April 24th, 2012
Just about every in-ground swimming pool has coping stones around the edge. Over the years they deteriorate and need replacing. This article will tell you what your options are for replacing them.
Until recently all Swimming pool coping stones were sourced from UK manufacturers but now a nice range of Mediterranean style copings are available in the UK. The traditional UK made coping stone comes in 2 foot lengths and are either 9 inches or 12 inches wide. There are two stlyes and two colours available. The two stlyes are called “bullnose” and “flat top”. Bullnose have a built in backward slope and flat top do not. The colour choices are White or Buff. The most popular choice by far is White Bulnose.
 Flat top coping stone |
 Bullnose Coping Stone with backward slope |
 Traditional White Bullnose Pool Coping |
As well as the standard straight coping you can also get what are known as “specials”. These are the corner stones for internal or external corners and “radius” copings for going around roman ends (as shown in the image above).
The traditional copings always stand out from the paving surround and many people like the way they define the edge of the pool but others prefer the copings to match the surrounding paving. This matching style is typically Mediterranean and now there is available in the UK a Spanish pool coping that is not only great looking as a stand alone coping but comes with matching paving slabs if you want them.
The Sahara coping has the built in back slope while the Ardoise coping is a flat top. Ardoise has a riven finish while the Sahara is smooth.
 Ardoise Coping Stone - Flat topped with riven finish and 330mm wide |
 Sahara Coping - back sloping, smooth and 270mm or 330mm wide |
|
Surprisingly these Mediterranean swimming pool coping stones are not more expensive than their UK counterparts. Below are the prices for a 12ft x 24ft rectangular pool for comparison.
| Traditional 9 inch |
£740 .00 |
| Traditional 12 inch |
£920.00 |
| Sahara 270mm |
£620.00 |
| Sahara 330mm |
£675.00 |
| Ardoise 330mm |
£890.00 |
For more information on the coping stones and matching paving slabs featured here follow the links below
Click here for Traditional Swimming Pool Coping Stones
Click here for the Sahara Range of Swimming Pool Coping Stones
Click here for the Ardoise Range of Swimming Pool Coping Stones
Tags: ardiose pool copings, coping stones, pool copings, sahara pool copings, swimming pool coping stones, swimming pool copings, traditional pool copings
Posted in Bright New Ideas, Swimming Pool Kits | No Comments »
March 20th, 2012
£1,200.00 for a pool pump? You must be joking.
No. We are serious. Read on to find out why.
The biggest drain on your wallet if you own a swimming pool is the fuel bills for your heater. If you have installed a heat pump then you have cut those costs considerably. Often overlooked is how much power is being consumed by the circulation pump. Up until now there was not much you could do about saving electricity with your pump after all it has to be on to keep the pool filtered. You can either leave it on 24 hours per day as many people do or have it come on for about 8 hours per day. A 1 horse power pump will draw 0.75Kw per hour costing about 10p per hour. 8 hours per day for a 150 day season is £120.00, leave your pump on all the time and the cost is £360.00
Think on a 10 year time scale and that is £1,200.00 in electricity plus in a 10 year period you will have to buy at least one more pump at £400.00. If you are considering a purchase now then reckon on one pump now and another in 5 to 8 years time. Below we will see how the intelliflo pump will save your electricity bill but consider also that, because of the way they are made, they will last much longer than 10 years.
The basic premise behind the intelliflo is that a reduction in the power requirement of the pump is way out of proportion to the reduction in the flow rate. A 50% reduction in the flow rate can lead to an 90% reduction in the power consumption. So run your pump for twice as long on half the flow and your filtration rate will be exactly the same but your power consumption will be down by 80%. For example if you run a 1 Horse Power pump for 12 hours per day and it will cost you about £1.00 in electricity. The intelliflo would cost 10p for that 12 hours but you will have to run it for 24 hours because you have half the flow so it will cost 20p. 20p instead of £1.00 equals an 80% saving. See below how those cost savings add up.
