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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-04-27, Page 30tele 6 njoy The two most common uninvited guests at any swimming pool are dirt and bacteria. Add w 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 Cie rt, c and a half w 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 fur 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 ad- ditives. In addition, new Innovations are appearing lite all the time to make the job easier The skimmer. built into almost allpools, 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 01 this sum creatures) spread over a membrane to entrap the equally microscopic dirt particles Care of the filter is relatively simple Both types of filter must be back washed approximately every two weeks to remove dirt clogging Although the DE filter requires much less water to backwash, after each backwashtng it must be repacked with more dirt. (A season's supply of about 50 pounds costs around $8). Must pool contractors recommend that the filtration system be 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 but weather and high winds 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 chemicals is 100 percent active. Pool owners should carefully follow the manufacturer's directions in both using and storing chemicals. 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 chemical additives react properly, that the. proper backteria-killing "residual" is maintained. The ideal pH er range for pool water IS 7 2 to 76 A simple set of rules to tolluw when nianuall} cit- antng thepool ate 1 Skin the pool surla.e with a standard leaf skins mer. 2. Brushdown walls and tile with stiff -bristled tile brush; 3. Clean the skimmer's basket and hair -lint strainer, 4 Vacuum the pool bot - Wm, 5 Clean the filter (when sufficient dirt has ac- cumulated and the recir- culation 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 main- tenance 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 equip- ment. Although such Turn to page 7 Select Any Barrym re Frame In Any Fabric And Save 20% wee, in Cover ...ale Now through May 21st you can custom order upholstered furniture at Hustons at 20% off. All you have to do is make a few chokes. Like which style of sofa, love seat, sectional or chair you'd like (there are hundreds), and which fabric and colour (there are thousands). What kinds of seat, arm and back style? Wood finish? Cushion -fill? And valor* Well, no one o soid t choosing would be easy. Out with the assiston a of Hustons interior designers, you shouklret hove on diifficultye • please not,:some of our surtyitore floor su pil ' will be reduced up to 40% fort next four weeks. r. E 423 Talbot t. St mss , Ont. MOM 0&141$01. LO1f41100141 CALL ItOLL FREE (144-0235 Open tjtatify 9-St3L Thu & 9-9