As summer rolls along and the heavy rain season continues throughout SW Florida, we often get calls from people who claim that their current service person cannot solve problems involving their water quality or clarity.  Many also report that they have noticed sudden staining of their finish or “discoloration”, that they have never noticed before.

Low Total Alkalinity

The results of a low TA may be one or more of the following:

• etching of the  plaster, marbelite, marcite or tile grouting;
• corrosion of metal parts (pool heater,etc.)
• staining of the pool’s surfaces (from corroded pool heater?)
• green water (copper particles in suspension)
• burning eyes and itchy skin
• pH bounce (rapid fluctuations in pH)

Raising low total alkalinity

Sodium bicarbonate (bicarb) will raise the TA without excessively raising the  pH.  Care should be taken to increase the TA over a period of time,  especially if it has dropped to zero.  Note: Reactions will occur if the Alkalinity is not tested regularly and adjusted too drastically.   That’s why we strongly recommend that, if your Total Alkalinity and PH have dropped to extremely low levels, consult a professional and have your water tested on-site, before adding any bicarb yourself.  It could make your staining even worse.

High Total Alkalinity

The results of high TA may be one or more of the following:

• pH keeps going up
• cloudy water
• burning eyes and itchy skin;
• reduced chlorine efficiency resulting in stubborn algae growth.

Lowering high total alkalinity

Regular  small “acid shocks” with muriatic acid will reduce the pH while lowering the  TA. This can be an extremely slow process and it may take weeks or  longer to reduce high TA. One suggested method:

• shut the pool down and keep the pump off if you decide you need to add multiple gallons of acid.
• keep the pump off until you reach your desired TA level.
• this will allow you to avoid running the acidic (aggressive water) through any pool equipment that may be sensitive to low PH

If the pH is close to normal, and you TA is only 20-30 PPM above ideal range, use small amounts and re-test after 48 hours.  You can always add a little more, but you can’t take it out, once you have poured it in.

Tis the season to have algae.  Spring (April-June) is the most common time to have algae problems in your pool in Southwest Florida, for a few different reasons.  Many homeowners  or “do it yourself” pool operators make the mistake of using the wrong chemicals and/or the wrong methods of fighting algae in their pool, because they fail to identify the true source of the problem.   In many cases, the algae will still survive an initial shock or even pop-up, almost out of nowhere, in a perfectly balanced pool and the operator will say……Why is this happening?

In most cases, they will be dealing with three different types of algae, and each of these require a different course of action.

1.  Yellow Algae (mustard)

This is probably the most common type of algae problem that homeowners face in Southwest Florida.  We do not recommend using any liquid algaecides.  A pure “yellow treatment” is sufficient (containing sodium bromide).  There are many algaecides that will kill yellow algae but most do not remove the source of the algae from the water, which is typically a large amount of organic waste or contaminants.  The most common culprit is a high phosphate level.  Phosphate is often the byproduct of organic materials or other elements that eventually get broken down by the sanitizer in the pool and become a new compound.  Most cartridge filters will not remove this invisible contaminate from the water without help.  We recommend treating the pool with a phosphate remover .   Always test for phosphates before assuming that this is the source of your yellow algae (with a phosphate test kit).  Other reasons that you might be having trouble keeping the yellow away might be high total alkalinity or high cyanuric acid/chlorine stabilizer.  The latter can be a result of using too many trichlor tablets or other “stabilized” chemicals.  It will saturate the water an “lock-out” the sanitizer, keeping it from breaking down the algae spores.

How do I prevent high phosphate? Take a good look around your pool area.  Any potted plants on the lanai or near the pool will almost always lead to high phosphate levels, eventually.  Also, make sure that your overflow or auto-fill is not in a place where dirt and run-off can backwash into your pool, during heavy rain or watering.  Plant life and soil can poison your pool if not monitored and maintained properly.  Finally, many phosphate problems come from the swimmers themselves.  Lotions, soaps and hair products will almost always be broken down into phosphates.

Rinse off before you dive in for the first time!!!!!

2.  Green Algae

Green algae usually occurs from an extended period of poor chemistry, usually due to either a large amount of fresh water being introduced to the pool, or a period of no maintenance or care.  Most green algae does not require any fancy chemicals, just proper PH balance and a thorough “shock”, followed by en extended period of filtration (24-48 hours) and one or more filter cleanings.  A relatively “fresh” filter will speed up the clearing process (a new cartridge or internal cleaning, for D.E. filters).  It often helps to use cellulose fiber to aid the clearing process, but this is only necessary in extreme cases, where you cannot see the bottom.

We can perform all of these tasks for you, and we also sell and deliver the products used.  It is usually worth it to pay the additional labor for us to perform the treatment, although it is not required.  Contact us for prices and help identifying any of these problems.