We take a 10m x 5m (32ft x 16ft) pool as our example. Such a pool could have either a 1 horse power or a 1.5 horse power pump which would typically be run 12 hours per day. The intelliflo would run 24 hours per day. An outdoor pool would typically be open for 150 days per year. We also compare the cost of an indoor pool open 365 days per year.
| Typical 10m x 5m pool |
Daily Cost |
150 day cost |
Saving |
365 day cost |
Saving |
| Intelliflo pump, 24 hours per day |
21.3p |
£32.00 |
|
£77.00 |
|
| 1HP pump, 12 hours per day |
£1.65 |
£248.00 |
£216.00 |
£595.00 |
£518.00 |
| 1.5HP pump, 12 hours per day |
£2.48 |
£373.00 |
£341.00 |
£895.00 |
£818.00 |
Cost saving is not the only benefit. The intelliflo is so quiet at typical low speeds that you simply cannot hear it. Even at higher speeds it is the quietest pump on the market.
What we like about the pump is the very fact that you can alter the speed it operates at to suit what you want from the pump. You can pre-set 4 speed settings in to the controls. A high speed for a thorough back wash. You can set another speed button to get optimum performance from your heater. When you are not in heat mode it can drop down to minimum flow mode and save the pennies.
The technology behind the pump is cutting edge and the motor is made from a permanent magnet. This means there are no parts that rub together which in turn means there is nothing to wear out. The pump has been on sale in America for 8 years and, so far, the replacement rate is lower than 0.5%.
If all of the above is not enough then the intelliflo pump is the ultimate eco-friendly choice of pump. All that saving in power consumption is also a saving in CO2 pumped in to the atmosphere.
The Intelliflo Pump - saves you money in the long run
When you buy from PoolStore you get a 5 year warranty.
Click here to go to the product page for prices
Tags: energy saving pump, intelliflo pump, pentair pumps, pool pump, swimming pool pump
Posted in Bright New Ideas, Swimming Pool Pumps | No Comments »
March 1st, 2012
Up until now there had only been one fundamental type of summer pool cover available now, for the first time, pool owners can choose between two types.
Swimming pool summer covers are often called “bubble covers” because they look very much like a sheet of bubble wrap. In fact the machinery used to make bubble wrap is also used to make swimming pool covers. These machines produce a cylindrical bubble that is prone to weakness on the corners and leaves limited room for air expansion inside.
The traditional bubble
After many years of research Plastipac, the manufacturer, have come up with a new type of bubble that they say will change the way pool covers are made. The new bubble looks like two bubbles joined together. This does away with the weak points of the traditional bubble making much longer lasting as well as giving more room for the air inside to expand. They have also improved the additive in the cover used to protect it against UV light and chemical attack. So confident are they in their new material they have given it a 6 year warranty. That is a pro rata warranty but all cover warranties are pro rata.
The new Geobubble design
The geobubble is available on two types of material. The curiously named Sol + Guard material is a clear material and 500 microns thick. This clear material is the best for “solar gain” , that is gaining extra heat in the water due to the sun shining down on it. It is not so good at retaining the heat at night. Very many of these covers are sold overseas to places with sunny days and warmer nights. Also available is the 600 micron blue top with silver underside cover. Blue is the traditional colour choice for most pool owners and the silver underside reflects the heat back in to the pool at night and so tends to be more popular in cooler climates (like the UK).
 600 micron blue/silver material |
 The Clear Sol + Guard 500 micron material |
Tags: geobubble, pool covers, sol+ guard, swimming pool cover
Posted in Swimming Pool Covers | No Comments »
August 23rd, 2011
Every autumn pool owners buy their winterising chemicals but how many of them study the label and take note of the recommended doses?
Winterising chemicals can come in 5 litre, 3 litre, 2 litre or 1 litre bottles and they all have different pool volumes that they can dose.
Despite what it may say on the lablel, winterisers will last for about 3 months so to get 6 months of protection you will need to dose your pool twice. Once in October and again in January.
The contents are mostly water with the “good stuff”, the algicide, in varying concentrations. So to cut through the confusion we have come up with our pound cost dosage comparison. We have standardised our pool volume to 10,000 gallons and our longevity to one 3 month span.
You don’t have to use winter algicide, some summer algicides will do the winterising job just as well so we have included them too.
