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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News-Record, 1978-04-13, Page 35Care and maintenance o The two most common unin- vited guests at any swimming pool are dirt and bacteria. Add to these a sprinkling of twigs, leaves, animal fur and other air and human borne contaminants and you have the reasons behind a regular program of pool maintenance. Pool maintenance is relatively easy, according to the National Swimming Pool Institute, and most pool owners prefer the do-it- yourself approach. Self servicing requires from one and a half to four hours a week and keeps costs down to an average of around $20 per month, including parts .and chemicals, for the average unheated pool. The main requirements are vacuuming for debris, daily chemical treatment and weekly or bi-weekly brushdowns of pool walls. The owner's major allies in keeping the pool clean are the skimmer, the filtration system and chemical additives. In ad- dition, new innovations are ap- pearing all the time to make the job easier. The skimmer, brit into almost all pools, takes leaves and other floating debris off the top of the water. A pool vacuum cleaner, operated by the owner, is used to pick up debris off the bottom. Filtration systems are of two main types, the sand filter through which water passes leaving dirt particles behind, and the diatomaceous earth (DE) filter which uses minute diatomes (microscopic sea creatures) spread over a membrane to entrap the equally, microscopic dirt particles. Care of thedfilter is relatively simple. Both types of, filter must be backwashed approximately every two weeks to remove dirt clogging. Although the DE filter requires much' less water to backwash, after each back - washing it must be repacked with more dirt. (A season's supply of ,,v puuncts costs around $8). Most pool contractors recommend that the filtration system he in operation at least 12 hours out of every 24. to insure best results. Chemical additives are usually a daily requirement, depending upon the traffic in the pool and also upon such factors as hot weather and high windb which create conditions calling for more chemical purifiers. Chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant, although bromine and iodine are also used. Less than one drop of chlorine in every 1,000,000 drops of pool water is enough, providing the chemical is 100 percent active. Pool owners should carefully follow the manufacturer's directions in both using and storing chernicals. The amount of chemical to add can be determined by testing pool water for chlorine residue and pH or acid -alkaline balance. Simple testing kits are widely available. Alkaline salts, used in liquid chlorine to help it maintain its limited stability, eventually build up in pool water and upset the pH balance. Periodically an alkali - neutralizer such as muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate may be added to neutralize increasing alkalinity. Proper pH balance is necessary to insure that the chemioal additives react properly, that the proper bac- teria -killing "residual" is maintained. The ideal pH range for pool water is 7.2 to 7.6. A simple set of rules to follow when manually cleaning the pool are: 1. Skim the pool's surface with a standard leaf skimmer; 2. Brushdown walls and tile with stiff -bristled tile brush; 3. Clean the skimmer's basket and hair -lint strainer; 4. Vacuum the pool bottom; 5. Clean the filter (when suf- ficient dirt has accumulated and the recirculation flow has decreased); and 6. Hose clean the pool deck. Daily addition of chemicals can be avoided by purchase of an automatic chemical dispenser for under $50. The automatic dispenser eliminates the necessity of daily testing for pH balance and can be set' to operate at a time when the pool is not in use. Other automatic maintenance devices are also available to make the pool cleaning job simpler. Among these are the automatic cleaning systems which operate on the principle that agitation of the water keeps dirt and algae from adhering to pool walls and bottom, thus making it easier for the filter to process them out. NSPI recommends that anyone considering building a pool should investigate automatic cleaning equipment. Although such equipment will increase initial cost of the pool, it will help save both time and money later on, the pool institute claims.'' Portable cleaning systems, operated on the same principle and powered by a garden hose, are available for use in already constructed pools. A heavy duty vinyl pool cover, averaging around $200 for a rectangular home pool, can be a sound maintenance investment. Kept on the pool during the winter months, it will eliminate much of the spring clean up chore. A cover also makes sense in summertime when the owner plans to be gone for two weeks or more—both to keep the pool clean and to keep out uninvited swimmers. Special problems may arise, however, even in well maintained pools. One of these in algae. Algae commonly appears in two forms: black algae, which makes unsightly spots on pool walls, and green floating algae. Both are Garden equipment needs servicing before spring Did your lawnmower and rototiller start readily last year? Very few gardeners can answer yes to that question. R. A. Fleming, horticulturist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food at Vineland Station, suggests gardeners give necessary maintenance to motorized garden equipment now. "In Spring, repair shops are swamped with customers needing service that could have been given any time since last fall." "Instead of complaining about the thick blanket of snow still covering lush green lawns, work on that mower. It will make the growing season seem closer." "Last year's clippings smell almost as good now as when you cut the grass last September. Try cleaning under the shield of the mower. You'll bring back memories of warm sunny days as you get the equipment ready for efficient operation in the coming season." It's a good idea to start the season with sharp mower blades. New growth will suffer less damage when cut cleanly, Mr. Fleming says. Spark plugs should be checked, oil changed where necessary, old gasoline washed out of the carburetor and grease points treated to fresh lubrication. "This is the time of year when gardeners discover that they can do most maintenance them- selves, by following instructions in the owner's manual. And, if you find a problem you can't fix, there's still time to visit your repair shop." Getting gardening equipment ready for balmy days ahead makes your adrenalin flow. It also ensures you a carefree start in the garden instead of a long wait at the repair shop. normally taken care of by a regular maintenance program, but stubborn cases may be .treated by vigorous brushing of spots, followed by application of spot killer and use of special inexpensive algaecides. Another- problem, red -brown discolored. water, is caused by a high concentration of dissolved iron. Disinfectants may oxidize your pool this dissolved iron, leaving rust particles in the pool and giving Use oxidizing sanitizer and run the filtration system for 48 hours straight to clear out the particles. Should particles settle to the bottom, they should be vacuumed up immediately to avoid staining the pool bottom. If desired, a pool specialist mat4/ be hired for the special jobs Page 11 of opening and closing residential pools for the season. Depending on the pool, the cost is from $30 to $100. The specialist will check equipment such as underwater lights, heater, pumps and filter. Weekly professional pool maintenance service, averaging $60 to $80 per month, is also available in some parts of the country. EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL: Backyard pools provide fun for all ages. An above -ground pool vuitable for splashing costs as little as a few hun- dred dollars. Whatever its cost. though, your pool will pay for itself in no time in terms of pleasure, says the National Swimming Pool Institute. kit AteN A, 1" 5;i1 T vele rem odol Tebuild if... you're going to paint, paper, rewire or renew something. . . you're going to add a room, a patio, a garage, a fence . . . the credit union is a good place to get your financing. 'the rate is low and there's no charge for loan protection insurance. CLINTON Community Credit Union 70 ONTARIO ST. 482-3467 EXcTER BRANCH: EXETER TOWN HALL BUILDING 235-0640 lower interest rates because we are people helping: people Why not open a chequing account with your Credit Union. GODERICH .�� Community Credit Union 39 ST. DAVID ST. 524-7931