3.   Black algae (mold spots)

Test for high phosphate contamination (explained above) and it if it high, treat that first. Some good old elbow grease (with a wire brush) and some time in the pool will take care of an isolated spot or two, provided that the water quality is right. Vacuum the mold and clean it from the filter immediately, once it is removed.

If it is too late, and your pool is covered in spots, we recommend using at least 2 pounds (per 10,000 gallons) of an algae destroyer. This is also known as granulated tri-chlor. Make sure to follow the directions on the container. It should sit, undisturbed, on the bottom for at least 24 hours.

We can perform all of these tasks for you, and we also sell and deliver the products used. It is usually worth it to pay the additional labor for us to perform the treatment, although it is not required. Contact us for prices and help identifying any of these problems.

40 hour process from start to finish.  Installed new cartridge filter.

This is the time of year that many homeowners begin to wonder:  Does my pool leak?

This is the most popular time of year for leak detection and repair for 2 main reasons, both related to the chamge in climate.

1.  Less rainfall will lead to the discovery of slow leaks, that were not enough to outpace the weekly rainfall experienced during the summer months, from July to September.  This type of leak can be as simple as patching around a fixture or waterline tile.  The most common examples of this are leaking light niches, skimmer openings, step/or cap tiles, or loose marcite around your return fixtures or main drain.

2.  As the water table drops during the dry season, some settling may occur underneath your deck and/or pool shell.  This will make the most common and expensive form of leak problem occur as these slight movements can put pressure on your lines and eventually cause them to break or crack.

But be sure.  The easiest way is to fill a bucket of water and mark it at the waterline.  Do the same in your pool.  Leave the bucket on your deck for 48 hours and see if there is an obvious difference in how fast the water evaporates inside the bucket vs. in your pool.  It is not uncommon to have to fill your pool every other week or replace as much as an inch to 1.5 inches of water per week.

Pay attention to things that might accelerate evaporation in your situation, like if your pool is open and more exposed to wind, or if you have a spill feature or waterfall that is causing more spray.  This will make the evaporation in your pool higher than average.

We offer the full range of leak detection from simple patching to detecting broken lines, recovering those lines, and fixing them.

More and more pool builders and retail outlets are convincing homeowners to either switch to a “salt system” or chlorine generator, either for their newly built pool or as a retrofit for their existing pool.  This has brought several new issues, related to the science of balancing the pool water and preserving the pool finish.  A zinc anode is one item that is becoming popular with sales people who are becoming educated about the side effects the salt system can have on the customer’s finish and want to give the pool owner added value.  These simple items can be installed for only a fraction of what it might cost to eventually acid wash or do a complex stain treatment after a few years.

But more importanly, one simply has to understand the added complexity of balancing PH and when/how to add salt to the pool to keep it from having harmful effects on the plaster.

Click in this article to read more about some of these factors and how they may or may not lead to issues with your pool finish, old or new, if you are installing a salt system chlorine generator.

My dog Milo goes everywhere with me, so I fully understand people who want to involve their dog in daily life,  whenever possible.  If he didn’t completely LOATHE water and getting wet, it probably would be hard to keep him out of my pool.  Of course, he is a short haired dog, so often those types of dogs are a completely different brand of maintenance.

Dogs are obviously not the cleanest animals. Sure we give them a bath? but how often? every week? every 2 weeks?  If you went 2 weeks without a bath, imagine what you would have on your body?  

Actually, many dogs do more harm to the pool just after they have been bathed, since a lot of dog shampoos and grooming products contain agents that already cause problems in pools on their own.  This often comes in the form of increasing the phosphate level.   Read here

Your dogs will introduce lots of bacteria and other elements into your pool that increase chlorine demand.   The pool can handle it, as long as adjustments are made in how much chlorine is being added and how much the filter is being run and backwashed.  The main thing that the dog will do is increase the chlorine demand and phosphate level.

If your chlorine reading is just showing above 2.0 PPM, and your dogs are going to swim, or have been swimming, you are likely to have a problem if the pool is not shocked or super chlorinated within a day or two.

Also, consider your other variables in the pool system. Any hair that is shed by the dogs will end up in the water, and eventually the hair will be filtered.  Your skimmer basket may catch some of it, but generally, most of it will end up in the filter.     If you have a Diatomaceous Earth (DE for short) Filter, you may have to backwash more frequently if the hair is clogging the filter.  You may also need to open it up and manually clean the grids more often.  Be careful to check your filter pressure throughout the backwash cycle. If you start getting Algae, or when you vac your pool, no matter what you do, you cant get enough suction to clean the dirt and other debris, check your filter.

Most important, the more hair your dog has, the more problems you will encounter.  No matter how often you groom, it is always best to simply keep them out of the pool as much as you can.