Reading across the table Perfect Super Concentrate comes in a 1 litre bottle and will treat 26,000 gallons. That means you need 0.4 litres to treat 10,000 gallons. At a cost of £24.00 for 1 litre that means it costs £9.60 to treat 10,000 gallons. Compare that to the popular Kleen Pool Brand and you’ll see it costs £22.50 to treat 10,000 gallons. Worse still is Clear n Clean at £30.00 per 10,000 gallons. That is why we don’t sell them!
| Chemical name |
Container size |
Gallons container will treat |
Litres required to dose 10,000 gallons |
Container
Cost |
Cost per 10,000 gallons |
| Perfect Super Concentrate |
1 litre |
26,000 |
0.4 |
£24.00 |
£9.60 |
| Champion Winterclear |
5 litres |
12,000 |
4.2 |
£21.00 |
£17.64 |
| Blue Horizons Wintertime |
5 litres |
15,000 |
3.3 |
£21.00 |
£13.86 |
| Fi-Clor Winteriser |
3 litres |
19,000 |
1.6 |
25.00 |
£13.15 |
| Kleen Pool |
1 litre |
5,000 |
2.0 |
£11.25 |
£22.50 |
| Clear n Clean |
1 litre |
6,000 |
1.6 |
£18.00 |
£30.00 |
| Blue Horizons Algimax |
2 litres |
20,000 |
1.0 |
£18.50 |
£9.75 |
We sell the top 3 on the list. Two dedicated winterisers (Perfect Super Concentrate and Fi-Clor winteriser) and the all year rounder Blue Horizons Algimax Eliminator.
Tags: swimming pool winterisers, winterising, winterising a pool, winterising algicide
Posted in Swimming Pool Chemicals | No Comments »
August 4th, 2011
On the label of most swimming pool chlorine products you will see a reference to “Available Chlorine”. This short article will attempt to explain what that is.
In its natural state of 100% purity chlorine is a gas but swimming pool chlorine is often refered to as “granular chlorine” or “shock chlorine” or “chlorine tablets” “or “liquid chlorine”. In order to get from a highly poisonous gas to a stable white powder you have to add stuff. The more stuff you add the lower the content of chlorine becomes until it is low enough to remain stable in the container and for general handling.
Chlorine Tablets contain chlorine in the form of trichloroisocyanuric acid (short name “trichlor”). This is the most concentrated form of swimming pool chlorine with a 90% available chlorine level.
Next comes Shock Chlorine which is calcium hypochorite (short name “cal hypo”). The strength of this can vary, as a minimum it is 65% available chlorine, but some of the fi-clor superfast blends are 75% available chlorine.
Granular chlorine has a few different chemical names but is best known as sodium dichloroisocyanutrate (short name “dichlor”). This has 55% available chlorine. Granular chlorine and chlorine tablets contain cyanuric acid which is a stabliser to stop the chlorine being burnt off by the sun.
Liquid chlorine, like shock chlorine, does not contain cyanuric acid stabiliser. Liquid chorine is sodium hypochlorite and contains about 15% available chlorine. Other forms with 10% or lower concentrations are available and are used by dairy farmers for sterilisation and in household bleach.
Tags: available chlorine, Calcium Hypochlorite, chlorine, dichloroisocyanurate, sodium hypochlorite, swimming pool chlorine, trichloroisocyanuric acid
Posted in Swimming Pool Chemicals | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2011
Most people will know that that the best chemical for killing algae and bacteria in swimming pool water is Chlorine.
Most people will know that salt is Sodium Chloride, a Sodium atom bonded to a Chlorine atom. Chemical Symbol NaCl.
Most swimming pool owners know that they have to regularly buy “Chlorine” granules and throw them in their pool to kill algae and bacteria to keep their pool water clean and safe to swim in. It gets used up and you have to go and buy more.
