a time, leaving the acid on the plaster for about 30 seconds.During this time, you should be scrubbing the wall with a brush.

5 Rinse the section you just acid-washed quickly and thoroughly. Before moving to the next section, make sure you rinse the wall well so the acid doesn't continue to eat the plaster.

6 Neutralize the pool after the acid-wash is complete. The acid-washing process leaves a foamy puddle of residue on the bottom of the pool that must be removed before it damages the plaster.

• Apply soda ash to the acid puddle, scrubbing the mixture with a pool brush. You will need to use 2 lb. (.9 kg) of soda ash per 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of acid.
• Pump the mixture into a bowl using a submersible pump.
• Dispose of what you pumped, as the acid can kill frogs, fish and plants. Rinse out the bowl.
• Pour water over any remaining residue, rinsing carefully around the drain

Voilà!

If you live in the Dallas area and need an Acid Wash, Contact The Blue Lagoons.

Happy Swimming!

Get Your Heater Installed! So You Can Keep Enjoying Your Pool In The Winter!

NATURAL & PROPANE GAS HEATERS

There are several options when it comes to heating your inground pool, and the benefits certainly outweigh the operation costs. In my case, gas pool heaters offered quick heating that could warm-up the water for the weekend or a few hours before I had guests over. With the digital control panel, I can accurately gauge the current temperature, keep track of target temperatures, and measure the costs of maintaining a given temperature. A natural gas heater can range from $1000-$3000 and generally can last 15 years or longer.

Pentair Pool Heater is designed with easy operation in mind. The straightforward digital, rotating display is complete with indicator lights makes for simple system operation. The compact design quiet operation makes for a discreet heater that will not be an eyesore near your pool area. It’s built to last with tough corrosion-resistant components can withstand exposure to low pH, high water flow, and heavy use-age. With a hot surface ignition it does not require lighting of a pilot light, and push-button, digital control panel is easy to operate. The heater  incorporates PMG combustion technology giving it the a high 84% efficiency rating.

This 400K BTU natural gas heater from Hayward is a shining example of why the company has become a leader in the pool heating industry. Thanks to its energy-saving hydraulic performance, the Hayward 400,000 BTU H400FDN is capable of heating an 800-gallon pool by as much as 30 degrees in under an hour and keeping it comfortably warm with reduced pump circulation, allowing you to enjoy an extended swimming season without noticing a drastic increase in your energy bill.

If you live in a region with a dramatic climate one of the best heaters on the market specifically built to withstand the elements is the Raypak Digital Pool Heater. Many consider the Raypak Digital Heater to be among the best heaters specifically designed to defend itself from factors that can decrease performance in a typical heater: wind, leaves, rain, sleet, snow, airborne debris, down drafts, updrafts – it has an answer for all of these would be antagonists. It would pretty much take a hurricane or apocalyptic ice age to slow it down. Rust is also not a problem with this pool heater – equipped with polymer headers, a copper finned-tube heat exchanger and stainless steel tube sheets. The Raypak Digital interface includes a self-diagnostic center that clearly explains the problem without the use of confusing codes.

Whatever your pool needs may be, The Blue Lagoons got it! Call us to get your Natural Gas Heater installed! 

Happy warm swimming!

Is Swimming in The Winter Good For You?

( Winter Swimming World Champions )

Some would argue that swimming in the winter, in freezing cold water, may actually have some health benefits. According to research done by the Federation of Tempering and Winter Swimming in Russia, the maximum healing occurs when the body is submerged in water with a temperature below 53°F for 1-2 minutes.

While in the cold water, the blood vessels in the skin abruptly contract, pushing a large amount of blood inside the organism. This results in the re-activating of the inner capillaries, many of which are typically atrophied by the age of 30, due to poor circulation and an unhealthy lifestyle. The regeneration of a large amount of capillaries ensures that our inner organs receive the necessary nutrients for their optimal performance and rejuvenation.

This great improvement in capillary circulation results in the younger appearance of cold-water swimmers!

HAPPY SWIMMING! 

Contact The Blue Lagoons for weekly & biweekly service!

6 Tips For Pool Algae Control