Hello world!
Posted by thepoolguru in Welcome on September 22, 2009
Wish you were here!
WELCOME TO THE POOL GURU
Having worked in the Swimming Pool Industry for many years, i have decided, along with a few other swimming pool professionals to try and build a help site, this site will be used as my Blogging site and i will add all my thoughts on the world of the Swimming Pool Industry.
• Indoor Swimming Pools
• Outdoor Swimming Pools
• Chemical issues
• Spa
• Water
• Construction
• Design
Over the next few months we are hoping that other experts will decide to join us.
Anyone is welcome to join the site, either to help others or to get help from the professionals. I have written a guideline and will post it very soon.
This site is in the main designed as a swimming pool help community and not a heavy laden with adverts commercial site.
Non Chlorine Alternatives
Posted by thepoolguru in Chemicals on October 12, 2009
| Home » Non Chlorine Alternatives |
| Non Chlorine Alternatives |
| If you don’t like using chlorine in your pool there many alternatives you can use instead. The alternatives can be banded in to two groups – low chlorine and no chlorine. As the names suggest you have the choice of doing away with chlorine altogether or cutting its use to a very low dosage. The important fact to know is that chlorine is cheap and easy to use and non-chlorine alternatives are not cheap and not so easy to use. But don’t let the expense or extra maintenance required put you off changing, once you have experienced swimming in low or no chlorine water you will never go back! Read the rest of this entry » |
How a swimming pool sand filter works
Posted by thepoolguru in How-It-Works on October 2, 2009
There are basically 3 types of swimming pool filter: Sand Filter, Cartridge Filter and Diatomaceous Earth Filters (DE Filters for short)
There are a few other types, but i will will explain these 3 as they are the ones most commonly used.
Sand Filter
Sand filters use a specially graded sand as the filter media. The water enters the top of the filter via the manifold (most commonly a multi-port valve).
The water is then distrabuted evenly over the filter media, the water radiates through the media, removing most solids, then the water reaches the collection sytem and passes on through the filtration cycle.
Sand filters filter out debris down to about 40 microns in size. Anything smaller than 40 microns will probably not be filtered out.
Diatomaceous Earth Filters (DE Filters for short)
DE filters use diatomaceous earth as a filter media. The DE filter has plastic grids covered with a plastic type of fabric. A layer of filter powder called Diatomaceous Earth covers the grids and does the filtering.
As the water passes through the filter powder, any debris down to 5-8 microns is filtered out. Because the DE is much finer that sand, it is able to filter much more finely than a sand filter.
Cartridge Filter
This type of filter i would say is the simplest type, it mainly consists of a tube with pleated strips that collect the debris. These type of filter had a bad reputation as they were in need of constant cleaning. Today are are much more affective and require much less cleaning. They are mainly used today for Spas and Hot Tubs.
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How a swimming pool pump works
Posted by thepoolguru in How-It-Works on October 2, 2009
How swimming pool pump works
Most swimming pool pumps are self-priming centrifugal pumps. These pumps must have a vacuum chamber, commonly known as a pump housing. The pump housing must be filled with water in order for any pump to create a vacuum, resulting in your pump pulling the water out of your swimming pool or spa. The pool pump housing will remain full of water while the pump is on, and will remain full or partially full of water when the pump is shut off.
When you turn on the pool pump the motor will begin to rotate on high speed (dual speed pumps rotate at the preselected speed). The motor drives the pump impeller, located inside the pumps center portion at the opposite end, away from the electrical switch portion of the motor. While the motor is rotating, the tips of the impeller are sealed hydraulically inside of the pump diffuser, this allows self-priming to occur.
Self-priming can only occurr when the pump has a diffuser. Some pool pumps have a separate diffuser, others have the diffuser molded into the pool pump’s cover, refer to your Owner’s Manual for your pump. The diffuser helps to eliminate any air coming into the pool pump housing, suction piping, or hoses on above ground pools. When all the air is being removed from the system, you will notice the bubbles returning to the pool through the return fittings. The impeller acts to convert water velocity into water pressure, which is registered on your filter pressure gauge. The actual Gallons Per Minute (GPM) varies with the type of pump and the horsepower. Check your Owner’s Manual for more information (owner’s manuals can be found online under the detailed page of your pump).
Self-priming pool pumps are very dependable and simple in design. They require a sufficient supply of water from the swimming pool or spa, and no air in the suction lines. Air could come from a loose strainer cover, a leak in any valve, a pin hole in any suction line or any crack or loose connections in the underground piping. Your swimming pool pump should be kept free of dirt and also located where it can be protected from flooding during heavy rain fall. If your pool pump motor becomes flooded you will probably have to replace it (pump motors damaged by flooding are not covered by warranty)
Below are some general problems you may come across with your pump…
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Why do i get lots of bubbles coming from my pool returns? This is a very common problem and quite easily solved. Most of the time this will be caused by your strainer basket inside your pool being full of debris. Just go through your normal regime of turning off the pump and clean out the basket. |
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Why does my pump make alot of noise? This is mainly due to faulty or worn out bearings or in some cases a wronly positioned lever on the multi-port valve. Pump bearings can be fixed by a professional, the pump does not always have to be thrown away. Contact you local pool professional and he will be able to advise you. |
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Why does my pump not draw water? There can be quite a few reasons for this problem. Firstly i would make sure the filter and pump basket are clean, also check for any pipe blockage in the suction side. One of the main causes of total loss of suction is a faulty impeller. If it gets to a stage were everything is clean and no blockages, then call in a trusted local professional. Like all things that have an electrical supply — SAFETY FIRST— |
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Types of swimming pools
Posted by thepoolguru in How-It-Works on October 2, 2009
Types of swimming pools
Now we come to the types of swimming, there are many different types of pools and they are described differently, but i will stay with the 3 main types used here in the UK.