The more savvy pool owner will know that one of the types of “Chlorine” he could use is actually Sodium Hypochlorite and when he adds it to water Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) is formed and that is what actually kills stuff. Sodium Hypochlorite sounds a bit like Sodium Chloride – salt. Well it is close, but just putting salt in your pool will not kill bacteria – you have to “hypo” it. To “hypo” it you have to add an Oxygen atom. If you mix a lot of water (H2O) and little salt (NaCl) together and pass and electric current through it, greatly simplified, an Oxygen atom and a Hydrogen atom join up with a Chlorine atom and you get H + O+ Cl = HOCl, hypochlorous acid. Bingo! All bacteria dead and lovely clean pool water. That really is just about all there is to salt water chlorination except read on because it gets even better.
Strickly speaking it is not Chlorine that kills bacteria or algae it is the Oxygen that does the killing by oxidising the bacteria, the same reaction as burning something. Burning, setting fire to and oxidising are all the same thing, either way the bacteria is dead. So the Hypochlorous acid gives up its oxygen atom to burn the bacteria and the chlorine atom goes back in to the water. That is until it finds its way back to the electrodes of the salt water chlorinator and re-forms in to HOCl again and goes off looking for more bacteria to kill. Self regeneration, a never ending supply of hypochlorous acid means you never have to add sanitising chemicals to your pool water again.
So it is not hard to see why salt water chlorination is an ever more popular way to sanitise a swimming pool. Just add salt to the water and fit a set of clever electrodes called a salt water chlorinator and you can have pristine clean pool water and no need to add sanitising chemicals ever again. The high electrical current between the electrodes will also kill any algea spores in the water so although the hypochlorous acid would have got them anyway the electrodes killing them off mean you can lower the chlorine level down to about 0.5 ppm.
That is a brief explanation of how salt water chlorination works in swimming pools. Read the next article for the pros and cons of actually buying, fitting and using one.
Tags: salt chlorination, salt chlorinators, salt water chlorination, salt water chlorinators
Posted in Swimming Pool Chemicals | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2011
In Australia and South Africa nearly all the domestic swimming pools are sanitised using salt water chlorinators. In the UK very few swimming pools use salt water chlorinators. The Aussies think we are crazy not for using salt water chlorination, so what are the pros and the cons?
At PoolStore we have recently become converts to the idea of salt water chlorination. This is mainly down to the introduction of a new product that means you can retro fit a salt water chlorinator to your pool wheras before the units were installed when the pool was first built or had to be installed by a pool professional.
The biggest and most obvious advantage of salt water chlorination is that you never have to add any chemicals to your pool ever again. Cleaning chemicals that is – chlorine, algicides, clarifiers will be a thing of the past. All you will need is pH balance chemicals now and then. No more pulling back the cover and finding the water has gone green since you last looked at it. Provided you don’t switch it off your salt water chlorinator will keep your water pristine clean all season.
The water will “feel” much nicer. This is a difficult concept to explain but the water will feel softer and more inviting. Because the salt content is much closer to that of your eye water, red eyes and eye irritation will be greatly reduced. Your fingers will not go as “wrinkly” due to the salt content and you will not come out of the pool smelling of chlorine.
So with pristine clean water for ever and no chemicals what could possibly be the downside to salt water chlorination? Well not much really. Despite what the manufacturers might claim, the water does taste salty. Not very salty, at 10 times less salt than the sea it is not unpleasant, and after a few weeks regular users will get used to the taste and barely notice it at all.
The installation process involves putting a lot of salt in your pool. Eight 25kg bags for a 50m3 (11,000 gallon) pool. But at least you only have to do it once. You will need to keep a few bags of salt on hand because as you top up after backwashing or evaporation you will need more salt sooner or later.
The biggest disadvatage is the cost. For a 12 x 24 pool a salt water chlorinator will cost about £850.00 and the salt will cost about £100.00. That is about 10 years worth of chemicals but factor in never having to go out there and dose your pool, except for the pH now and then, and the pay back may well seem to come a lot quicker.
We like the Zodiac EI salt chlorinator because it can be retro fitted to just about any pool.
The Zodiac EI salt water chlorinator is our favourite
Tags: chemical free swimming pool, salt chlorination, salt chlorinators, salt water chlorination, salt water chlorinators, zodiac ei
Posted in Bright New Ideas, Swimming Pool Chemicals | No Comments »
June 10th, 2011
The launch of the Dolphin Supreme range has proved very successful for Maytronics so much so that it prompted its competitor Hayward, the manufacturer of the Tiger Shark automatic swimming pool cleaner, to lower its price and chuck in some freebies.
