Clinton News-Record, 1976-04-15, Page 38a
...,�(=ARP PIA ,Altki mal bas treated* private
for Welt wlt ► this vasodik pool awlb rick
deck'**d potis combination. Moth add Dzd can
easily wraps a long, strafed rafed swi goon; here to get
their needed exercise wig ienVing. binte. The
National Swimming Pool Institute adirbes Willies
considering a pool this year to plan for the kind of ac-
tivities itenjoys.
_ Care and maintenance of your pool
•
The two most common unin- about. SGpounds costs around $8).
vited guests at any swimming ' Most pool contractors
pool are dirt and bacteria. Add to recommend that the filtration
these a sprinkling of twigs. system be in operation at least 12
leaves, animal fur and other air hours out of every 24 to insure
and human borne contaminants best results.
and you have the reasons behind Chemical additives are usually
a regular program of pool a daily requirement, depending.
maintenance. upon the traffic in the pool and
also upon such factors as hot
Pool maintenance is relatively weather and high winds which
easy, according to the National create conditions calling for
Swimming Pool Institute. and more chemical purifiers.
most pool owners prefer the do -it- Chlorine is the most widely
yourself approach. Self servicing used disinfectant. although
requires from one and a half to bromine and iodine are also used.
four hours a week and keeps costs Less than one drop of chlorine in
down to an average of around S20 every 1,000,000 drops of pool
per month, including parts and water is enough, providing the
chemicals, for „ the average chemical is 100 percent active.
unheated pool. Pool .owners should carefully
The main requirements are
• vacuuming for debris, daily • follow _. the manufacturer s
chemical treatment and weekly directions in • both using and
or bi-weekly brushdowns of pool
storing chemicals.
walls. The owner's major allies in The amount of chemical to add
keeping the pool clean are the• can be determined by testing pool
skimmer, the filtration system water for chlorine residue and pH
and chemical additives. In ad- or acid -alkaline balance. Simple
dition, new innovations are ap- testing kits are widely available.
pearing all the time to make the Alkaline salts, used in liquid
job easier. chlorine to help it maintain its
The skimt^cter, built into almost limited stability, eventually build
all pools. takes leaves and other up in pool water and upset the pH
floating debris off the top of the balance. Periodically . an alkali -
water. A pool vacuum cleaner. neutralizer such as muriatic acid
operated by the owner, is used to or sodium bisulfate may be added •
pickup debris off the bottom. to neutralize increasing
Filtration systems are of two alkalinity.
main types, the sand filter Proper pH balance is
t ')trough which water passes necessary to insure that the
leaving dirt particles behind. and
heeial thaadditives
ddiiti the p operreact
bac-
the diatomaceous earth (DE) properly.
filter" which uses minute teria-killing . "residual" is
diatomes (microscopic sea maintained. The ideal pH range
creatures) • spread over °a L- for p001 water is 7.2 to 7.6.
membrane to entrap the equally A simple set of rules to follow
microscopic dirt particles. when manually cleaning the pool
are:
Care of the fii-later '1atir y. ' 1: Skim the pool's surface with
simple. .Both types of filter Must a standard leaf skimmer;
be backwaahed approximately 2. lirushdown wafts and tile
every two weeks toltemove dirt with stiff -bristled the brush;
clogging. Although the DE -titter 3. "Clean the skimmer's basket
requires much less water to and hair -tint strainer;
backwash.. after each back- 4. Vacuum the pool bottom;
washing .it must be repacked with S. Clean the filter (when suf.
more dirt. (A season's supply .of 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 tooperate
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 system
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 gane'for two weeks or
more—both to keep the pool clean
and to keep out uninvited
swimmers.
Special probleirrrg– gin* at1se.
however, even in well maintained
pools. One of these in algae.
Algae commonly appears in two
farms: black algae, which makes
unsightly 'Spots on pool walls. and
green fighting algae. Both are
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
irn. Disinfectants may oxidize
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
may be hired for the special jobs
of opening and closing residential
pools for the season. Depending
on the pool. the cost is from 530 to
5100. The specialist will check
equipment such as underwater
•lights, heater. pumps and filter.
Weekly professional pool
maintenance service. averaging
560 to 580 per month. is also
available in some parts of the
country.
IDEAL FOR THE SUMMER
1.••••-gf
Portable
Propane Bottle Refills
available at
POINT FARMS MARKET
(3 mi. north of Goderich - Hwy. 21 H.)
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
.524 6342 w..
We also carry a good selection of Camping Equipment +
Propane Equipment Parts + Fresh Fruits + Vegetables +
Groceries.
Point forms Market -- 524-6362
L