Getting Your Pool Ready For the Summer

Everybody enjoys a relaxing weekend by a sparkling swimming pool. No one enjoys spending all weekend getting the pool clean and ready for the summer. Hopefully you've had a cover over your pool during the off season. This should have helped keep the leaves and trash out. But it can still be quite a job getting the chemicals back to proper levels and getting the pH balanced after the pool has been sitting for several months unused.
Most of us with a pool has encountered the green slime pit after the pool has been shut down all winter. This can be a nightmare to get straightened out. The best advice I have to offer here is to super chlorinate the pool and let the filter run continuously for several days. You may have to backwash the filter several times before you see any major improvements. Be sure to clean the skimmer baskets out regularly. If the pool wasn't covered and is full of trash and leaves, they need to be removed before running the filter. The best way to do this is with a dip net and pole. After seeing some improvement in water quality brush the sides of the pool to loosen dirt and algae. Super chlorinating or shocking the water should be enough to get the water cleared up but you still have to get the pH back to proper level before using the pool. It's important to keep the pH level correct as this helps the chlorine stabilize meaning you won't have to add chlorine as often. It also keeps scale from forming on the pool walls which can deteriorate the the pool surface. Some prefer to take a water sample from their pool to a pool company to have it analyzed. They can tell you which chemicals you need to add and how much to add to get the water balanced. There are test kits available to check the water yourself. Simple kits just for checking chlorine level are pretty simple and straight forward. Some of the more advanced kits will give you a lot more insight to exactly what you need to add to the water for ph and softness. They can be petty involved and if you don't want to get into the chemistry of it , you may just want to just carry a sample to the nearest pool company. However you decide to go remember that proper water chemistry is necessary to keep the pool clean and safe for swimmers.

Adding Value To Your Home With a Beautiful Inground Pool

An in ground pool offers much more than just a cool place to relax during the summer. There are so many features that can be added to an in ground pool, that it can become a work of art, adding to the overall beauty of your home and landscape.

Things to Consider Before Deciding On An In Ground Pool

I think a lot of people just jump on the in ground pool wagon trying to keep up with the Jones. Granted an in ground pool in your back yard does carry a certain degree of notoriety, but you need to consider the work involved in maintaining a pool before taking the plunge. There are a lot of options available to help out in the area of pool maintenance, and your pool contractor will be glad to discuss these with you. As a pool builder, I always recommend a cleaning system. There are many different varieties available and they will cut down on the time you spend working on your pool and add to the enjoyment of ownership. Some of the robot cleaners use a proprietary pump (or booster pump) just for the cleaning chore. These are far superior to the robots running off the pool pump and I recommend that even if you don't want to spend the extra money right away for the better robot at least make sure to have your builder add a line for it while the pool is being constructed. This will save you a lot of money should you decide to add a cleaner later.If you make the choice to build a gunite pool (concrete) you may choose to go with an in floor cleaning system. This is essentially a series of pop-up spray heads (much like lawn sprinklers ) in the floor of the pool. They are on a timer and they pop up during routine cleaning to move debris around to help ensure that it is picked up by the filtering system.While these types of cleaning systems have made great improvements over the years I personally feel they are overpriced for the job they do and more often than not, homeowners are dis-satisfied with their performance. Chlorine generators are making a big debut in todays pool industry and rightfully so, while they are expensive initially the savings can be quite substantial over the long run. This is something to consider at construction time. While it can be easily added later you will save quite a bit by doing it when building the pool.Automation; I could write a chapter all by itself on this and I find it so useful that I personally will not build a poo/l spa combination without it. Here again there are several different manufactures of automatic systems. Most are good and it's really just a matter of personal preference. If you choose to go automatic you'll probably use the system your builder recommends.All in all an inground pool can add value to your home and provide a relaxing environment for you, your family, and guests.

Be sure to check out our sections on Vinyl Liner Pools, Fiberglass Pools, and Gunite Pools to help you decide which inground pool may be right for you.

Choosing an Inground Pool

Building an in ground pool can be a major investment for most families and careful choices made in advance can save you heartaches down the road.
The first thing we need to do here is discuss your options for an in ground swimming pool.
1. Vinyl liner swimming pools are the least expensive in the in ground pool arena. These pools consist of a frame, usually metal or composite that is placed below ground level to provide shape and rigidity to the top portion of the pool. The bottom portion is reinforced with a substance called vermiculite that is troweled on to earth. Then a liner is placed inside the structure to provide a waterproof barrier that will be your pool.One thing to consider here is if you own a dog that may enjoy the pool with the family at times ,,A dogs nails can literally destroy a liner in seconds. Children carrying or playing with toys that have points or edges can also be fatal to a vinyl liner pool.While damage to the liner is a drawback keep in mind that the liner is only a small portion of the cost of the pool and is fairly easily replaced when the need arises.
2. Fiberglass swimming pools ,,while only taking a presence in the market over the last few years have thus far proved to be more durable than vinyl liner pools,
I for one am curious to see what the long term outcome is for the age of fiberglass placed directly in contact with soil. If this proves to be inadequate replacement of the pool could be substantial.
3. Concrete swimming pools aka gunite is the most expensive of the inground pool lineup and rightfully so ,,A gunite pool is forever. Not only the durability but the absolute endless design options make this pool a # 1 choice for the high end owners.