The price of the cleaner was reduced from £1,226.00 to £1,150.00 and included a free caddy for carrying the cleaner around in and also a free set of filters. The filters are £70.00 so this was quite a generous offer.
The Tiger Shark works in much the same way as the Dolphin Supreme M4. An electric cleaner that work independantly of the pool’s filtration system. It has two paper filters to catch the finest of dirt. The Dolphin used to have a bag but has no gone over to paper filters also.
Tiger Shark Automatic Swimming Pool Cleaner
The offer expired on 31st July 2011 but call us and we may still be able to get a good deal for you.
Tags: automatic swimming pool cleaners, dolphin supreme M4, dolphin supreme M5, Hayward, Maytronics, Tiger Shark pool cleaner
Posted in Swimming Pool Cleaning | No Comments »
May 27th, 2011
This is an article about algae in swimming pools and it has got graphs in it. I am sometimes accused of being a bit nerdy, I don’t know why!
Algae need light to grow, strong sunshine is algae’s best friend. Just when we are getting our pools ready for the warm summer days the daylight hours start to increase, just what the alage need. It is worth taking a look at just how the light in the UK varies throught the year.
Below is a graph on which the blue line is daylight hours. Note how all through June and well in to July we get 16 hours of daylight per day compared with 8 hours in winter. Twice as much daylight in summer as in winter.
The Blue line is daylight hours, the Red line sunset time, the orange line sunrise time
The next graph shows the altitude of the sun. Note how in summer when the days are 16 hours long the sun is up to 60 degrees above the horizon but in winter is barely gets above 20 degrees. The lower the altitude the more atmosphere it has to penetrate, the lower the strength of the light. The opposite in summer lots of light and lots of strength.
The higher the sun the stronger the light
That is why algae grows so much more in the summer than it does in the winter. Light = food for algea, give something twice the amount of food and it will grow twice as much.
Tags: algae, algae in swimming pools, algae removal, killing algae
Posted in Swimming Pool Chemicals, Swimming Pool Cleaning | No Comments »
May 19th, 2011
There are two new names in the above ground pool market for 2011 and they are the Reprieve and the Oracle. [Don't blame us - we didn't come up with the names!] They have replaced the Reggata and the Equinox Pools. The Oracle Pool is just the Equinox re-named but the Reprieve is a brand new pool. But which is better?
The simple answer is the Oracle, but it is more expensive so you would expect that. Much of the difference between the two pools is in the detailing so, in the end, your choice may come down to which of the pools you prefer the look of.
So what are the differences? Well, the biggest difference is the Reprieve is 48 inches deep and the Oracle is 52 inches deep. The overall design and construction of the pools is very similar in that they are both metal sided with metal struts and top rails. They both come with all the necessary equipment to get them up and running and they both need the same sort of ground preparation before you errect them. The difference is in the detail.
The most obvious detail is the colour of the side walls. The Reprieve Pool has “wood effect” walls and a brown frame while the Oracle Pool has “silver leaf” sides with a Pewter frame. Each comes with a nice patterned liner, the quality of the liner is equal in both pools but the patterns are different.
The Reprieve Pool has a 6 inch top rail, the Oracle Pool has an 8 inch top rail. The uprights on the Reprive are 4.5 inch on the Oracle they are 7 inch. So you can see that the Oracle is a more solid pool but then it needs to be because it holds more water than the Reprieve.
 The 48 inch Reprieve has the "wood effect" exterior |
 The 52 inch Oracle has a grey exterior |
 Oracle's Liner is "beach tile" |
 Reprieve's Liner is "boulder" |
Tags: Above Ground Pools, above ground swimming pools, oracle, repreive
Posted in Above Ground Pools | No Comments »
February 16th, 2011
Maytronics, the manufacturer of the Dolphin range of automatic pool cleaners have introduced two new cleaners for 2011 to replace the Dolphin Magic and the Dolphin Dynamic Plus. The new pool cleaners are called the M4 and the M5. Externally they look exactly the same but internally there are some significant differences.
