Did you move into a new home with a pool or just got your very first pool built? Congratulations! :) - You're officially a pool owner now. But after the first excitement, most people starting to ask themselves: what do I actually have to do to it to keep it nice and sparkling?
There are a few things to get your head around as a first time pool owner. We thought we are going to give you a little help with that and explain some things. Let's start with your equipment.
Pool Circulation Pump The pool pump is like the heart of the pool. It pulls the water from the pool and pushes it through the filter. Without it your water wouldn't circulate. Your pump should be running every day to make sure your water is circulating and getting filtered. Depending on the season, we recommend to run it at least: Summer - 8h per day Spring / Fall - 6h per day Winter: 4h per day Pumps can come as single speed pumps or variable speed pumps. The single speed pump is traditionally the most commonly installed pump around the world. It is just that- a pump that runs at one speed until you turn it off. A variable speed pump on the other hand, uses a permanent magnet motor, which can be programmed to run at different speeds at different times.
The Filter
The filter simply removes all the small particles and dirt from the water. As the pump pushes the water through the filter the small particles get trapped in the filter and the clean water returns to the pool. There is two major types of filters:
Cartridge Filters Cartridge filters use filter cartridges that are constructed from synthetic fabrics that are attached to a plastic frame or core. Cartridge filters can trap particles down to 10 microns in size, which means that you’ll end up with much clearer water when compared with that of a sand filter. The downside to this is that since it catches more stuff, then more cleaning is required. To clean a filter cartridge, you have to take it out of the housing, and rinse it off with a garden hose. There will be times when the cartridge itself can get gunked up by debris or other unmentionables, and if this is the case, then you’ll have to use a specialty cleaner like the Life Instant Filter Cleaner Spray to give it a good soak to melt the gunk away.
Media Filters From the name itself, sand filters use sand as a media to catch debris and other small particles before sending crystal clear water back into the pool. Expense wise, the initial cost of a sand filter is generally higher than cartridge filters, but over time, it becomes cheaper as you don’t need to replace the filter media as often. Cleaning sand filters is pretty straightforward and it uses a technique called “backwashing” it’s basically reversing the flow of water and it’s a very simple task that can be done in just a few minutes.
The Chlorinator
Saltwater Chlorinators use an electrolytic cell to sanitise your swimming pool. By adding salt to your pool water, the cell converts the chloride contained in the salt water into chlorine. This is an extremely efficient and cost-effective method of sanitising your pool.
Saltwater pools also help to eliminate red eyes, skin irritations and harsh chemical odours which can be caused by conventional chlorinated pools. And the level of salt in the water is so low it is almost undetectable to taste. In fact, it's less than that found in a teardrop so it is gentle on the skin and beautiful to swim in. Alternatively you can use many of the mineral salt blends available on the market to add that little bit of luxury to your pool water.
The control board allows you to control the level of chlorine in the pool and the times your equipment is running for.
The Skimmer and Returns Along the surface of the pool you will have one or more skimmers. These allow the water to flow into it, trapping any debris that is floating on the surface. The water is sucked back to the filter and the debris is left stuck in a basket.
Returns are the jets on your pool walls that shoot the water back into your pool after it has left the filter.
The Heating
Solar Heating Solar heating is the most popular method of pool heating, as well as the most cost-effective. It harnesses the natural energy from the sun to heat your pool, so it is safe and healthy for the environment, and saves you a lot of money on your household bills in comparison to the other available methods of heating your swimming pool. Solar pool heating works via a solar pump. The solar pump pushes the water through a network of capillary tubes, ensuring the water stays heated to a constant temperature throughout the pool. Solar heating systems work best in regions that get a lot of sunshine, as the solar power will be more reliable for more months of the year. On a warm, sunny day, a solar heating system can increase the temperature of your entire pool by two degrees, which makes a great amount of difference to the level of comfort you will experience in the water.
Heat Pumps Heat pumps are popular with Australian pool owners. By reusing the energy from the air, heat pumps can heat your pool without breaking the bank. Electric heat pumps are a relatively cost-effective means of heating your swimming pool. They work by collecting heat from the air and transferring it into your pool water via a heat exchanger. Depending on the climate where you live, an electric heating system can sometimes be more effective than solar power, as it can still collect heat from the air during cloudy weather and at night, when the sun obviously is not shining. Electric pumps also tend to heat your pool water more quickly than solar heating systems. However, electric heat pumps require a significantly greater amount of electricity to run than solar heating. This makes them more expensive and less environmentally friendly.
Gas Heating Gas is the most expensive method of heating your pool, but in some ways it is the most effective, as it does not rely on the sun or the temperature of the air. A gas pool heater can maintain your pool water at practically any temperature you choose, at any time of year. Another advantage of gas heating systems is their ability to heat pool water quickly. A gas system, depending on its size, can heat the water in a spa in just under an hour, so it is ideal for those occasions when you want to use your pool in a hurry but the water is too cold. Gas has a number of disadvantages as a pool heating system, however. It is not a clean form of energy, so it is harmful to the environment. In addition to this, it is extremely costly to run. This is why gas heaters are often only used as secondary systems to heat the water at times when the sun is not providing enough solar power.
The Cleaner
Suction Cleaners Suction pool cleaners are essentially an automatic version of a manual pool cleaner. They hook up in a similar to a manual pool cleaner, straining the water through the pool’s skimmer basket and filter. The biggest difference, however, is that they move around the pool floor on their own. With this added feature, you don’t need to stand in the hot sun and guide the equipment. Automatic pool cleaning is all about convenience. When you use suction cleaners, you won’t need to brush, vacuum and skim the pool all that much yourself, allowing you to spend less time cleaning and more time swimming. Pools that often have dust and smaller particles in their water are best suited for suction-side cleaning. You may need a leaf canister if you have to deal with branches, gumnuts, or eucalyptus leaves. It's also handy to catch the leaves in the canister, putting less strain on your skimmer basket!
Robotic Pool Cleaners Robotic pool cleaners are by far the most efficient and effective pool cleaners. They can handle any kind of debris, vacuuming it directly into its own filter. Plus, they have their own smart technology that helps them master any shape or sized pool. Not only does a robotic cleaner help you with pool cleanliness, it also helps circulate water, guaranteeing a fresher swim. Robotic pool cleaners work independently from the pool’s filtration system, eliminating the need to pump water through metres of piping for filtering. They remove dirt and debris rather than storing it in the pool’s filtration system, which otherwise produces cloudier water that requires chemicals to clear and they filter the water themselves, reducing clogging in the pool filtration system, translating to fewer backwashes.
Are you experiencing any issues with you pool equipment or want to upgrade?
Our experienced technicians can help you with every equipment related problem!
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