FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A. When the level of chlorine drops or there is little circulation this can cause algae to grow, which then turns pool water green. A lack of chlorine may be caused by:

• Not enough chlorine being added to chlorine pools
• A low level of salt in saltwater pools
• The chlorinator cell needing cleaning
• A low pump running time
• A faulty chlorinator

To return the pool to normal chlorine levels, the water needs to be ‘shocked' with a chemical solution to kill off the algae. We use and recommend the Shock and Swim clarifier and algaecide chemicals.

A. If you are using an excessive amount of pool chemicals or your pool has poor filtration, this may cause a calcium build-up that makes pool water look cloudy. Some steps that you can take to clear it include:

• Cleaning or replacing your cartridge filter
• Using a pool clarifier
• Using flocculant or ‘pool floc'

If you're unsure which method will best suit your pool, talk to our staff today.

A. Depending on how hot and windy it is, you may lose up 5cm of water per week due to natural evaporation. However, if you notice that larger amounts of water is missing or you receive an excessive utility bill, your pool may have a static or pressure leak.

A static leak loses the same amount of water all the time, where a pressure leak will cause a greater amount of water to be lost when the filtration system is running.

There are a few ways you can test for leaks at home. The first is to fill a bucket of water part way and mark the water level. Make sure to mark the level of water in the pool as well. After a couple of days, check the amount of water lost in both the bucket and the pool. This will help rule out natural evaporation as the cause.

If you believe there is a leak, you can determine the type—static or pressure—by running the pump for 8 hours and measuring the water loss. Then, for the same amount of time, leave the pump off and measure the water level. If you are rapidly losing water when the pump is running, then you may have a pressure leak.

A. Black spot algae is a growth that develops on the rough surface of swimming pools. It is chlorine resistant and very hard to remove once fully formed. Before you can treat black spot algae, the surface needs to be scratched with a stainless wire brush. This will remove the layers protecting the algae, allowing shock and algaecide to get rid of it.

A. How often you test water will depend on the type pool that you own. Chlorine pools should be checked daily to help maintain consistent levels. However, saltwater pools will only need to be tested weekly during the summer and monthly during the winter. If your pool has been used heavily or experienced a lot of rain, it is recommended that you balance your pool water as soon as possible.

A. Heavy rain can sometimes affect the chemistry in your pool water and may dilute the chemicals that balance it out. If you do have excess water, want to prevent overflowing or remove any contaminants, we recommend draining just a little using your filter to remove waste. You can also wait and let natural evaporation help lower your water levels.

 A. There are a few methods that you can use if you need to drain water from your pool. The backwash valves are the simplest to use and this can be done in a few easy steps:

1. With the pump turned off, switch the valve handle to ‘Waste'
2. Turn on the pump to drain out water until the required level is reached
3. Switch the pump off, then place the valve handle back to ‘Filter'

If you have a filter cartridge, the water can also be drained using the three-way valve or siphoned out with a regular garden or vacuum hose. If you need further assistance, ask us for one of our handy laminated instruction sheets.

A. Shocking is the process of adding chlorine or other chemicals into your pool to help raise the chlorine levels. This helps kill off any contaminates such as algae and bacteria.

All pools need to be given a shock dose occasionally. Ensure that the dose is not too large as some chlorine products may leave calcium residue and this can cause cloudiness. We use and recommend Shock and Swim to super-chlorinate your pool.

A. When natural evaporation occurs, you may lose some water in your pool. However, salt does not evaporate. This may increase the salinity or salt concentration in the pool water and may need to be chemically balanced to restore it to optimum levels.

A. Chlorine levels can decrease when it reacts to bacteria and other organisms and contaminants in the pool. However, it can also disappear when it is hit by sunlight.

When in water, chlorine forms hypochlorite ions or free chlorine. These hypochlorite ions are susceptible to ultraviolet radiation and break apart. This then releases chlorine as gas into the atmosphere and not back in your pool water.

To reduce chlorine being lost due to sunlight, we recommend using a stabiliser product in your chlorine pool. You can also have our team conduct a water test to indicate the level of cyanuric acid or stabiliser in your pool.

A. Many people believe that adverse reactions to the chlorine is the main culprit for sore, red eyes after being in a pool. However, the more common cause is incorrect pH levels or chloramines in the water.

If you are swimming in water that has a higher or lower pH than 7.5 (the pH of blood in the human body), your blood rises closer to the surface of your skin and to your eyes. Chloramines are the result of a chemical reaction between chlorine and ammonia (which comes from sweat or urine).

To prevent your eyes hurting from swimming in your pool, we suggest using a non-chlorine-based oxidiser.

A. A well-maintained cell should last 3–7 years, however the level of salt and how you maintain it will have a great impact on its lifespan. Some common things we have seen that cause failure in salt chlorinator cells include:

• Cleaning the cell in a strong acid solution
• Not cleaning the cell often enough, leaving a build-up of calcium
• Running the pump for long periods of time with low salt levels

A. Spa and pool pumps usually require very little maintenance as they don't have to be filled with water beforehand. However, if you want to avoid spending money on regular repairs and replacements we recommend doing the following:

• Check for leaks underneath the pump
• Running the pumps for the recommended times (8 hours in summer & 4 hours in winter)
• Cleaning the skimmer basket, pool pump basket & filter

A. Installing the correct filter can help extend lifespan of your pool. There are 2 types of filter that you can use.

Sand filters—work by filtering the water through sand (filters down to 25 microns). It also has a backwash valve that will make it easier to clean. If you replace the sand with Zelbrite(filters down to 3 microns), this may help improve filtration and increase backwash intervals to save water.

Cartridge filters—are ideal for above-ground pools or where water is scare. They do not have a backwash valve but can filter down to 12 microns. When the pressure gauge increases, you will have to remove and hose-clean the filter.

A. For those who enjoy being in the water a lot, salt water is a lot softer and gentler to swim in. Salt water chlorination also turns salt into liquid chlorine, which kills bacteria before reverting back to salt. Most chlorinators will have inbuilt timers and some of the recent models have a self-diagnosis feature to help make maintaining your pool easier.