First we’ll look at how the M4, full name the Dolphin Supreme M4, has improved upon the Dolphin Magic and then we’ll look at how the M5 differs from the M4.
The Dolphin Supreme M4 and M5 look alike but differ internally
The most obvious change is in the colour from the orange case of the Dolphin Magic to a more understated blue for the M4 but the Dolphin Dynamic Plus was blue before so now it is not so easy to tell them apart.
Maytronics have introduced a third roller brush to the new models. This is to give extra scrubbing power to get algea of the floor of the pool and also means that the problem that some cleaners have of getting stuck on a raised main drain is eliminated.
The Dolphin Magic had a bag to collect the debris in and so could not pick up the fine dust in the way that the Tiger Shark can. That has changed with the M4 because it now has paper filters like the Tiger Shark in two versions, fine and ultrafine but it can also have a filter bag if you prefer. Bags are easier to clean but paper filter can collect finer dirt.
When you want to take the bag or filter out to clean it on all other automatic swimming pool cleaners you have turn them on their side because the filters come out from underneath the machine. On the M4 the filters come out from the top, quite a handy little improvement.
Like all top end automatic swimming pool cleaners the Dolphin Supreme M4 will climb the walls and clean the scumline by default.
The Dolphin Supreme M5 differs from the M4 mainly because it has a wireless remote control. If the cleaner has missed a bit you can send it in to the area and make it clean up. In rectangular pools this is rarely necessary but is a very useful feature if you have free-form or kidney shaped swimming pool. As well as this the M5 tells you when the filter needs cleaning by means of a light on the transformer and the wall climbing mode can be switched off if required.
In the league table of automatic swimming pool cleaners the Dolphin Supreme M4 and M5 are clearly on top. There is no better pool cleaner but they are not cheap. At £1,420.00 and £1,995.00 they are the most expensive pool cleaners but they are definitely the best.
Tags: automatic swimming pool cleaners, Dolphin Dynamic Plus, dolphin supreme M4, dolphin supreme M5, Dolpin Magic
Posted in Bright New Ideas, Swimming Pool Cleaning | No Comments »
February 10th, 2011
Every year, every manufacturer claims to have produced a revolutionary new product that will change the way we look after our pools and on closer scrutiny they are just a reworking of an old product but the Multicyclone Plus is a genuine new product and we are very impressed by it.
New products that are a big improvement on what was there before are quite rare in the pool industry. The only two of note in the past few years were Sea Klear clarifier and the Nirvana Heat Pump. Now we can add the MutliCylone Plus to that very short list.
The MutliCylone Plus was developed from the MutliCylone which is a device that is placed in the pipework before a sand filter. It uses centrifugal force to pre-filter out about 80% of the dirt and so gives the sand filter much less work to do. The MutliCylone Plus takes the idea to the next logical level. If 80% of the dirt is gone then a paper filter can handle the remaining 20% quite easily. So a paper filter was placed on top of the MutliCylone and the MutliCylone Plus was born.
The technology inside the MutliCylone Plus is the same as is inside the Dyson carpet cleaner. Dyson have the patent for this technology for use in air, Waterco the manufacturer of the MutliCylone Plus have the patent for its use in water.
The MutliCylone Plus - a revolution in pool filtration
The pool water enters at the bottom and then goes through a bank of cyclones causing a vortex from which the dirt is spun out and gathers in the sediment bowl. From there the water goes through the paper filter which catches all the fine dirt that was not spun out. When the sediment bowl needs emptying just open the purge valve and only 15 litres of water is required to wash it out. The manufacturers claim that paper filter cartridge needs cleaning every 6 months but we recommend cleaning it every month or so with instant filter cleaner.
The advatages of the Multicyclone Plus include
- It is much cheaper than a sand filter
- It takes up much less space in your pool room than a sand filter
- It is easier to maintain than a sand filter
- No backwashing means a saving of thousands of litres of water
- No backwashing means not having to heat up fresh water used to replace the backwash water
- It is easy to install
- No costly and time consuming sand changes.
