Category Archives: Pool Care

Adding Pool Chemicals

For the safety of your loved ones, it’s crucial that your pool is maintained as an algae and bacteria-free environment. In order to properly maintain the water, pool chemicals need to be added regularly. This may seem like a tough task, but it is quite simple. A pool owner simply needs to know which chemicals to use, when to use them and how long to wait between adding these chemicals.

As mentioned above, the necessary wait time between adding chemicals is at least 10 minutes. Under normal conditions, you will able to swim in the water about 10 minutes after all chemicals have been applied. Turning your pump on high while slowly pouring the chemical mix in front of the return is the recommended way to add chemicals. Turning the pump on low while adding chemicals will make for a longer process overall.

Which Chemicals To Add To Pool

The typical pool owner will use the following chemicals to treat the water:

• Sanitizers
• Shock
• pH Balancers
• Algaecides
• Alkalinity Increaser
• Alkalinity Balancers
• Hardness Balancers
• Cyanuric Acid
• Chlorine Stabilizer
• Calcium Hardness Increaser

What To Avoid When Adding Pool Chemicals

Ensure you are avoiding the following situations while adding pool chemicals:

• Avoid adding chemicals at the same time and mixing chlorine/muriatic acid. The interaction of these two chemicals will produce a toxic gas, which poses numerous health risks.
• Wait at least 24 hours before adding chemicals after adding Calcium Hypochlorite to the water. This could alter their pH, leading to cloudy water.
• Simply remember to NEVER mix pool chemicals with one another.
• Trichlor and Cal Hypo, two chlorinating agents, should never be mixed together. Explosions can be created when these two agents are combined.

Steps To Level Ground For A Pool

You may find yourself swimming in a pool that is unnaturally deep in one end if you happen to live in an area with uneven land. This can make for a hazardous swimming area, especially for young children.

Follow these steps to level the ground beneath your pool for your latest DIY project:

Step 1

• Ensure that the ground is level within two inches from the shallow to the deep end.
• Screw two 2-by-4 boards together to check the level.
• Place the boards alongside one another, making sure they are 1-2 feet longer than the pool’s diameter.

Step 2

• Lay the boards on the ground where the pool will eventually be placed.
• Put a level right on top of the boards.
• Lift and lower one end of the board until it reads level.
• Next, measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the board.

Step 3

• Drill one hole in the middle of the 2-by-4.
• Make sure the hole is about 3/8 of an inch.
• Secure the boards to the ground by putting a metal rod through this hole.
• Pour some sand over the area – most of the sand should cover the low range of the pool.
• Rotate the boards until the sand is eventually completely level.

Step 4

• Wet the sand with a tamper until it is hard and compact.
• Leave no impressions on the ground while performing this step.

Step 5

• Drive a metal stake into the spot where the center of the pool will be.
• Check local codes before starting this step.

Step 6

• Get a piece of string ready that is at least 6 inches longer than the pool’s radius.
• Tie this string to the aforementioned stake.
• Tie a spray paint can to the loose end of the string.
• Pull the string out towards the grass.
• Mark the grass at the 6-inch mark; the point at which it needs to be leveled.
• Remove any loose grass or debris from the area.

Step 7

• Assemble your wooden plank level.
• Get a 1-by-6 inch wood plank, measuring 6 inches longer than the radius of the pool.
• Duct tape a 4-foot level to the plank, centering on one of your 1-inch sides.
• Hammer a 4-inch nail into this side of the plank, opposite of the carpenter’s level.
• Next, remove the metal stake altogether.
• Hammer a new 2-inch stake into its place, flush into the ground.
• Drive the 4-inch nail of the plank into the middle of the 2-inch stake.

Step 8

• Locate the lowest part of the pool area.
• You need to bring the rest of the pool to this level.
• Pivot the plank surrounding the pool, leveling it continually.
• Do this action until you are pivoting 360 degrees without ever stopping.

Step 9

• Spread a layer of crushed limestone over the entire area of the future pool.
• Wet, tamper and level the limestone into the base.
• Add more limestone and soil until it is completely flush.