Above-Ground Swimming Pools
This type of pool is often the cheapest kind to install, they are typically made of , plastic panels, steel panels or in some cases even timber. they generaly have a liner fitted after construction, this is sometimes refered to as a “bag liner” ( i will explain this in another topic). These type of pools are often sold in a kit form and with some basic DIY knowledge can be quite easily installed. They are a great cheap way of putting a fully functional pool in your garden and having lots of fun. They as it suggests the least desierable of pools as they have many long term disadvantages to more solid Fibreglass of concrete construction pools. They are much less durable and of course if just stuck in the middle of your garden, they don`t look as good.
In Ground Liner pools
This type of pool here in the UK is often built from concrete blocks. A whole is excavated, foundations put in place, the pool wall constructed. Then the pool walls and floor are rendered to create a smooth finish, a smooth finish is eesential to prevent anything puncturing the liner from behind, once the water is added. Particular attention has to be given to excess ground water with these designs and a hydrostatic pump will often have to be fitted to take away any excess ground water.
Fibre Glass Pools
Fibre glass pools are mostly made in one piece, they are then gel coated and vynil resins used to create a very smooth surface. They can come in many different shapes and sizes and for this reason they are very popular.
They can be installed very quickly, either fully in the ground, partly or totally above ground. This has an advantage if you are in a very high water table area.
Concrete Pools
This type of pool is by far the most expensive and time consuming to construct. Today they are often built from to skins of concrete blocks which have re-inforced steel bars connected to a very thick foundation, the cavity that is formed is then poured with concrete to form a very very strong wall construction. This type of pool is often built if you require a tiled pool, tiled pools have to have a very strong surface, because if there is any movement at all they will crack and fall off and the water retention properties will be severly compromised.. Often this type of pool is only used for indoor pools. Typically for hrdrotherapy pools were non-slip surfaces are very important, also tiled pools can withstand very high temperatures. Vinyl lined pools do not like the water temperature to high or they will start to destabilize and their active life will be shortened quite considerably.
This type of pool has many advantages over above-ground pools for many reasons
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How we get swimming pool water
Posted by thepoolguru in How-It-Works on October 2, 2009
Thought i would say a few words about the most important constituent in our pool.. oh- and of course we would not be on this earth!!!!!
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The water in it`s purest form is odourless, nearly colourless and tasteless. It’s in your body, the food you eat and the beverages you drink. You use it to clean yourself, your clothes, your dishes, your car and everything else around you. You can travel on it or jump in it to cool off on hot summer days. Many of the products that you use every day contain it or were manufactured using it. All forms of life need it, and if they don’t get enough of it, they die. As we are talking about swimming pool water, the 2 most important terms to think of in relation to our water is “Hard” or “Soft”. These 2 terms are very geographical in your country, it depends really on were your water is gathered and then supllied to you. |
The water in it`s purest form is odourless, nearly colourless and tasteless. It’s in your body, the food you eat and the beverages you drink. You use it to clean yourself, your clothes, your dishes, your car and everything else around you. You can travel on it or jump in it to cool off on hot summer days. Many of the products that you use every day contain it or were manufactured using it. All forms of life need it, and if they don’t get enough of it, they die.
As we are talking about swimming pool water, the 2 most important terms to think of in relation to our water is “Hard” or “Soft”. These 2 terms are very geographical in your country, it depends really on were your water is gathered and then supllied to you.
I will endeavour to explain these terms. These terms are derived by how the Natural water Cycle works.
| The Natural Water cycleThe natural water cycle is the continuous movement of water between the land, the ocean, rivers and lakes, and the atmosphere.Water is always cycling around, through, and above the Earth. As it moves through the cycle, water continually changes from liquid (rainwater, saltwater) to gas (water vapour) and back to liquid. The liquid can also get cold and become solid (ice or snow). |  |
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What is water hardness? Water hardness relates to the amount of calcium and magnesium compounds present in water. |
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What is the difference between hardwater and soft water? Hardness in water is influenced by what the water has passed through, such as soft rocks like chalk or limestone, with water picking up minerals and becoming harder, whereas water which may have travelled through granite or peaty soils remains soft and does not pick up any of these minerals. |
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What happens if the water is soft? Water is considered soft if has a hardness of under 50ppm as calcium carbonate and an alkalinity of under 30ppm as calcium chloride. In the British Isles, soft water is common in Scotland, Wales, the extreme SW of England and parts of Ireland. The pH can be rather unstable in soft water areas, but alkaline chlorine donors such as calcium hypochlorite will help to increase hardness as will the addition of calcium chloride. |
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What happens if my water is hard? Hard water isn’t as convenient or efficient as soft water is when it comes to your swimming pool or spa. Hard water could do damage to your pool because when hard water is heated, re-crystallization can plug your pipes and hot water heater, causing heater failure and necessitatig that you replace your heater. It may also cause skin irritation. If this is your problem then there are commercial hardness reducers available, you should contact your local swimming pool company who will be able to do a reliable test and offer you a solution. |
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