So there must be some disadvatages to the MutliCylone Plus? Well, one big disadvatage is for the pool trade is that no filter sand changes are required so many will be reluctant to push it because it does them out of a lucrative source of work in the winter. The largest version of the MutliCylone Plus is big enough for a 75m3 pool. That is not particularly big, about a 10m x 5m or 16ft x 32ft pool. So owners of larger pools will not be able to use one on its own. Waterco do plan to develop the technology for bigger pools including comercial pools also though.
All in all we think this is a very good new product and are happy to promote it.
Installation is relatively simple. Typically you would install it directly above the outlet of your circulation pump. In the picture below a Salt Chlorinator is attached above it but in a normal installation a couple of 90 degree bends would take the pipe vertically downwards and back to the swimming pool return line. It is not very heavy and the pipes will support its weight. Alternatively there is a stand for it to sit on the ground.
The Multicyclone plus is typically installed directly above the pump outlet
Tags: MutliCylone Plus, sand filter, Swimming Pool Filtration, water saving device
Posted in Bright New Ideas, Swimming Pool Filtration | No Comments »
October 20th, 2010
If you had a china shop and a bull wandered in at least you could shoo it out through the door.
Pity this poor pool owner then who found an escaped bull in his swimming pool. The two year old bovine beast was trying to make the aquaintance of some cows in a neighbouring field when he escaped and in trying to avoid re-capture burst through a fence and ended up in the pool.
 "I think I'll go for a china shop next time" |
 "Oh, how undignified!" |
The pool had to be drained and the bull lifted out by a forklift with help from the fire brigade. The bull was unharmed and the pool only suffered minor damage.
Tags: bull in swimming pool, swimming pool mishaps
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
October 13th, 2010
Although this is much more of a concern for large commercial pools it is important for domestic pool owners to understand the potential risks.
Despite Chlorine’s ability to kill just about anything organic there is one type of nasty that evades being killed by chlorine. Well two actually - Cryptosporidium and Gardia but they are very similar. They are a protozoan organism that forms a hard, impermeable shell around itself that is resistant to attack from Chlorine. The shell is called an oocyst and if ingested by a human it can cause severe diarrhoea. It is passed on via contact with said diarrhoea.
So if the oocysts get in to your pool and Chlorine will not kill them – what can you do? Well the good thing from our point of view is that the oocysts are quite big, 6 thousandths of a millimetre. That might not sound big and it is still small enough to pass straight through a sand filter but it is big compared to a bacterium. So we can use flocculation to get rid of them.
Flocculation is the process of combining lots of small items together to form one bigger item, like snowflakes combining to form a snowball. Adding a flocculent to the water makes all the oocysts combine in to bigger lumps and those lumps will get held back by the filter.
The cheapest and most common form of flocculent used is Aluminium in the form of Aluminium Sulphate. This is what is in Granular Floc and Floc Tablets. Environmental authorities are not keen on Aluminium being dumped in to water courses from your backwash but there are two flocculants that are better and Aluminium free. The first is based on polyacrylamides and comes in gel form. Jolly Clear Cubes are such a flocculent. Better still is Sea Klear Clarifier. It is not only gathers up oocysts and any other contaminants it also gets rid of oils and oily scum from suncreams that can cause stains on your liner.
So in the armoury of the pool owner the main weapon is chemical sanitisers, Chlorine being the most popular one but we should not forget the importance of flocculation to get rid the nasties that chlorine cannot reach.
 Natural Sea Klear Clarifier |
 Jelly Clear Cubes |
Tags: Aluminium Sulphate, Cryptosporidium, Flocculation, Gardia, Sea Klear Clarifier
Posted in Swimming Pool Chemicals | No Comments »
August 17th, 2010
Most people’s idea of an above ground pool is about 4ft above the ground but how about 650ft above the ground?
This new pool in Singapore spans across three huge hotel towers and is 150m long. With an infinity edge that looks out over the skyline you need a good head for heights to take the plunge in this pool.
Life on the edge
A pool with a view
The last word in above ground pools
If you would like a pool like this it is yours for the bargain price of four billion pounds.
Posted in Above Ground Pools, News | No Comments »
