Does it take you an hour to clean your pool?
While your slack jawed pool man seems to do a better job in 20 minutes
or less. There is a reason.
 Remember
the six inch wide vac head you bought on sale at Home Depot? Take
a good look at your fly swatter sized net or the minuscule cheap bristle
wall brush. Next time your pool man comes by for his weekly visit,
take a good look at his equipment. Notice, the extra-wide deep mouth
net the extra-weighted double wide vac-head with the stainless swivel
coupling. It steers for crying out loud!
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How to clean your swimming pool | Equipment
Here is something else to notice- you can't buy these
tools. They are standard equipment for any pool man but you won't
find them at any retail store. Why, well usually it's explained in
terms of cost. But the actual fact is that you're being manipulated
to consume more by giving you inferior tools so you are forced to
hire a pool man. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid.
How to clean your swimming pool | Procedure
OK, here we go, this is the meat and potatoes of
the site or the Tofu and bean sprouts for you vegetarians out there...
Every pool man knows this mantra, "Tile, Net, Brush, Vac"
So repeat after me. "Tile, Net, Brush, Vac";"Tile,
Net, Brush, Vac"; etc...
Do this long enough while you stare into limpid pools of blue water
and you will begin to understand why you pool man is slack jawed...
Now what does this mantra mean?
Tile- The first step to cleaning
a swimming pool is to brush the tile with a detergent. Not just any
brush, and not just any detergent. Since the 1950's there has been
a detergent that all pool men recognize as being the best in the world.
Geyser F. What makes this stuff so good? It
sticks like glue to your brush. No matter what size pool, one application
of this soap to your brush will clean the the tile. This means you
don't have to stop half way through and walk back to where-ever the
soap is and add some more. Not only that, but if you have some calcium
build up you can add muratic acid to the soap and it will help to
remove the lime on the tile.
I recommend a snap on aluminum brush head with an abrasive pad that
attaches to your pool pole. It's light-weight, efficient and it will
fit in your leaf net. Don't get one of those funky cheap plastic velco
do-dahs they are junk.
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Net- Once you
have brushed the pool with detergent, you will notice that all the
small debris have sunk and all the leaves and floating objects have
been pulled by the action of the soap on the surface tension of the
water toward the middle of the pool. This makes your netting easier
because now you don't have to worry about the dust and tiny debris
that don't get caught by your net and you don't have net near the
tile.
There is only one kind of net to use and that is an extra wide deep
mouth net. Never-ever use a flat net. They are completely utterly
useless and they exist for the sole purpose of convincing you that
you cannot clean you pool yourself.
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Brush- brushing
your pool is more like brushing your hair than your teeth. When you
brush pool you only brush the walls and steps, not the bottom. Furthermore
when you brush you shoud do so in a single downward motion from the
tile line to the bottom. You don't go up and down, just down. The
brush that you use should also be as wide as possible. If you need
to scrub a tight little corner you can use the edge of the brush to
reach it. So there really is no reason to have multiple brushes. A
good A&B Aluminum back nylon bristle brush 18-24 inches in width
should give good service for years. Remember, the wider the brush
the better but don't get something that's way too big and unwieldy.
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Vac- OK, here
is trick which will save you the trouble of ever having to vac
you
pool again. BUY A POOL SWEEP.
I do not for the life of me know why anyone with a pool would not
own an automated pool cleaner in this day and age. It does not make
sense
not to.
A good quality vac-head will cost about $75. A
pool sweep costs anywhere from 3 to 5 times as much but, it will
vacuum
your pool everyday with absolutely no labor at all. Do The Math..
You have to buy a pool sweep. It does not make sense not to.
Now,
what kind of pool sweep should you get?
Most of the units I recommend do not require a booster motor or
additional plumbing. Infact, the majority of them take only ten
minutes to install. The most
complicated part being- figuring out which which unit to buy for
your type of pool. Which, I can help you with if you click
here right now... Isn't that thoughtful of me?
Once your pools sweep is set up it should with only
minor tweaking: adding or subtracting a hose; adjusting a float;
etc;
vacuum you pool every day without any intervention at all. One caveat,
if you have a tendency to forget about that pool for a month or two
at a time you should also consider getting an in
line
leaf
cannister especially
for those
pools that collect a lot of material. It will catch the debris before
it clogs the pump strainer basket. Which is important, if you want
to
keep you pump from turning into a molten block of plastic.
Now, we've got the pool clean but I've left out one
very important step..
The Chemicals.
Maintaining pool water chemistry is art not a science. It takes
a number of years to learn what works and what doesn't and even then,
every pool is a little different so hire a professional pool service
to maintain your chemicals.
The reasons being:
- It's cheap- In fact it's the cheapest pool service
there is and you don't have to buy any chemicals anymore, Yeah!
- Any good pool service person has seen just about
every situation imaginable and are infinitely more likely to know
how to treat it than you. And last but not least...
- If anything does go wrong you have someone to
blame- besides yourself.
That said,
How do you find a good pool man?
First, ask the strangers next door with the pool. Are they happy? Does
he do a good job? If so, ask what his rates for chemical service would
be. Most pool men hate chemical accounts because they don't generate
any significant profit. However, if they're in your neighborhood already,
there is nothing easier than walking next door and chemming a pool.
Have him clean the filter when he starts service and make sure to log
the date. Its almost impossible to maintain a pool with a dirty filter.
Also, have him look over the equipment and empty the pump strainer at
least once a month.
If your neighbors can't recommend anyone, check the phone book. Look
for the small ads for swimming pool service in your area. (Big Companies
don't have to care, they make most of their money in commercial service,
construction and repair, so don't bother calling them.) Call some service
companies get some prices for chemical service and filter cleaning,
schedule appointments with 5 or 6 of them, and I guarantee one or two
won't show up. Don't ask me why, they just won't... Meet the people
who will be nonchalantly walking into your backyard once a week. Don't
choose a service based on price alone. These people need to make a living
and you need to pay them, not too much, but something fair. Remember
you’re already saving at least $50 per month from full service
and you should have no chemicals to buy. It’s a good deal.
Advice to the extremely
busy and or lazy..
If you want, you can very easily negotiate a cleaning policy that
includes tile, net, brush and no vacuuming. This is a bit more expensive
but over time it too will more than pay for an automated pool cleaner
many times over. For those you who currently have a pool service person
and a pool sweep- unless you live in a forest you don't need
full service with an automated pool sweep. <-- This one
is going to get me in trouble with the pool guys... It’s true,
I know it, because there is nothing I like better than coming out
to a pool and finding out I don't have to do anything 90% of time.
Let's do the math, you’re
saving a least $50 / month on full service. Your automatic pool cleaner
costs about $400. So, in one year you’re saving more than the
total cost of the pool sweep and what-ever accessories you've purchased.
It doesn't make sense not to buy one.
Pool Repairs-
See pool chemicals.. Exactly the same reasoning applies.. Hire a professional.
It will save you time, money and a ton of aggravation.
Now, for those of you who currently don't have a
pool but are seriously considering taking the plunge and buying a
new pool? Please read the following section I've written it just for
you. Presenting...
N E X T_
P A G E.|.
How To Pick
A Winner!
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